In Lakeway, Texas, they trapped 800 deer and shipped them to Mexico. In Minnesota's Twin Cities, they quietly hunted them in city parks. In Fire Island National Seashore on Long Island, New York, they tried sterilization. In Fort Benton, they conducted a special hunt in undeveloped areas.

But Helena's solution -- if one is deemed necessary -- must be one drawn up by the community, officials say.

State and local officials are increasingly concerned about the impact of nearly 400 deer that live and die within Helena city limits. Wildlife experts said complaints of aggressive deer have more than doubled in the past year.

Helena residents probably fall between two camps: Some see deer as a nuisance, gobbling up gardens and flowers; others enjoy their presence and figure they're part of the Montana experience.

Deer-control methods won't be without controversy. Options range from a "do-nothing" policy to killing some animals.

After years of debating whose problem it was, city and state officials said they're ready to make the decision together. In 2003, lawmakers passed legislation that allows cities to draw up management plans, with the blessing of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks. The move came after Fort Benton city officials complained deer were overrunning their town.

FWP area resource manager Mike Korn and City Manager Tim Burton recently met to discuss the topic. Helena City Commissioners are poised to take the next step.

Mayor Jim Smith asked the commission to decide if they want a management plan, which would likely become written into the Helena Open Lands Management Plan. They'll discuss the issue at a Sept. 21 work session.

The commission faces a tough choice.

Smith said the deer have all but ruined his gardening hobby. But he isn't ready to say what should be done without public input. "I'd like to know what people in town think about this before we set a course of action" he said.

Not all on the commission favor hunting. Commission Sandy Oitzinger said she wants contraception and sterilization considered. "Maybe there are some strategies that are less violent to the population" she said. "I don't think anybody feels good about herding up animals and harvesting them"

Meanwhile, FWP biologists say numbers must be reduced.

The population is reaching critical mass, Korn says, and it may be a matter of time before a human is hurt by a surly deer. Sterilization and contraception don't have an immediate impact on deer numbers, and require costly, annual treatments, said wildlife biologist Gene Hickman. "You've got to remove some deer, somewhere, at some time" he said.

Much of the debate could come down to dollars.

FWP area supervisor Mike Korn said his department probably would help fund a pilot program in Helena. But Smith said the city hasn't set aside any money for deer control.

A March, 2004 Independent-Record report highlighted efforts elsewhere.

Lakeway, Texas, officials said deer were being killed by car collisions at the rate of one per day. The city paid a trapper to net the deer, hauling them first to Mexico or nearby ranches before eventually shipping them to a butcher.

Minnesota wildlife officials said the only way to control numbers were to get rid of some of their deer. Citizens need to decide what number is tolerable, state wildlife officers said.

And immunocontraception worked to control isolated Fire Island populations, advocates of the method said.