Deer or moose suffering from chronic wasting disease suffer a miserable fate, living months to years while their bodies are ravaged by an abnormal protein called a prion. This prion affects the animal’s brain, often causing them to have droopy heads and ears, body tremors, stumbling, difficulty in swallowing and or excessive thirst or urination.
For the long-suffering animal the disease is always fatal.
In order to slow this infectious disease known as a “transmissible spongiform encephalopathy” (TSE) starting this fall, hunters can no longer bring whole deer carcasses into Minnesota from anywhere in North America. This restriction includes all members of the deer family (deer, elk, moose and caribou).
Previously, the restriction only applied to animals harvested in areas of North America where chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been known to occur.
“We are making this change to respond to the increasing prevalence and geographic spread of CWD,” said Adam Murkowski, Big Game Program leader with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
This fall, hunters may bring only the following parts into Minnesota, regardless of where the animal was harvested outside of the state:
. Meat that is boned out or that is cut and wrapped (either commercially or privately).
. Quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached.
. Hides and teeth.
. Antlers or clean skull plates (no brain tissue attached) with antlers attached.
. Finished taxidermy mounts.
. Nonresidents transporting whole or partial carcasses on a direct route through Minnesota are exempt from this restriction; however, similar restrictions exist in all surrounding states.
This rule has been finalized and is in place for the fall of 2016.
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