Outdoor News New statewide CWD surveillance plan will reach northeast Minnesota in 2028The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is expanding its approach to chronic wasting disease monitoring as part of several changes coming to the 2026 hunting season and years ahead. The DNR recently released its 2026 hunting and trapping regulations, which include updates to electronic licensing, deer hunting regulations, waterfowl rules and a new four-year statewide rotational surveillance plan for chronic wasting disease, or CWD. The mandatory testing schedule begins in southwest Minnesota in 2026, followed by northwest Minnesota in 2027, northeast Minnesota in 2028 and southeast Minnesota in 2029. CWD has been detected in parts of Minnesota, including areas of central and southern Minnesota, but the northeast Arrowhead region has remained without a confirmed case. The 2026 Minnesota hunting and trapping regulations are available through the DNR website, and hunting and trapping licenses go on sale Saturday, Aug. 1.