Hunters contribute nearly 14,000 samples for CWD testing
Hunters harvested 186,203 deer during the 2025 hunting season, which is a statewide 9% increase from the 2024 hunting season, according to preliminary figures from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. The statewide harvest was 5% higher than the five-year average.
“We had a great deer harvest in most areas of the state this year,” said David Trauba, DNR wildlife section manager. “Hunters are critical to managing deer populations, so it’s positive news for conservation when we see hunters having more success out in the fields and forests."
Roughly half of all deer harvest occurs over the first two weekends of the firearms season, so weather during those two weekends has a particularly important influence on hunter success and overall harvest.
“Hunting conditions were favorable for hunters getting out and harvesting deer. We had cooling temperatures and limited precipitation,” said Paul Burr, acting big game program coordinator. “It also helped that deer populations have continued to rise over the past couple years thanks in part to mild winters.”
Deer activity associated with the breeding season also coincided with the firearms season, aiding hunter success.
Breakdown by region for firearms and archery
One of the areas with the largest increase in deer harvest was the northeast, where harvest was up 14% compared to 2024, and up 4% compared to the five-year average. Due to the ecology of the region, deer populations are significantly affected by winter conditions, particularly deep snow. The mild winters of 2023-24 as well as 2024-25 helped bolster local populations. However, wildlife managers are maintaining conservative bag limits and caution it will take more than two mild winters to help northern deer populations recover after the severe winters in 2021-2022 and 2022-23.
Northwest Minnesota also saw a jump in harvest with a 9% increase from 2024, and a 5% increase from the five-year average, with the recent mild winters helping deer in this region as well.
The region comprising the central and southeast areas of the state also saw success, with an 8% increase in harvest from 2024 and an 11% increase compared to the five-year average. Hunting opportunities remain robust in this region of the state, with bag limits as high as three to five deer.
The southwest saw a 6% increase in harvest compared to 2024 and also a 6% increase from the five-year average. This area has had very consistent harvest the last few years.
This past season again showed an increased harvest for archery hunters, with archery harvest up 8% compared to 2024. Crossbow harvest in 2025 was 50% of total archery harvest, compared to 48% of total archery harvest in 2024. Minnesota legalized crossbows for archery hunters in 2023.
CWD results from hunting seasons
The preliminary total for CWD sample collection is at nearly 14,000 samples in 2025, with most samples taken during the firearms deer season’s opening weekend.
“Thank you, hunters, for participating in the effort to monitor CWD,” said Erik Hildebrand, Minnesota DNR wildlife health supervisor. “Hunters play an important role in protecting deer populations by providing samples. Their participation allows us to monitor the spread and prevalence of the disease, which is critical information for managing CWD.”
CWD has been detected in samples from a total of 117 deer statewide in 2025, with most of the detections coming from southeast Minnesota. Of all the positive results so far in 2025, one has been a positive detection outside an existing CWD management zone.
The positive detection outside a CWD management zone was a buck harvested by a hunter in deer permit area 285 between Glencoe and Hutchinson in McLeod County. This detection is 33 miles away from where, prior to the season, a deer was detected with CWD in the adjacent DPA 601, and 34 miles to a deer that was positive for CWD in DPA 605. Both DPAs 601 and 605 were CWD management zones for the 2025 hunting season.
Hunters can check the DNR’s CWD results webpage for CWD test results. The site also shows statewide CWD test results, summary statistics and mapped locations of deer that have tested positive statewide. All test results from deer sampled this fall are being reported on the CWD results webpage. The DNR also directly notifies any hunter who harvests a deer that tests positive.
Asking for feedback on deer from hunters and non-hunters
The DNR is inviting Minnesotans to submit feedback about their experiences with deer and deer hunting in 2025 via an online questionnaire. The questionnaire contains open-ended questions about people’s experiences regarding deer populations in the areas where they live, hunt and recreate. The questionnaire is open through Monday, Feb. 23 and is available on the deer hunting webpage.
People interested in deer harvest data can find current and past reports on the DNR’s deer reports and statistics webpage. The page also features an interactive map and graph.