Published: 09:00, 29 Jul 2026
Updated: 12:03, 29 Jul 2026
HUNTING regulation changes for one US state’s upcoming season have been released, and outdoorsmen will have to make major adjustments.
These include needing to dispose of deer carcasses themselves, with the state’s disposal program being axed ahead of the coming season.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources confirmed the program’s discontinuation with the release of its 2026 hunting regulations booklet.
Carcasses must now be disposed of through the hunter’s trash hauler, at a local landfill, or with a meat processor.
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The carcass can be left behind if it was hunted on private property and the landowner has given permission to do so.
While the change gives hunters more responsibility, it also gives them the freedom to move whole harvested deer within or outside of a chronic wasting disease management zone.
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Previously, outdoorsmen were required to first quarter their deer or wait for a negative CWD test result before moving the whole animal out of a zone.
These changes are being paired with an update to CWD management, with a rotational surveillance plan going into effect.
This will divide the state into four zones, with one of them testing all deer taken during the opening weekend of firearms season for CWD.
Hunters will be responsible for having their deer tested, but have many convenient ways of doing so, including those that can be done on their own or by local businesses and facilities.
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CWD is an fatal, contagious neurological illness that affects cervids such as deer, elk, and moose, and has no known cure.
It attacks the brain and nervous system, leaving infected animals with blank stares and unafraid of humans, two telltale signs of infection.
“We made this shift to get a clearer, more complete picture of where CWD is in Minnesota,” said Patrick Hagen, DNR wildlife disease response coordinator, in a statement from the DNR.
“While our past approach to sampling near areas of known disease has successfully monitored CWD spread in risk areas, nearly two-thirds of the state hasn’t had a targeted surveillance effort in more than 20 years,” he continued.
Other changes include state-mandated shotgun zones being eliminated, letting hunters target deer with any legal rifle, shotgun, or handgun, a merging of waterfowl regulations, and a new electronic license system.