ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has added five counties to a deer feeding and attractant ban to reduce the risk of chronic wasting disease spread.
The ban now covers 37 Minnesota counties following detections of CWD in wild deer in new areas last year. The newly added counties are Becker, Clearwater, Grant, McLeod and Meeker.
“Where people place food or attractants out for deer, higher numbers of deer tend to congregate in one place,” said Paul Burr, acting big game program leader. “The feeding and attractant ban is one tool to reduce the unnatural congregating of deer and lower the risk of CWD spread.”
The complete ban area includes Aitkin, Anoka, Becker, Beltrami, Carver, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Grant, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Le Sueur, McLeod, Meeker, Mower, Norman, Olmsted, Polk, Ramsey, Rice, Scott, Sherburne, Sibley, Steele, Traverse, Wabasha, Washington, Wilkin, Winona and Wright counties. A map of the feeding and attractant ban area is available on the Minnesota DNR website.
The DNR discourages people from feeding deer even in areas outside the ban. People interested in helping deer should focus efforts on improving habitat to provide long-term food resources and shelter.