With the big game draw coming next month, hunters are preparing for the upcoming hunting season.

The draw begins May 1, with a deadline of May 30, and draws are expected to head out to hunters sometime in July.

Matthew Weiss, licensing and allocation specialist with the Ministry of Environment's Fish and Wildlife Branch, gives some advice on the draw.

"The best piece of advice I could give is to read the big game draw supplement. It lays out all the draw hunting opportunities for the year and you can see what has changed from previous years. Some basic rules about the draw, all those kinds of things. The one thing I'd point out is after your application is submitted, we can't change it, so it's important to know what you're applying for beforehand."

Weiss says that animal populations have changed since the last hunting season so some draws may change as well.

"Every year it varies across the province. So, while in some areas it won't have changed much for draw hunting opportunities, in other areas there will be some changes for sure. Certainly, there's been some areas that have been affected by some past severe winters and drought conditions."

Weiss recommends people keep an eye out for the hunter's guide which will be released this summer for any changes in regulations or law.

"It's probably a little too early for me to point out any changes for this year, but I would encourage hunters to read the hunter's guide that comes out online in July and the printed version in August. It's definitely important to read the regulations and not assume everything is the same from last year, but yeah, probably too early to point out any big changes in regulation at this point."