District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2021-12-20
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on Lake of the Woods. Investigations continue for firearms and muzzleloader season cases. Violations for the week included angling with extra lines, angling without a license and possession of marijuana.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) spent time on Lake of the Woods and Upper Red Lake checking anglers. Violations including fishing with extra lines, possession of marijuana and fishing without a license were dealt with. Sura and CO Huener also partook in a field trip at Norris Camp with elementary students from Warroad. The officers discussed ice safety and cold water survival with the students.
CO Ryan Brown (Karlstad) reports a very low turnout for the CWD hunt in Permit Area 261. Angling activity was worked throughout the week with decent success amongst anglers. Enforcement action this past week included an individual under the age of 21 in possession of alcohol and possession of a fictitious identification.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) patrolled during the disease management hunt in Permit Area 261, seeing very limited participation. He also investigated a dogs-chasing-deer complaint and checked local anglers. Enforcement action was taken for allowing dogs to chase deer, no angling license in possession, angling with extra lines and shelter license violations.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working angling and trapping activity this past week. Time was spent patrolling area trails for snowmobile activity, making preparations for upcoming snowmobile training and assisting the sheriff?s office with the search and rescue for a missing person on Upper Red Lake. Violations encountered and addressed this past week included possession of northern pike within the protected slot, as well as angling license and ATV and snowmobile registration violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) worked angling activity on Upper Red Lake and Lake of the Woods. Enforcement action was taken for numerous angling license violations, angling with extra lines, failure to transfer ownership of a snowmobile and possession of controlled substances. Prachar worked with other COs from the area to assist Beltrami County with an individual who was lost on Upper Red Lake and had no survival resources. It was a harrowing search in white-out conditions for more than a day. The individual was located alive but hypothermic on the north shore of Upper Red Lake after leaving the south shore more than 24 hours earlier.
Warroad #1 vacant.
Warroad #2 vacant.
Baudette #1 vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2021-12-20
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking deer hunters during the late-season CWD hunt in permit areas 261 and 262. Time was also spent checking ice anglers, small-game hunters, and assisting a North Dakota game warden with a deer hunting-related violation. A hunting trespass-related complaint was received.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) monitored angling activity on area lakes. Area snowmobile trails are still in rough shape after the warm weather. He responded with the Division airboat to an emergency call of an individual lost on Upper Red Lake. The individual was located the following day. Vollbrecht also worked a detail on Lake of the Woods.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking ice anglers. Ice conditions have improved in the Detroit Lakes area, as many lakes have between 4 to 6 inches of solid ice. Swedberg attended the annual Turf Wars snowmobile drag races in Cormorant over the weekend. There was a good turnout and law compliance was very good through the area. Swedberg also attended Division training during the week.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) attended training and worked deer hunters, anglers and trappers, as well as ongoing cases and calls.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working sport fishing, small-game, and goose- and deer-hunting enforcement. Time was also spent working the CWD disease management hunt for deer permit areas 261 and 262. A law and ethics presentation was given to a snowmobile safety class in Glyndon.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) worked angling activity. People are reminded to use caution as ice conditions continue to vary. Area wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas were patrolled for small-game and pheasant-hunting activity. Warren spoke at a snowmobile safety class in Fosston.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week checking ice anglers and following up with deer-hunting related complaints. Ice depths are increasing with cold nightly weather. Despite many lakes having 6 or more inches of ice, anglers should still use caution because ice depth has varied greatly on bigger lakes. The early ice bite for all species remains good on area lakes. Enforcement action was taken for deer-registration violations, deer-tagging violations, deer overlimit, and angling without a license in possession.
Bemidji #2 vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2021-12-20
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) followed up on deer-season violations, worked a goose-hunting complaint, and assisted with a snowmobile safety class in Henning. Plautz continues to find ice anglers out enjoying the first ice. Anglers are reminded that a shelter tag and identification are required on fish houses left on the ice overnight.
CO Andrew Goodman (Elbow Lake) reports his primary focus for the week was monitoring ice activities. Most anglers removed their shelters before recent storms, but a few did not, resulting in a few shelters blowing across area lakes. Goodman has noticed geese are still keeping significant portions of some popular angling lakes open, while other lakes are seeing full-sized wheel houses on them. Additional time was spent assisting with the Herman snowmobile safety class and answering calls and questions related to hunting.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) started to see an increased number of anglers on smaller area lakes. Ice thicknesses still widely vary, but some lakes have enough for foot travel. A detail was worked on Upper Red Lake with COs Bermel and Sura, with lots of enforcement action taken. Angling with extra lines and possessing drugs/paraphernalia seemed to be the most common violations. Investigations continue from deer season and trespassing issues are still being followed up on.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working hunting and fishing activity throughout the week. Numerous calls related to injured animals were also handled.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers and ATV and snowmobile riders. Station equipment maintenance was performed. Snowmobile safety training class preparation and organization took place.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, pheasant hunters, and ATV operators. Ice conditions around the area have improved this past week, with some ATV use and small permanent fish houses starting to show up on area lakes.
Osakis vacant.
Fergus Falls vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2021-12-20
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) patrolled Cass and Crow Wing county lakes for angling activity. Enforcement action was taken for angling after revocation and possessing illegal-length northern pike.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked angling and trapping activity. She received calls of game species carcasses being dumped along roads. Ice depths and conditions vary.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) took time to catch up on emails and calls in the Park Rapids area throughout the week.
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked late-season archery deer hunting, ice angling, spearing, and snowmobile enforcement. Cross also presented at a youth snowmobile safety class. Enforcement action was taken for hunting deer with a firearm in a game refuge, no helmet on youth under 18, and operating an unregistered ATV.
CO Calie Kunst (Remer) spent time checking anglers and trappers throughout the week. Kunst took enforcement action on extra lines, leaving lines unattended, illegal-length northern pike and failure to have angling licenses in personal possession. Kunst continues to follow up on deer-season cases as well.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports seeing an increase of angling activity. Anglers are reporting a vast range of ice thickness within bays and entire water bodies. Continue to check ice thickness and be smart about changing conditions. Enforcement action consisted of angling without a license, no license in possession and operating a motor vehicle in a WMA where closed. Calls that Seifermann received included a report of an injured goose, a deer that needed to be dispatched and requests for car-killed deer permits.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers. The ice fishing season is off to a slow start with the unreliable ice conditions. Those anglers who did get out found good catches of walleyes, perch, and pike. Enforcement action was taken for angling violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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