The Department of Natural Resources has announced that two deer harvested recently by hunters near Lanesboro were infected with chronic wasting disease, according to a press release.

“With this news from the DNR, it’s important for area hunters to be aware of this disease, and ways to avoid it in the field,” said Rep. Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea.

CWD is a fatal brain disease to deer, elk and moose but is not known to affect human health. While it is found in deer in states bordering southeastern Minnesota, it was only found in a single other wild deer in Minnesota in 2010.

The DNR discovered the disease when sampling hunter-killed deer this fall in southeastern Minnesota as part of its CWD surveillance program.

With the muzzleloader deer season stretching into mid-December and archery season open through Dec. 31, the DNR recommends hunters take these recommended precautions when harvesting deer:

Do not shoot, handle or consume any animal that is acting abnormally or appears to be sick.

Wear latex or rubber gloves when field dressing deer.

Bone out the meat from the animal. Don’t saw through bone, and avoid cutting through the brain or spinal cord.

Minimize the handling of brain and spinal tissues.

Wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field dressing is completed.

Avoid consuming brain, spinal cord, eyes, spleen, tonsils and lymph nodes of harvested animals. Normal field dressing coupled with boning out a carcass will remove most, if not all, of these body parts. Cutting away all fatty tissue will remove remaining lymph nodes.

If you have your deer or elk commercially processed, request that your animal is processed individually, without meat from other animals being added to meat from your animal.

The DNR also said it has begun implementing the state’s CWD response plan. Three additional CWD testing stations were opened in Fillmore County last weekend and electronic registration was turned off in two additional deer permit areas.