The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has revised deer feeding restrictions to better manage the threat of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in high-risk areas.
While they have removed feeding bans in 24 counties, they have also introduced these bans to five new counties to help mitigate the spread of CWD.
Newly included in the list of counties now facing feeding and attractant bans are Beltrami, Carver, Itasca, Le Sueur, and Sibley.
This is part of the department’s strategy, which utilizes these bans as a tool to prevent unnatural clustering of deer and thus reduce the likelihood of exposure to CWD.
The counties where feeding or feeding attractant bans have been lifted include Aitkin, Carlton, Chisago, Clearwater, Douglas, Freeborn, Isanti, Kanabec, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Marshall, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Pennington, Pine, Pope, Ramsey, Red Lake, Roseau, Stearns, Steele, Todd, and Wadena.
On the other hand, the counties where feeding and attractant bans are now in place include Beltrami, Carver, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Le Sueur, Mower, Norman, Olmsted, Polk, Rice, Scott, Sibley, Wabasha, Washington, and Winona.
While the DNR does not encourage deer feeding by the public, it recommends enhancing the habitat during the growing season for those wishing to support the deer, particularly in the winter.
This approach helps provide a sustainable source of food and shelter for the deer throughout the year.
For complete information on the updated restrictions, along with a list and map of impacted counties, the DNR directs interested parties to their official website.