More than 1,000 deer taken in Minn. bovine tuberculosis area
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ST. PAUL (AP) — Sharpshooters, hunters and landowners have killed 1,028 deer in northwestern Minnesota this year to stop the potential spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Paul Telander is a wildlife manager for the state Department of Natural Resources. He says the high number of deer means there’s no need for a special disease hunt on public lands this spring.
The state has been trying to control deer populations in an area of 164 square miles where bovine TB has been found. The deer were killed by aerial and ground sharpshooters, landowners and hunters participating in a special early January hunt.
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The area’s deer population was about 800 before sharpshooting began.
Officials say lab results are pending on the deer taken this year, but preliminary results show that eight of the deer might be infected with bovine TB.
