 Deer hunting season begins this weekend, but as Clayton Castle tells us in this week's Northwoods adventure, the first two days of the season have some new requirements set by the Minnesota DNR. There's excitement in the air and in the woods surrounding this week's deer hunting opener. However, positive results of chronic wasting disease in a number of deer around the state will alter how hunting will take place this year. Chronic wasting disease is a disease that affects deer and includes symptoms of mood changes, losing a fear of people, walking in circles, among others. The incubation period is quite long with this disease, which makes it really tough because deer will look normal, i.e. healthy looking for the first couple of years after they're exposed, and then once they start to get the obvious signs of the disease, they deteriorate quite rapidly and typically within six months they'll be dead. There will be new requirements for deer hunters after positive chronic wasting disease tests were performed on deer on a deer farm in the southern part of Minnesota. In the southeast we found the disease in wild deer during last year's deer season and we ended up with 11 total positives in Fillmore County. So there's aggressive surveillance happening in that part of the state. Now after killing a deer, hunters will then be required to bring that deer to a testing site such as this one here in Brainerd to have it tested for chronic wasting disease. The DNR says the requirement of the testing is a proactive approach to making sure the disease doesn't spread into the wild. I think we've been very proactive, you know, we look at things as an element of risk and if we can find a disease earlier, take those steps in order to detect it early, then you're proactive in the sense that that's your one opportunity to do something about it. If you sit around and wait then that never works and you end up having disease established on the landscape like you see in several other western and midwestern states. The timing of these tests early in the season will be key to controlling the spread of the disease. The key to disease control and response is early detection so if we can find the disease early then we can take certain steps in order to not allow that disease to to gain a foothold and it's really no different than than any other wildlife or human disease. You don't just kind of sit around and kick the dirt wondering how things will turn out. We actively respond to disease threats. The testing of chronic wasting disease is only required for the first two days of deer hunting this weekend. Reporting in Brainerd for this week's Northwoods Adventure Clayton Castle, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.