New mule deer season announced

For the first time ever, hunters in Southeast Manitoba will be able to take advantage of a new mule deer hunting season.

Opening Dec. 19, the season will last until Feb. 5, 2023.

A provincial government press release announced the new season last Thursday, as part of additional management actions designed to help prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD).

First detected in 2021 in Western Manitoba, the province had previously introduced more regulations for testing members of the deer family harvested by hunters. This year, seven cases of CWD have been confirmed near the Manitoba-Saskatchewan border. All have occurred in mule deer.

CWD is a highly contagious, incurable and fatal disease that affects members of the deer family including mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, moose and caribou.

The province says although CWD is not known as a human risk, they do no recommend eating meat from a CWD-infected animal.

The new hunting season is open in 25 game hunting areas mostly along Manitoba’s borders with Saskatchewan, North Dakota and Minnesota.

The three areas in the Southeast include an area southwest of Winnipeg from the Trans-Canada Highway to the border south of Winkler, nearly straight east to the Ontario border.

Communities within the three areas include, Winkler, Carman, St. Malo, La Salle, Altona, Emerson, Lorette, Ste Anne, Steinbach, Grunthal, Vita, Whitemouth, Sandilands, Woodridge, St Labre, Hadashville, Sprague, Middlebro, South Junction and Vassar.

Residents can purchase up to three mule deer licences per year. Any unused mule deer licences purchased for the fall of 2022 can be used during the new winter hunting season.

Hunters with question or concerns about an animal that has been harvested can email CWD@gov.mb.ca or call 204-638-4570.