ST. PAUL  — Wildlife managers said preliminary tests show that seven deer shot in a pocket of southeastern Minnesota may be infected with chronic wasting disease.

Hunters shot the suspect deer near Preston in southeastern Minnesota’s disease management zone, where 11 other deer tested positive last year.

Test results on deer shot near but outside that zone aren’t available yet. So, the Department of Natural Resources said in a statement Wednesday, it hasn’t been determined whether the disease has spread beyond the zone.

Three of the deer were shot in Forestville-Mystery Cave State Park, which is west of the core disease area but still in the management zone.

Lou Cornicelli, the DNR’s wildlife research manager, said it’s not clear whether that indicates a westward expansion of the disease or just individual deer movements.