Fairfax County wants to use treats such as molasses-smothered oats to lure deer into the cross hairs of police snipers, part of an effort to curb an overabundant population of the animals in county parks.

The county has for years sent SWAT team sharpshooters into some larger parks at night. They perch from a tree stand or specially adapted vehicle, spot the deer through thermal imagers or night-vision goggles and kill them, said Fairfax County wildlife biologist Earl Hodnett.