The National Park Service says the meat will be donated to food banks.
SHARPSBURG, Md. (AP) — Maryland wildlife regulators are giving federal sharpshooters a green light to kill white-tailed deer at the Antietam National Battlefield to curb damage to vegetation at the Civil War site near Sharpsburg.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of the permit Wednesday through a Public Information Act request. It was signed Jan. 3.
The Department of Natural Resources authorized sharpshooters from the Agriculture Department’s Wildlife Services unit to kill 243 deer through March 31, mostly after dusk.
An accompanying plan says some park trails may be closed to visitors at times.
The National Park Service says the meat will be donated to food banks.
Sharpshooters began killing deer at the Monocacy National Battlefield near Frederick in December. The multi-year program aims to reduce the deer herds to sustainable levels.
By: AP