A combination of cold weather, snow and ice are driving whitetail deer to cover in the area of the City of Weyburn, which in turn has led to numerous complaints about whitetail deer damaging residents' ornamental trees and shrubs.

In an effort to keep the deer in the Souris Valley grounds area, conservation officers have set out two round bales of alfalfa just north of Souris Valley.

In addition, they've also set out interception feeding points, putting bales out in between where the deer were living and where they're headed to, as a means of heading them off from coming into the city.

Conservation officer Lindsey Leko said while there are complaints that there are too many deer, at the same time many hunters have told him they weren't able to fill out their tags. The main reason is the deer have gone to cover, which includes Souris Valley as well as the residential area bordering the grounds in the city's northwest corner. Leko said more people need to take precautions to prevent damages by the deer.

"Lots of people have taken the time to wrap their trees, and others haven't. If you live in an area where there are lots of deer, you should put up wrapping or netting. There's all sorts of little solutions that can be tried as well," said Leko, adding that cedars and junipers are two ornamentals that particularly need protection.

Conservation officers have a powder available with a strong odour, called Critter Control, which can be put in two or three feeders around one's yard, or mixed with water and sprayed on trees. When it's in a feeder, it should be tapped every few days which mixes it up.

"It has quite the odour and deer just don't like it. You could also try hanging pie plates. They dangle and move in the wind, and it startles deer. One farmer told me he's been doing this for years," said Leko, adding the deer in the Souris Valley area are resident deer and are used to being here, so it may take a variety of things to keep them away.