If you have spotted much more deer this winter, there is a reason for that.

Todd Whiklo is the Lead Wildlife Biologist for the Eastern service area. He notes it is not necessarily that there are more deer this winter, just that we are seeing more deer. And Whiklo says we have our cold and snowy weather to thank for that.

"This is causing them to shift some of their activity periods and also starting to move greater distances looking for food," he points out.

Whiklo says it has probably been nearly ten years since we last had these sort of weather conditions.

He explains most winters the deer would stay mostly in the bush. But with all the snow we have received, the deer are being forced out of their comfort zone and into more visible and populated areas to find food.

"Maybe you are seeing them more during the daylight hours," he suggests. "It's more difficult for them to find food, so they are having to search out those areas, sometimes spots that don't have quite as much snow cover but aren't all that safe."

And in some instances, that means trekking into towns and feeding on cedars or other bushes they might find on residential properties.

If you happen to notice deer on your yard, Whiklo stresses the importance of not feeding them. Sometimes this is unintentional, such as when these deer use bird feeders to grab a quick bite. But, he notes sometimes people think they are doing the deer a favour by putting out food for them.

"(They) actually do more harm than good in terms of the deer's health," explains Whiklo. "They can become bloated, they can actually die from over-feeding at this point in time in the winter."

If you run out of patience or luck in trying to usher the deer off your property, Whiklo says you can always contact your local conservation district office and ask for assistance.

"We're sort of hoping that the winter weather is going to improve, that's the best thing that can happen for the deer," says Whiklo. "Because they don't want to be on peoples' yards any more than people want them to be there."

In fact, he says if the weather would suddenly change and the snow would start melting, it would probably not take long before the deer would wander back into the bush.

Meanwhile, Whiklo says there is a fairly healthy deer population right now in southern Manitoba.