Residents in one Long Island town are being warned they might hear gunshots at night as part of an effort to control the deer population.
Officials in Lloyd Harbor say marksmen armed with high intensity lights and short-range shotguns will be roaming open central areas, including Caumsett State Historic Park and Village Park.
The shootings in the Suffolk County town will take place after 9 p.m. one or two nights a week when weather permits.
The program is being run by the New York state Department of Parks.
Officials say the deer population in the area "has continued to grow and exceeded the wildlife management levels" that could lead to ecological damage.
"We will always have deer; however, we must control the size of the herds," Mayor Leland Hairr wrote in a notice to residents.
