VICTORIA -- A Campbell River man had a close encounter with a cougar near his home Thursday morning.

Cody Aubie was making coffee and watching some deer in front of his home near Pengelly Road and Barclay Road at 6:30 a.m.

"Then all of a sudden they jumped up spooked so I was watching to see if someone was walking a dog down the road," Aubie tells CTV News.

That's when he spotted the big cat which he says initially "looked to be creeping up on the deer."

The video he shared with CTV News shows a pair of young bucks on high-alert in front of his home, closely watching as a cougar crosses the road into a forested area near Discovery Passage Elementary School.

Aubie says he's been watching these particular deer since he moved into the home in March.

"Never would I have imagined see[ing] a cougar," he says.

Cougar sightings have been on the rise on Vancouver Island this spring and summer, with several encounters documented on the South Island.

On Tuesday, police in Saanich issued multiple warnings after big cats were reported prowling in the area.