A deer harvested near Wheaton in western Minnesota during the opening weekend of firearms season has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported Thursday.

The buck was harvested within Deer Permit Area 271 along the Minnesota-South Dakota border. To date, no wild deer with CWD had been previously detected in that area, nearby permit areas or near the Minnesota border in eastern South Dakota.

“This discovery in western Minnesota, while unwelcome news, highlights the importance and necessity of our disease surveillance efforts and allowing hunters to test deer harvested anywhere in the state if they would like to,” said Erik Hildebrand, DNR wildlife health supervisor.

Deer Permit Area 271 includes all of Traverse County and small portions of northern Big Stone and Wilkin counties. It is located north of Big Stone Lake and the Minnesota River Valley habitat corridor. The permit area is heavily farmed with limited public lands and habitat.

So far this year, the total deer harvest in that permit area totals 397, with 303 of the total being adult males, according to the DNR website.

Following the detection near Wheaton, the DNR will implement measures outlined in its CWD response plan, which calls for three consecutive years of testing to help determine the potential prevalence of the disease in Deer Permit Area 271 and surrounding permit areas.

The Minnesota DNR also will work with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to coordinate surveillance of chronic wasting disease and management activities in the vicinity.

Within deer permit areas where CWD has been detected and confirmed, the DNR uses multiple management actions designed to help mitigate disease spread, including carcass movement restrictions, a deer feeding and attractants ban, and, sometimes, increased hunting opportunities with increased bag limits.

In 2024, Deer Permit Area 271 will not be included in the CWD late-season management hunt that takes place Dec. 20-22. The adult male deer in that permit area that tested positive for CWD was harvested during the breeding season when deer are known to travel longer distances.

Before deciding whether to remove additional deer in a CWD management hunt, the DNR will conduct surveillance in the fall of 2025 to better understand disease prevalence in the permit area.

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