One of the most popular hunting seasons kicked off this morning in various parts of the province.

Hunting for white-tail deer began at dawn for Zones 1-47, 52, 54, including Cypress Hills, Saskatchewan Landing and Duck Mountain.

Rich Hildebrand, a conservation officer with the Ministry of Environment, said although he doesn't know how many tags have been sold to date, he knows this season draws a lot of hunters out.

"The white-tail deer season is very popular," he said. "I would think that there are more hunters out at this time of year compared to other seasons.

"The populations (of deer) have done okay the last couple of years. When the populations are healthier, we tend to see a few more hunters out there."

With this year's winter hitting Saskatchewan early, Hildebrand believes the snow will give hunters a bit of an advantage.

"Hunters tend to prefer that there is some snow, that way they can see some the tracks and see where they're crossing," he explained. "That way it gives hunters a bit better of an idea where they want to start off from."

Conservation officers are expected to be out in full force during the next few weeks doing regular patrols and compliance checks.

Hildebrand said safety is one of the main priorities when hunting and to ensure hunters wear the proper amount of high visibility clothing.