 The Minnesota deer hunting opener is just over a week away and with increased awareness of chronic wasting disease, the Minnesota DNR hopes to educate more hunters. Our Josh Peterson shows us some new tools for hunters that will help get deer tested. With the weather cool and crisp, it's just another sign that the deer hunting opener is right around the corner. And with the previous mild winters, hunters are expected to experience a great hunting season. Deer hunting in general is something I think we can look forward to a season that people are going to be pretty happy with. The last three years have basically given us conditions of milder winters and with that has come a larger deer population. With a decent season expected, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources hopes to test as many deer as possible in key locations for chronic wasting disease. With signs of the illness showing up in spots around the state, getting deer tested is crucial. That's the real critical point we're at, especially in Brainerd and the St. Cloud area. We've got to know if it's out in the wild population or not. We're hoping it's not and hopefully our test will show that this year. To help raise more awareness about chronic wasting disease, the Minnesota DNR launched a new mobile-friendly web page so that hunters, no matter what their region, can find a testing location for their deer. Because we just want to make it more efficient for hunters to find how to get to these sampling stations. So the map in itself is just an efficient way for hunters to see their options if they're somewhat unfamiliar with the area. While making it more efficient for hunters to get their deer tested, the key for the Minnesota DNR is to get hunters to know the area where they are hunting. If you're hunting in a permit area that's listed on this map, there's mandatory deer testing for that area and we've set up many check stations in those three areas that make it very convenient for a person that's harvesting a deer. With the season fast approaching, the DNR says testing results should be made available shortly after the hunting opener. In Bemidji, Josh Peterson, Lakeland News. In the Brainerd area, there are 19 CWD testing locations for a link to the DNR Chronic Wasting Disease web page. You can visit our website at lptv.org slash news. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.