State
CWD rules in Minnesota
CWD zone status
Agency
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
Last verified
June 16, 2026
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.
Bringing a carcass into Minnesota
Minnesota is the regulating authority for what you can bring in. Ban applies regardless of origin state's CWD status. Content sourced from dnr.state.mn.us page via search snippets; direct WebFetch returned HTTP 403 (bot block), so verbatim page text was not independently re-fetched.
Allowed for import
- quarters or other portions of meat with no part of the spinal column or head attached
- meat that is boned out or cut and wrapped (commercially or privately)
- antlers
- antlers attached to skull caps cleaned of all brain tissue
- hides
- teeth
- finished taxidermy mounts
Restricted from import
- whole carcasses
- head (except delivered to a taxidermist within 48 hours)
- spinal column
- brain tissue
Handling + processing
Whole deer, elk, moose and caribou carcasses may not be imported from any state/province regardless of CWD status. Heads (with or without cape/neck) may be brought in only if delivered to a licensed Minnesota taxidermist within 48 hours of entering the state.
Taking a carcass out of Minnesota
When you hunt in Minnesota and bring the carcass to another state, that destination state sets the rule. Because Minnesota has confirmed CWD detections, several destination states apply their stricter "from a CWD-affected state" rule to carcasses originating here — plan to bring back lower-risk parts only.
Minnesota on the CWD map
- CWD confirmed in state
- Under heightened surveillance
- No known CWD detections
Zone status is informational, not a hazard rating. Detections expand over time — confirm current status with each state's wildlife agency.
CWDCrossing provides informational summaries of state CWD carcass-transport regulations. Rules change annually pre-hunting-season; verify with both the origin and destination state wildlife agencies before transport. Failure to comply may result in citations. Not affiliated with the CWD Alliance, the National Deer Association, or any state agency.