Minnesota Wildlife

December CWD hunt offers additional harvest opportunities

Deer permit area 184 near Bemidji is being added to several DPAs in southeastern Minnesota and the south metro area where hunters can harvest deer during a late-season chronic wasting disease management hunt. DPA 184 was added to the hunt after a deer harvested there this fall tested positive for CWD.

This late-season hunt is Friday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 18, in deer permit areas 184, 605, 643, 645, 646, 647, 648, 649 and 655. CWD sampling is mandatory for any deer 1 year or older harvested in this hunt. Harvested deer must be taken to a sampling station. Staffed sampling stations will be open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 16, through Monday, Dec. 19, and self-service stations will be available any time that Friday through Monday.

The DNR establishes CWD management hunts to assess potential disease spread and to help mitigate the risk of CWD transmission by reducing the number of deer.

Find hunt regulations, carcass movement restrictions, a list of CWD sampling stations, details about licenses and permits, and information about no-cost permits to some public lands in southern Minnesota where deer hunting is otherwise not allowed, on the?DNR website.

Please comment, engage on Whitewater WMA plan update

Anyone interested in the Whitewater Wildlife Management Area can share their thoughts on a draft update of the WMA?s master plan that will guide management of the popular hunting, fishing and wildlife-watching destination in southeastern Minnesota.

The DNR wants the plan to reflect current public values and attitudes about how the land should be managed into the future. Public input is important for this update and the last update to the plan was in 1977. We have a few meeting options if you?re interested in the plan and want to ask questions or provide input.

• Webinar from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15?
• In-person open house from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, in the main auditorium at the Whitewater State Park office, 19041 Highway 74 near Altura.
• Webinar from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023.

You can find links to join the webinars (registration is not required), a copy of the draft master plan update and details on how to comment on the plan on the?Whitewater WMA webpage. The DNR is accepting comments on the draft plan online, in person and via email or postal mail through Monday, Jan. 9.

Please share your wildlife observations online

With muzzleloader deer season underway, a late-season hunt coming up in some DPAs, and archery season continuing, here?s a reminder to use the?DNR?s online log?for deer and wildlife sightings. The DNR uses the results to compare what hunters report to population estimates that are a baseline for managing wildlife.

Hunters can enter information on the DNR website about wildlife they see while hunting including deer, turkey, bear, fisher and other species. Hunters also will be able to report specific information about any deer they harvest.

Photo courtesy of?Gary D. Siesennop

Webinars cover rabbit hunting, training a hunting puppy

Webinars are coming up about rabbit hunting and training a hunting puppy. Find registration information on the DNR website for these free webinars.

The first webinar is at noon Wednesday, Dec. 7. DNR staff will share tips and ideas on how to hunt rabbits, return with some delicious table fare, and gain some lifelong memories in the process.

The second webinar is at noon Wednesday, Dec. 14. Bird hunter Tina Dokken will discuss how to pick out a puppy and train it to become a hunting dog, including basic obedience training, bird retrieval and Dokken?s training journey with her new hunting pup.