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District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2023-10-16
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week in the metro area assisting with the hiring process. Fontes assisted local agencies near St. Peter with an aircraft crash as well.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls-West) monitored small-game and waterfowl-hunting activities. A case of wanton waste was investigated. Enforcement action for the week included transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, overlimit of sandhill cranes, and waterfowl stamp violations.
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked duck hunters on Thief Lake, the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area, and on Lake of the Woods. A complaint was taken of ATVs operating illegally in a WMA and a citation was issued for operating on a walking trail. Other violations for the week included shooting while a motorboat is underway, transporting a loaded firearm, using an unplugged shotgun for waterfowl hunting, and other minor license violations.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area small-game and waterfowl hunters. Assistance was given to a party who was having boat motor issues while heading out on the lake. A violation for no federal stamp was addressed.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working angling and big-game archery, small-game and waterfowl-hunting activity throughout this past week. Time was spent handling calls of nuisance bears still causing problems, possession permits for wildlife killed in collisions with vehicles and patrolling shining complaint areas.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports continued success for small-game hunters. Time was spent working small-game and ATV activity. Enforcement action was taken for ATV equipment violations.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2023-10-16
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) began field training with COC Brady Manteufel. The week focused on follow ups into a possible wolf-depredation claim, private property left on public lands, angling checks, and big-game enforcement. Laws, regulations, and ethics portions were also taught to youth at a firearms safety class.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) monitored waterfowl- and grouse-hunting activity. Time was spent checking anglers on area lakes and patrolling ATV trails.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking small-game hunters and waterfowl hunters. With the cold weather, more ducks have pushed into the area, but numbers are still on the lower side. Many pheasant hunters were checked over the weekend, with most having a chance to shoot at some roosters during the opener.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) worked small-game and deer hunters, and a complaint of illegal goose dumping. Peterson also spoke to a large group of youth and parents about natural resources, laws, and fishing equipment/fishing techniques.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week completing white-tailed deer farm inspections. Time was also spent working the pheasant opener over the weekend. Despite near-perfect weather conditions, very few pheasants were checked in the game bags.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) started field training COC Jamus Veit. Waterfowl hunters had mixed results depending on the areas they were hunting. Time was spent assisting with a firearm safety class at the Perham Sportsman?s Club. Officers patrolled the opening season for pheasant hunting. Pheasant hunters had little success in achieving limits and the overall number of pheasant hunters was down compared to years prior. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations.
CO Brett Fox (Bemidji #2) spent the week patrolling for ATV, angling, and waterfowl-hunting activity. Violations this week included a person towing a boat with the drain plug inserted.
Bagley vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2023-10-16
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) spent time this week checking for anglers, archery hunters, and small-game hunters. Plautz finalized field training and performed equipment maintenance. Several phone calls regarding trespass and the upcoming deer season were handled.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports a slow pheasant opener over the weekend, with success rates extremely low. Waterfowl-hunter success throughout the week had similar outcomes. He continued to monitor angling and boating activity and completed annual training.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked waterfowl, archery deer and pheasant hunters. Numerous water-access-related questions were answered, and hunters are reminded to contact the road authority to determine the road right-of-way distances. Safety class preparations were conducted.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) worked waterfowl and pheasant-hunting activity this week. Fall fishing activity is steady around the area, with muskies being the most targeted. A district meeting was also attended, and season equipment maintenance was performed.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent her busy week checking anglers, archery deer and turkey hunters, along with waterfowl hunters. She finished off the weekend with a busy pheasant opener. With the heavy pheasant hunter population, she was surprised at the minimal number of pheasants in the bag. Various other tasks throughout the week involved rescuing injured animals and dealing with abandoned property on WMAs.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) spent the week focused on waterfowl, angling, and recreational vehicle enforcement. Time was spent with her district partners, and she attended Breckenridge Elementary?s Studio 5 Invasive Species presentations.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) helped hiring staff with conducting interviews for the next Academy. A district meeting was also attended.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, waterfowl hunters, and pheasant hunters. Additional time was focused on checking ATV operators, archery deer hunters, and following up on a wetland case. Pheasant hunter numbers on opening weekend were lower than years past, with most hunters encountered having some success.
Fergus Falls vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2023-10-16
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked angling, boating, ATV, and hunting enforcement. Equipment maintenance and training was conducted. Cooler weather brought about increased wildlife movement as the fall hunting seasons are now in full swing.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) worked waterfowl and angling activity throughout Cass County. Waterfowl hunters are reporting limited success with the warmer weather. Enforcement action was taken for numerous waterfowl-hunting and angling violations.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) investigated multiple public water and wetlands complaints where violations were unfounded. Duck numbers and hunter success have been relatively low in the area over the past week. Anglers targeting a variety of species were checked. One individual was cited for fishing without a license.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports checking big-game, small-game, and waterfowl hunters this past week. He continues to investigate big-game violations and complaints. K9 Jet was utilized to assist a CO with an ongoing investigation. Seifermann would like to remind hunters to review the hunting regulations, especially the changes for 2023 and deer zone limit changes.
CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) checked hunting and angling activity. Enforcement action was taken for hunting without a license and no license in possession.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) started field training a new conservation officer. The two checked anglers and small-game and big-game hunters throughout the week. Grouse hunters are continuing to see more birds as the leaves fall. Enforcement action was taken for various angling, boating and hunting violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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