The notice publicizes the exact dates of the shoot, Nov. 16-19, and the precise hours, 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Log on to the Web site of Valley Forge National Historical Park, where officials plan to kill three times as many deer, and there's a notice for this month's movie nights.

At Valley Forge, the dates and times when sharpshooters will begin to kill 1,500 deer are a federal government secret. Officials refuse to say specifically when the first of at least four annual shoots will occur, revealing only that it will take place between November and March.

The withholding of specific information rankles opponents of the deer shoot. They worry that park neighbors, or even nearby drivers, could be shot accidentally. Last week, two animal-rights groups filed a federal lawsuit to try to stop the shoot, alleging among other claims that the shoot would endanger residents.

Asked why one government entity would provide specific information and another in the same area would not, Valley Forge Superintendent Michael Caldwell said: "I cannot speak for Lower Merion. I can speak for Valley Forge. And certainly the safety of the park visitors, neighbors, staff, and drivers through the park is our top priority. . . . We believe that we are implementing [the deer plan] in a safe and effective way to achieve our objective."

Lower Merion officials took a different approach, releasing information down to the number of riflemen - one - entrusted to kill deer this week.

The disclosures, officials said, intentionally include almost everything short of the exact locations where deer are being shot.

"You don't want unsubstantiated rumors out there with regard to what would occur," Bruce Reed, president of the township supervisors, said yesterday, "so it's better that people are told the parameters of what's going on."

On the first two nights, the U.S. Department of Agriculture team of one shooter and one spotter bagged 37 deer, with the meat to be donated to local food banks, Lower Merion Police Superintendent Michael McGrath said. Police are prepared to answer any question about the hunt except for location - and that's to avoid bringing protesters and the curious near gunfire and to avoid spooking the deer midhunt, he said.

"This has been an issue in the township for over a decade," McGrath said of the deer, "so when we started [talking about culling] in the spring, we wanted to make sure there was plenty of public notice."

At Valley Forge, a forest sanctuary surrounded by dense development, park officials plan to kill 500 deer in the first shoot, 500 in the next one, and between 250 and 300 in years three and four, eliminating 86 percent of the herd.

The Inquirer has filed a formal request under the Freedom of Information Act, seeking the dates when sharpshooters will be deployed.

"The park is frightened, and the township is not," said Priscilla Cohn, who runs an animal-rights group called Pity Not Cruelty. "I think Valley Forge is scared that someone will try to interrupt the kill or even photograph it."

The deer shoot in Lower Merion concludes tonight. Officials there plan to eventually kill 576 deer, saying the animals have caused environmental damage, vehicle crashes, and Lyme disease.

The shoot has been undertaken in cooperation with owners of large properties in the township. Residents in those areas were notified, but, township officials said, they were unlikely to hear the sharpshooter at work. The marksman uses a silencer-equipped rifle and night-vision goggles.

Another cull is set for December.

"Though the chosen locales are not in close proximity to other households, neighbors have been provided information about the upcoming operation," McGrath said.

As for Valley Forge, Caldwell said: "I can't comment on what considerations Lower Merion might have used in its operational decision. The park makes plans to protect the safety of our visitors, neighbors, and staff based on our knowledge and understanding of conditions and circumstances here."

He did not respond to a question about how many sharpshooters would be deployed in the park.

A Valley Forge deer study says that parts of the park will be closed to visitors during shooting, and that the public will be notified in advance of closings. During shoots, it says, park law enforcement personnel will patrol the area to ensure that no one enters on foot or by car.

On interior pages of its Web site, the park promises to share specific information "with local law enforcement and other state and local officials" but makes no mention of sharing that information with the public.

Cohn, of Pity Not Cruelty, said that's unacceptable.

"Particularly," she said, "when people are using guns."