On Dec. 12, 2024, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported that a deer harvested near Wheaton in western Minnesota during the opening weekend of firearms season had tested positive for chronic wasting disease (CWD). The adult male deer was harvested within deer permit area along the Minnesota-South Dakota border. To date, no wild deer with CWD had been previously detected in the local area or near the Minnesota border in eastern South Dakota.

Following the detection near Wheaton, the Minnesota DNR implemented measures outlined in its CWD response plan, which calls for three consecutive years of testing to help determine the potential prevalence of the disease in the target areas. The Minnesota DNR also will work with the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks and the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to coordinate CWD surveillance and management activities in the vicinity.

Once CWD has been detected and confirmed, the Minnesota DNR uses multiple management actions designed to help mitigate disease spread, including carcass movement restrictions, a deer feeding and attractants ban and, sometimes, increased hunting opportunities with increased bag limits.