The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced today that no positives were found in five additional chronic wasting disease test results from deer killed in the nine-square-mile Aitkin surveillance area.
A total of 69 deer have been tested for CWD from the surveillance area, which surrounds a farm where a single elk tested positive for CWD in August. None of the tested deer have been found CWD positive.
So far DNR sharpshooters, archery hunters, landowners and traffic accidents have killed a total of 111 deer in the surveillance area.
DNR sharpshooters stopped culling deer in the area several weeks ago. Special permits that allowed landowners to kill deer have expired. Deer killed by archery hunters in permit area 154 (Aitkin area) and in the upcoming firearms deer hunt are still being accepted for CWD testing.
The remaining 48 elk in the Aitkin herd were euthanized and tested for CWD. No additional positives were found.