Public meetings about CWD in Beltrami County Two public information meetings are scheduled for late September to discuss chronic wasting disease in the Beltrami County area.

Officials from the Minnesota DNR’s wildlife health and big game programs, along with partner representatives from the Minnesota Board of Animal Health and the University of Minnesota’s Center for Prion Research and Outreach, will present information and answer questions about CWD at each of the meetings.

Full details of the events and virtual participation options will be available at mndnr.gov/cwd in early September. Please check the webpage for any changes based on the evolving COVID-19 response.

• Bemidji High School commons (2900 Division St. W., Bemidji) on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 6-8 p.m.
• Kelliher High School commons (345 4th St. NW, Kelliher) on Wednesday, Sept. 29, from 6-8 p.m. 

Reminder: Deer lottery application deadline Sept. 9 The Minnesota DNR reminds firearm and muzzleloader hunters who want to harvest antlerless deer in a deer permit area designated as an antlerless permit lottery to purchase their license by Thursday, Sept. 9. Hunters who purchase their license before this date are automatically entered into the lottery for the deer permit area or special hunt area they declare. No application is needed to take antlerless deer in permit areas with either sex, two-deer limit, three-deer limit or five-deer limit designations.

Hunters who want to participate in special firearm or muzzleloader deer hunts also need to apply for permits that are issued through a lottery, and that application deadline is also Sept. 9.

More information about designations and regulations for deer permit areas, as well as details about special hunt opportunities, are available on the DNR website and in the 2021 Minnesota Hunting and Trapping Regulations Handbook.

Winners chosen for two stamp contests Shakopee artist Mark Thone won the Minnesota trout and salmon stamp contest with an acrylic painting of two pink salmon with one about to take an angler’s jig. Owatonna artist Ronald Engebretson won the walleye stamp contest with a gouache and colored pencil painting of a walleye about to take an angler’s minnow. Both contests happened on Thursday, Aug. 5. 

In the trout and salmon stamp contest, which had six eligible submissions, the runner up was Sherry Johnson of Roosevelt. In the walleye stamp contest, which had five eligible submissions, the runner up was Josh Evan of Mapleton. Engebretson and Evan tied for first place, with a tie-breaking vote picking Engebretson as the winner.

The DNR uses revenue from voluntary purchases of walleye stamps to purchase walleye for stocking in Minnesota’s lakes. Revenue from trout and salmon stamps, which are required for anglers 18-64 of age fishing in designated trout water or possessing trout, is dedicated to trout and salmon management and habitat work. Visit mndnr.gov/stamps for more information about habitat stamps and contest guidelines.