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MADISON — Chronic wasting disease is spreading among Wisconsin's deer, according to the state Department of Natural Resources.

More than 9 percent of white-tailed deer that were tested last year had the disease, compared with about 6 percent the previous year. Of the 3,133 deer that were tested last year, 295 tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

The 2015 prevalence rate was the highest ever in Wisconsin, which first detected the disease in deer in 2002. More than half of the state's 72 counties now have infected deer.

Democratic state Reps. Chris Danou, of Trempealeau, and Nick Milroy, of South Range, have called on Gov. Scott Walker to work with the DNR on new plans to stop the disease from spreading, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

"While we appreciate efforts currently being taken by your administration, without a real acknowledgment of the concerning increase in CWD (chronic wasting disease) that has been revealed over the last eight years, we fear that the scope of this issue will continue to worsen, reaching every corner of the state," the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Walker.

Currently, the DNR does sporadic, voluntary testing. The agency's approach is much more passive than those being used in some neighboring states.