WENATCHEE — Wenatchee area residents may see more mule deer in their yards this winter.

That’s because fires in the foothills have ravaged their normal feeding grounds, wildlife officials say.

How badly those lands have been affected, however, is unknown.

“One of the things we have to look at is the intensity level of the burn and its effect on vegetation,” said David Volsen, wildlife biologist for the Wenatchee District of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. “There is no way of knowing that right now.”

Officials also don’t yet know how much burned.

Von Pope, wildlife program manager for the Chelan County PUD, said other factors include how hard this winter will be and how much vegetation comes back up this fall. The PUD owns 960 acres of land between No. 1 Canyon and Horse Lake Road.

— Dee Riggs, World staff