Despite a cold and snow-filled winter, deer populations in Manitoba seemed to survive the conditions quite well.

Land owners reported little "winter kill", when deer die during the winter thanks to harsh conditions or predators. A more dire situation was expected but Rob Olson, executive director of the Manitoba Wildlife Federation, believes "we've dodged a bullet" thanks to strong winds and brief spikes in temperature.

Referring to the wind, Olson said, "The deer were able to find enough open spots to feed that it kind of got them through."

Warm snaps in winter often form a crust on top of the snow which is much more difficult for the deer to break through to reach vegetation underneath. However, according to Olson, this winter the deer could walk on top of the crust more easily and seemed to decrease the energy they would expend, thus requiring less food overall.

"It looks like the deer might have done okay," Olson said, a relief for hunters and the MWF who would like to see a more liberal deer population in the Province.