COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) - Officials here are trying to figure out how to deal with an influx of wildlife - deer, turkeys, moose, geese and elk - that is learning to love the urban lifestyle.

"We can't let our grandkids in the backyard," Councilwoman Dixie Reid told The Spokesman-Review, describing her family's problem with white-tailed deer. "It's not healthy to have all those droppings. We need to have the numbers reduced. I don't think I want to eradicate them, but they need to be reduced. They destroy everything in our yard."

City officials have already asked residents to voluntarily stop backyard wildlife feeding, and Reid said she wants to ban the popular practice.

That's a possibility, said Deputy City Administrator Jon Ingalls said.

"At some point, we may have to take a position that is stronger," he said. "Maybe an ordinance that says you can't."

But Councilman Woody McEvers said he's not sure about an outright ban.

"It's just ironic that we move here to be in the woods," he said. "It's just part of living here."

Backyard feeding attracts wildlife that also munches on flower beds and shrubbery, and uses lawns as sleeping areas. That irks some human residents, whose population is also booming.

"We're treading new ground here," said Mark Taylor, landowner- and sportsman-relations coordinator with the state Department of Fish and Game. "We've got a lot of critters up here, we've got lots of good security with the timber, and we've got incredible human growth."