ST. PAUL - Two more deer suspected of having chronic wasting disease have been found in Fillmore County, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said Tuesday, Jan. 10.
The DNR received preliminary test results Jan 6. Final results are expected later this week. The two adult female deer were killed within a mile of the first two positive deer.
As a result, a ban prohibiting the feeding of wild deer now includes all of Fillmore, Houston, Mower, Olmsted and Winona counties. DNR may consider removing more deer to assess the disease’s prevalence and reduce its spread.
“We won’t make any final decisions until after Jan. 15 when the special hunt concludes,” Lou Cornicelli said in a news release. The DNR wildlife research manager indicated a ban is likely.
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Cornicelli said the department’s goal is to test 900 adult deer in southeastern Minnesota’s disease management zone. Hunters have killed about 575 deer in the region as of Jan. 7. Test results have been received for about half the samples.
