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GREAT FALLS- Many people are tired of the gusty and sometimes damaging winds that have been rocking Montana in recent weeks, but wildlife is benefiting from the warmer temperatures.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks officials note that deer use the spring and summer as a season to stock up on nutrition, and throughout the winter deplete their nutritional reserves.

Long, hard winters with heavy snowfall prevent smaller animals from moving around to find food sources, leading to poor health and even death.

But the wildlife can remain much more mobile with the help of Chinook winds warming the area.

"It's keeping a lot of areas open, not much snow, and that's good for animals like mule deer, antelope. They can move to different places to find food that will help them get through the winter," FWP spokesman Bruce Auchly said.

While the food sources available during the winter aren't as nutritious, Auchly says it is enough to keep wildlife sustained until the spring.