Deer hunt coming to park near Camp David

After nearly three decades of research and opposition from wildlife advocates, government sharpshooters are taking aim at white-tailed deer in the national park surrounding the Camp David presidential retreat in western Maryland.

The National Park Service says the shooting would start Monday afternoon in Catoctin Mountain Park near Thurmont and continue for the next six weeks.

Parts of the park will be closed Monday through Thursday afternoons to accommodate the shooting, which will also occur at night.

The government plans to kill more than 2,000 deer over 15 years to curb tree damage caused by a deer herd it says is eight times too big. The lack of vegetation has raised questions in the past about the security of Camp David.

-- Associated Press