About 11% of Minnesotans over the age of 15 hunted deer in 2022, taking about 170,000 animals, or about 17% of the estimated deer herd. Venison has been a popular table food for centuries. But because venison is not inspected by the USDA, its safety is sometimes questioned.
One safety concern is diseases affecting deer, and the main concern right now is chronic wasting disease. CWD is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cervids for which there is no widely available vaccine.
CWD: Where are we now and where are we heading?
