State reports record-high cases as deer hunting season begins

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By KTTC Staff

Published: Nov. 17, 2025 at 11:15 AM PST|Updated: 3 hours ago

ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – Deer hunting season is underway in Minnesota, and the DNR is asking hunters to help in the fight against a deadly disease.

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a contagious fatal brain condition that affects deer. It’s not harmful to humans, and there is no known cure.

Transmission happens primarily through direct contact between animals, but also through environmental contamination.

The DNR says CWD is prominent among deer in the southeast part of the state. Multiple management actions, designed to help mitigate disease spread, are in place in 32 counties, including Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Houston, Mower, Olmsted, Steele, Wabasha, and Winona.

Hunters in affected areas must provide CWD samples if it’s in a mandatory sample requirement area, follow carcass movement restrictions, and comply with deer feeding or attractant bans in place.

The DNR will directly notify any hunter who harvests a deer that tests positive.

According to the DNR, nearly 100 cases of CWD were documented in Minnesota deer last year — the highest number on record.

Visit the Minnesota DNR website for more information.

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