MN DNR K9 Conservation Officer
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2021-09-13
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked early teal season hunters and dealt with hunters regarding shooting a widgeon, wanton waste and hunting with an unplugged shotgun. Several calls have been received regarding bears in people?s yards eating acorns.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) checked anglers and goose hunters. ATV activity was also monitored in the Beltrami Island State Forest. Enforcement action was taken for operating ATVs without valid registration, fishing with extra lines, hunting waterfowl with an unplugged shotgun and possessing an overlimit of walleyes while crossing the U.S./Canada border.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) monitored area bear and early goose hunting. Youth waterfowl hunters were also checked during Youth Waterfowl Weekend. Enforcement action for the week included ATV registration violations and youth helmet violations.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls East) checked teal and goose hunters this week and patrolled the area for bear-hunting activity as well. Boating and water safety patrols were conducted and the two-day youth waterfowl season was worked. Off-highway motorcycle violations were dealt with, as were watercraft violations.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working bear-, early teal-, and early goose-hunting activities throughout this past week. Time was spent monitoring wild rice harvest activities and patrolling area ATV trails and complaint areas.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports ATV and bear hunting have been the main outdoor recreation recently. Hunters who haven?t filled out already are having sporadic success with bears coming to the baits. Time was spent assisting Beltrami County and DNR Forestry with a fire that got out of control while an individual was cutting shooting lanes for his deer stand. Even with the recent rains, conditions are still ripe for fires, so be cautious while using machinery or conducting legal burns.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2021-09-13
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking bear hunters and waterfowl hunters. Time was also spent contacting anglers and watercraft operators. Various hunting related violations were encountered.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) checked anglers on area lakes. He patrolled areas for bear hunting and ATV activity, and checked waterfowl hunters.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports patrolling area WMAs for early teal hunters and pre-season bowhunters. ATV enforcement patrols were also conducted. Vinton began work on background investigations for potential new COs and conducted annual EVOC training at Camp Ripley.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent time checking youth waterfowl hunters and assisting Becker County with several calls for service. Swedberg worked with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officers to conduct investigations and interviews on several groups on whom they received TIPs during the teal season. Citations were issued for shooting mallards and wood ducks during the teal season, and several trespassing issues were addressed with hunters throughout the week. Always ask for permission before entering someone?s property.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) worked complaints of trespass, deer shining, and a turkey killed out of season. Peterson also worked OHV enforcement and bear-hunting/baiting activity.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working sport fishing, early goose and dove-hunting activity. The end of the early teal season saw few hunters and even fewer teal in the area. Time was also spent on EVOC instruction at Camp Ripley.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling and boating activity. AIS compliance checks were performed. Trails were patrolled for ATV and off-road vehicle activity. Early goose and youth waterfowl hunting activity was worked. Assistance was provided to the Becker County Sheriff?s Office and the White Earth Police Department with an automobile crash, a search for an individual who fled on foot after a vehicle pursuit, and a disturbance call.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week following up with bear-hunting, wetlands, and aquatic plant-related complaints. Time was also spent working on a background investigation for the next CO Academy.
Bemidji #2 vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2021-09-13
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) reports the Youth Waterfowl Weekend was very disappointing for several young hunters. Most public water bodies were void of ducks and very little shooting was heard. This was a stark contrast from what was observed during the early teal opener. Richards reports checking hunters, anglers, boaters and ATV operators. Violations were addressed and questions were answered on various topics.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) assisted with an all-day firearms safety field day. Plautz worked early goose hunters and youth waterfowl hunters. An ATV safety class is scheduled and Plautz is registering students continuously for that. Plautz spoke to a group of anglers preparing to launch their boats onto an area lake. A short conversation revealed they were active Illinois game wardens.
CO Andrew Goodman (Elbow Lake) reports checking goose hunters and anglers throughout the week. Waterfowl-hunter compliance remained high but numerous angling violations were encountered. Additional time was spent contacting youth waterfowl hunters. One young group were excited to see a warden and show off their ducks. Parents asked a lot of good questions and shared a few laughs over their mojo decoys taking a few hits.
CO Shane Osbourne (Evansville) checked anglers, boaters and waterfowl hunters. Deer-hunting regulation questions were received and answered. Nuisance-animal complaints were received and handled. Several animals were removed from roadways.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) spent the majority of the week on the water with angling activity still high on area lakes. Panfish- and bass-fishing success remain consistent while walleyes are still in their late-summer slumps. Several anglers who hadn?t purchased a 2021 license were cited during the week. Other enforcement activity included illegal off-highway motorcycle operation, expired watercraft registration and illegally transporting hundreds of gallons of lake water to water planted trees.
CO Brian Holt (Osakis) checked angling and recreational vehicles during the week. Time was also spent checking waterfowl hunters during Youth Waterfowl Weekend. Holt began working on a background investigation of an applicant for the next CO academy.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working waterfowl and recreational vehicle enforcement. She also fielded numerous calls about the upcoming deer season and youth firearms safety requirements.
CO Dan Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, boaters and waterfowl hunters. Additional time was spent checking dove hunters and attending training at Camp Ripley. Baumbarger observed low participation on Saturday of the youth waterfowl hunt.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2021-09-13
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked youth waterfowl, goose hunting, ATV riding, angling, and bear hunting. Cross also handled numerous complaints. Additionally, he assisted the Hubbard and Cass county sheriff?s offices. Enforcement action was taken for ATV and watercraft violations.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports conducting equipment maintenance and checking bear hunters/baits, anglers and ATV riders. He handled several calls regarding trespass complaints in WMAs as well as numerous calls related to the upcoming hunting seasons. Seifermann is also assisting with background investigations of future hires.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the area for bear and migratory waterfowl hunting and recreational vehicle activity. Baum patrolled a local fishing contest and found many anglers having luck. He was informed by the fishing contest staff there was a boat taking on water. Baum assisted the anglers getting their boat safely to the access.
CO Calie Kunst (Remer) continued to patrol ATV and hunting activity in the area. Calls were received on ATV complaints and big-game violations.
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