ROCKFORD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois wildlife officials want to persuade landowners in some northern Illinois counties to let them shoot deer to control the spread of chronic wasting disease.

The Rockford Register Star reports the Illinois Department of Natural Resources will be approaching Rock River Valley property owners as part of an effort to limit the spread of the fatal deer illness.

Experts say using sharpshooters to cull the herd helps limit the spread of the disease.

About two-thirds of all the cases of CWD reported in the state during the 2013 fiscal year were found in Winnebago and Boone counties.

But some hunters are skeptical of the plan.

South Beloit resident Robert Miller says the state should instead extend the deer hunting season

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Information from: Rockford Register Star, www.rrstar.com