DNR adds Aitkin county to deer feed, attractant ban list

Firearms deer hunting season opens in Minnesota

There are some changes ahead for this year's deer hunting season in Minnesota. FOX 9's Bill Keller is joined by the Minnesota DNR to discuss what hunters can expect.

AITKIN COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - Hoping to reduce the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) throughout Minnesota’s wild deer population, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has added Aitkin to its county ban on using deer feed and attractants.

"The DNR uses feeding and attractant bans as a tool to reduce unnatural aggregations of deer and reduce the risk of exposure to CWD," said Todd Froberg, the DNR's big game program coordinator, in a statement. "We use this tool where it provides the greatest benefit to the health of Minnesota’s white-tailed deer."

The decision comes after the detection of chronic wasting disease in two wild deer near Grand Rapids in fall 2023.

Feeding deer and using deer attractants is now banned in 24 Minnesota counties, including: Beltrami, Carver, Cass, Crow Wing, Dakota, Dodge, Fillmore, Goodhue, Hennepin, Houston, Hubbard, Itasca, Le Sueur, Mower, Norman, Olmsted, Polk, Rice, Scott, Sibley, Wabasha, Washington and Winona.

For more information, visit the Minnesota DNR website.