District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2021-05-25
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) reports walleye action is starting to heat up on some area waters. Turkey activity also seemed to have increased with Toms still displaying and out in the open. Richards wants to remind folks to leave baby wildlife alone. It is also illegal to pick them up. Boaters and anglers were checked throughout the week. Numerous calls were taken about nuisance beavers and activation of goose-depredation shooting permits.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, boaters, and personal watercraft operators. Additional time was focused on checking ATV operators and handling calls about orphaned wildlife. Baumbarger assisted a boater on Perkins Lake whose boat ran aground on a mud flat while trying to enter the Pomme de Terre River.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) responded to several fishing complaints over the past week, including keeping bass out of season, bass in the protected slot and sunfish overlimits. Please read the fishing regulations booklet before you go on a new lake as there are several new special regulation lakes in the area this year. Boating and fishing violations were prominent over the week.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) spent the week focused on angling and recreational vehicle enforcement. Minnow-transport and nuisance-beaver permits were issued. Enforcement action for the week included several ATV violations and watercraft registration violations.
CO Brian Holt (Osakis) worked angling and recreational vehicles throughout the previous week. Time was also spent on wildlife-related complaints and investigating a wildfire. A firearms safety field day was held in Osakis. Enforcement activity involved boating violations, fish overlimits, and angling license violations.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked fishing, boating and AIS enforcement on area waterways. Preparations and registrations are underway for an upcoming youth ATV safety class. Time was spent patrolling Glendalough State Park and area wildlife management areas.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) spent the majority of the week on the water working angling and recreational boating activity. Walleye fishing continues getting off to a slow start, but panfish have really begun to bite. Multiple different cases worked resulted in several citations being issued for panfish overlimits. One group had just caught their limit but also had the previous day?s limit at their cabin. Another angler failed to count while on a hot bite and was over the limit by several fish. PWCs are hitting the lakes, with a few reports of late operation.
CO Emily Leeb (Morris) continued to work fishing, boating, and AIS enforcement on and around area waterways. ATV, fire, and beaver-trapping activity was monitored. People are reminded to leave baby animals where you find them as the mother is usually near.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2021-05-25
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) spoke at two firearms safety classes this past week. Follow-up work continues on pending wildfire cases. Time was also spent checking anglers, ATV operators, and boaters.
CO Tim Gray (Bagley) dealt with various animal-related issues. Gray advises people to not pick up baby animals or birds as they are often not abandoned.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) monitored angling activity on area lakes. He worked boat and water shifts on Upper Red Lake.
CO Hannah Mishler (Bemidji #2) and K9 partner Storm attended training at Camp Ripley. The pair also assisted Beltrami County in searching multiple locations for possible evidence in an ongoing investigation. An AIS detail was worked in the area of Upper Red Lake and time was also spent on boat and water safety enforcement on the lake.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports concentrating on AIS and fishing activities this past week, with multiple boaters and anglers contacted. There was a very high compliance rate with AIS regulations. TIP calls of possible overlimits were taken. Vinton attended a firearms safety class in Vergas and presented the law enforcement part of the class. Enforcement action was taken on a couple of off-highway motorcycles operating on the road and for no angling licenses in possession.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week working sport fishing and commercial minnow-harvesting activity. Fishing pressure has remained steady since the opener and many anglers are having luck finding panfish. Swedberg and CO Landmark continue to investigate ongoing leeching activity in the Becker County area. Trappers are reminded to make sure all of their traps are tagged and all other regulations are followed. Other time was spent assisting local agencies with calls for service, including an ATV pursuit near White Earth and a rollover crash near Detroit Lakes.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) worked a possible migratory bird violation, handled calls of nuisance bears, and worked a turkey hunting complaint.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the past week working sport fishing, spring turkey hunting and ATV enforcement. Time was also spent checking leech-trapping activity and responding to miscellaneous wildlife-related calls.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the past week monitoring angling, AIS, ATV/OHM, and commercial minnow-trapping activity. The panfish bite is heating up as fish are starting to spawn, but the walleye bite is still slow. Landmark and CO Swedberg worked commercial minnow trapping activity throughout the week. Violations for untagged traps and illegally set traps were discovered. Landmark also spoke about laws and ethics to approximately 50 students at the Moorhead ATV safety course. Enforcement action was taken for OHM violations, untagged minnow traps, and illegally set minnow traps.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2021-05-25
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) primarily focused on angling and ATV enforcement. Cross worked with the Hubbard County Sheriff?s Office on OHV enforcement. He also assisted the sheriff?s office with traffic violations. Anglers had fair success throughout the week with the walleye and crappie bites remaining steady. Enforcement action for the week included watercraft and angling violations.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked angling activity. She also removed and released a snapping turtle that had fallen into an egress window. Enforcement was taken for no license in possession and expired registration.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers and boaters. Walleye fishing was good this past week. A TIP call of a possible overlimit of crappies was investigated. ATV and AIS activity was also worked. Enforcement action was taken for extra lines, fishing in a closed area, possessing fillets of fish on a special regulation lake, and an AIS violation.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) spent time in the boat and on an ATV this week. Due to lack of rain in the area, the waters are low and the trails are dusty. Numerous bear-related complaints were received, and property owners are reminded to remove all attractants such as bird feeders and garbage to prevent damage. Enforcement action this week included no angling license, no PFD, failure to display lights in a watercraft when required, and numerous ATV-related violations. An investigation is ongoing into the illegal killing of a bear cub in western Cass County.
CO Calie Kunst (Remer) checked anglers and ATV riders throughout the week. Enforcement action was taken for failure to have an angling license in personal possession, taking fish without a license, taking illegal-length northern pike and operating an ATV on the highway. Kunst also assisted with a firearms safety class in Remer and took a call about an injured fawn.
Walker vacant.
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2021-05-25
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on Lake of the Woods and the Roseau River. A joint detail was worked with U.S. Coast Guard. A complaint was taken of a possible wolf depredation and a state trapper was set up to trap the area north of Badger. Enforcement action was taken for operating after sunset without required navigation lights on watercrafts and angling without a license.
CO Marc Johnson (Warroad South) primarily worked angling activity on Lake of the Woods and ATV enforcement. He also monitored public accesses. In addition, time was spent investigating dredging activity and a partially sunken boat at a local marina. Anglers were met with a lot of rain over the weekend and a cold front that slowed the bite. Violations encountered included transporting fish with no skin patch, displaying expired registration, a child under 10 years old with no life jacket on, transporting fish in an uncountable manner, and no angling license in possession.
CO Aaron Larson (Baudette West) primarily worked angling enforcement. Larson addressed violations relating to boating and fishing throughout the week. Larson also presented the laws and ethics portion of two ATV safety classes.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) worked angling activity on Upper Red Lake, Lake of the Woods, and the Rainy River. Time was spent investigating a minnow-trapping complaint, assisting volunteers with a local ATV safety class and participating in a kids fishing event with fifth- and sixth-grade students from Kelliher. Enforcement action was taken this past week for individuals angling with extra lines and angling without a license.
CO Ryan Brown (Karlstad) received calls involving a mangy fox and bears destroying property. A reminder to remove the temptation for bears. Examples include removing birdfeeders and securing garbage cans. This past week he focused his enforcement actions on boat and water safety along with angling activity. The fishing around Lake Bronson is slow compared with previous years, according to local anglers. With the recent rain showers, anglers reported fishing has been fairly decent in the Thief River Falls area. ATV activity was also worked with violations that included no headlights activated on an ATV and failure to display current registration.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) responded to a complaint of an individual taking game fish with a cast net below the dam in Thief River Falls and fielded numerous calls about a cougar sighting near Alvarado. Enforcement action for the week included angling without a valid license, taking fish by an illegal method and no headlights on an ATV.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls East) concentrated on angling and watercraft enforcement this week. He also handled nuisance-beaver issues. Violations encountered included watercraft safety equipment and registration violations, taking fish with an extra line, taking fish without a license and off-highway motorcycle violations.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working OHV and AIS enforcement along with boating and angling activity on special regulation lakes this past week. Time was spent handling reports of nuisance bears, litter and investigating information of an overlimit of walleyes. Regas and CO Sura attended the Kelliher School?s fifth- and sixth-grade fishing field trip at the Waskish fishing pier. Many fish were caught and the kids had tons of questions, which were answered with enthusiasm. Violations encountered and addressed this past week included an overlimit of walleyes, insufficient number of personal floatation devices, no throwable lifesaving device, transporting watercraft with the drain plug installed and angling license/ATV registration violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports an increase in angler success on Upper Red Lake. Prachar worked with other COs on AIS and angling details. Enforcement action was taken for an overlimit of walleyes, angling license violations and youth/helmet ATV violations.
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