Amid slow progress in the special deer hunt designed to discover if Chronic Wasting Disease migrated from an elk on a farm near Aitkin to the surrounding deer population, arrangements are being made to destroy the entire elk herd.

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It was the discovery of the fatal disease in a bull elk on the farm last month that prompted the state to OK the special deer hunt. That was among other actions designed to try and keep the disease from spreading into the state's deer population.

The brain disease is always fatal in deer and state officials are concerned that, if it spreads among wild deer, the population could be severely cut back affecting hunters and the hunting industry in Minnesota.

Elk on the farm near Aitkin were quarantined following the discovery, as were elk on two other central Minnesota elk farms where the diseased elk had previously been kept.

The special hunt has been on for a week, and state officials say a combination of weather not good for deer movement are among the reason cited for slow progress on netting the 100 deer sought for testing, the Duluth News Tribune reported.

No cases of chronic wasting disease have been found in Minnesota's wild deer herd.

The Minnesota Board of Animal Health said the remaining elk from the farm will be transported in small groups to the University of Minnesota's Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, where they will be euthanized.

The farm's owner will be paid for the elk by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.