District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2023-03-13
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) presented the law and ethics portion of Roseau?s firearms safety class. Contacts were made with snowmobile riders in violation of speeding and other snowmobile-related laws. A complaint was taken about angler harassment on Lake of the Woods.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area anglers and following up on various complaints. Fishing reports continue to be slow. Violations encountered were angling with extra lines, public nuisance, and unattended lines.
CO Coby Fontes (Baudette East) spent the week enforcing ATV and ice fishing regulations. He reports the winter weather brings about ATV activity for the purpose of clearing the snow: Please remember the same requirements that are in place during the ?traditional? ATV season are still in place in the winter. Fontes was pleasantly surprised to check groups of happy anglers from all over the state.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) conducted a ride-along with a college law enforcement student, picked up an injured owl for transportation to the Raptor Center, and patrolled area snowmobile trails. Enforcement action for the week included no state trail permit, unregistered snowmobile, and failure to give notice of transfer of ownership.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports checking anglers on area lakes and patrolling area snowmobile trails. Regas noted anglers? reports of a slow panfish bite but plenty of the really small perch provided action throughout the week. Regas reports the recent snow will extend good trail conditions for the snowmobile enthusiasts in the area. Time was spent following up on a stolen ATV case and issuing car-killed deer-possession permits. Violations encountered and addressed include snowmobile registration and angling license violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports great trail conditions in the area. Time was spent working angling and snowmobile activity. Success targeting crappies has diminished significantly. Remember to follow fish house removal guidelines as the date is fast approaching in the north zone.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2023-03-13
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports spending time this week working snowmobile enforcement. Miscellaneous wildlife-related calls were taken care of. Anglers were checked on area lakes.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) checked anglers on area lakes. Time was spent competing aerator inspections and patrolling area snowmobile trails. He worked with CO Regas and stopped an ATV on a local grant-in-aid snowmobile trail. It was determined the machine was stolen from an area business last fall. Follow-up investigation will be completed and charges are pending.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports dealing with a small number of fish houses left on area lakes after the removal deadline. Most anglers have been identified and contacted. Vinton used this time between seasons to work on game farm, taxidermy and other commercial activities. Calls about weak or dying deer were taken and an injured deer was dispatched. More eagles are being reported struck by vehicles. Enforcement action was taken for shelters left on the ice past the deadline.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking for late ice shelters, checking ice anglers, and completing aeration inspections. Most fish houses have been removed in both the north and south zones around the Detroit Lakes area, which is great considering over a foot of snow came down over the weekend. Many snowmobiles were also seen around the area, with trespassing and loud-exhaust complaints coming from area landowners. Swedberg also completed equipment maintenance throughout the week.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working sport fishing and snowmobile enforcement. Time was also spent attending a career day at Hawley Elementary School.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on snowmobile activity. Area trails continue to improve with the new snowfall. Angling activity was worked and fish house removal was monitored. People are reminded to pick up all wood scraps, beverage cans, cigarette butts, and all other littler when leaving the lake. Follow up was conducted on open cases.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week checking anglers, monitoring fish house removals, and patrolling for snowmobile activity in the Pelican Rapids station. Panfish activity is starting to pick up, though this weekend?s snow will likely limit anglers to tracked vehicles for a while. Time was also spent conducting aeration inspections and following up with ongoing wetland violations. Enforcement action was taken for several fish houses that were not removed by the deadline.
CO Brett Fox (Bemidji #2) spent the week patrolling for snowmobile and ice angling activity. Fox also completed annual POST training. Violations this week include fishing without a fishing license.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2023-03-13
CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) reports finding all area lakes clear of ice shelters just in time for wet snow and slushy conditions to take hold. Anglers continued to search for panfish, while snowmobile activity seems to have plateaued. Additional time was spent conducting on-line training, checking coyote hunters, and fielding calls from the people with questions.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) monitored the fish house removal deadline. She saw good compliance. Plautz attended a firearms safety class and spoke about laws and ethics of safe hunting. Calls regarding deer destroying silage piles and food sources were received. A call about a dead bald eagle was handled. Miscellaneous injured-animal calls were received.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, fish houses and snowmobile riders. Area lakes were checked for fish house removal completion. Questions were answered about new fishing regulations on area lakes and public speaking presentations.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) spent most of the week on snowmobile patrolling station trails and lakes. With recent heavy snowfalls, trails are in excellent shape and scores of riders were checked. Compliance with registration, illegal exhaust and state trail passes, however, was the worst it?s been all season. The excuse of it being their first time out riding all season didn?t go far with Lawler, as winter is in its fourth month. Numerous citations were issued.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) focused this week?s enforcement efforts on checking area lakes and rivers to ensure compliance with the fish house removal deadline and that no garbage was left behind. She would like to point out that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has opened the dam at White Rock and therefore the ice conditions to the north for the Bois De Sioux, then the Red River, have been and will be deteriorating. Wood also gave the laws and ethics talk at a recent firearms safety class.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers and snowmobile operators. Additional time was spent on injured/nuisance-animal complaints and completing annual required training.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2023-03-13
CO Corey Sura (Remer) checked area lakes for shelter removal and angling activity. Several calls were taken, including one regarding an individual cutting standing timber on Chippewa National Forest lands (and private lands), as well as nuisance turkeys getting into horse feed. Sura continued work on ongoing investigations.
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked ice angling and snowmobiling, along with following up on open cases. Questioned were fielded through the week covering a variety of items. Enforcement action was taken for angling, snowmobiling, and feeding ban violations.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked angling and snowmobile activity. She also responded to an injured-deer call. Enforcement action was taken for fishing without a license.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) continues to check ice anglers and snowmobile trails as winter weather persists. Some time was spent completing required training. Enforcement action was taken for angling violations.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) checked area lakes after the shelter deadline and found that compliance was 100 percent. Some litter was found, with more likely once the snow melts. Area trail conditions are very good with the recent snows and should be for some time. A law and ethics talk was given at an area snowmobile safety class.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports attending training in St. Paul.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) patrolled Cass County for angling and snowmobile activity. Recent snowfalls have made travel on area lakes difficult. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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