A couple of harsh winters back to back has had an affect on certain species within the province, and it has a lot of hunters wondering how many tags will be issued this year.

Executive Director with Fish and Wildlife, Lyle Saigeon says deer numbers have been on the decline but the cold hasn't affected all animals.

"Elk and moose populations weren't affected by the tough winter last year, they were just better adapted to the cold. So both populations have remained steady," added Saigeon.

Prior to releasing their quota for the year a number of things need to be considered. "We conduct our own population survey, we also use a hunter-harvest survey that tells us what hunters have seen and what they've killed. We also take into account observations from the field."

Saigeon says they've certainly heard a number of concerns from hunters, and they'll certainly take that to heart when deciding on this year's quota, coming up in March.