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By Mathew Holding Eagle III

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said it is ending targeted culling in the southeastern part of the state as 5 percent or more of wild deer are now infected with chronic wasting disease. The change affects three deer permit areas in Winona and Fillmore counties.

At a press conference Wednesday DNR Wildlife health supervisor Michelle Carstensen said continuing to cull such a broad area would be ineffective.

“It’s a way more effective tool to be used in initial outbreak periods where the spatial footprints is much smaller. And so we are going to continue using culling, but in areas of more emerging disease and persisting infections.”

Carstensen said the announcement does not mean less is being done to manage CWD there.

“We still have all the tools on the table for how we’re managing disease in the southeast, including our movement bans and feeding bans, and liberalized hunting and early hunts and late hunts, and all the things, lots of testing opportunities.”

The most recent infection numbers are a major increase over last year. The disease was first detected in the area in 2016.

In addition, last fall the disease was detected for the first time in Traverse County in western Minnesota.

The DNR said local landowners and hunters can help manage CWD in the affected areas by following guidelines on its website.