Weekly CO report

District 1 – Baudette area

Last updated: 2024-09-23

CO Ben Huener (Roseau) worked duck-, bear-, and grouse-hunting activity throughout the week. The duck opener was a little slower than normal, but birds are migrating into the area every day. Hunters had a good mix of ducks, with teal and ring necks comprising most of the bag. Violations for the week included hunters using lead shot, using a motorboat that exceeds the 10-horsepwer motor restriction on the Thief Lake Wildlife Management Area, no federal stamp, and no small-game license.

CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area small-game hunters, anglers, and waterfowl hunters. He attended training at Camp Ripley and fielded several bear-related complaints.

CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week training with LEMA (Law Enforcement Memorial Association) and working the state?s duck opener. Enforcement action was taken for possessing toxic (lead) ammunition while duck hunting. Other violations encountered were driving after revocation and no proof of motor vehicle insurance.

CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) and COC Matthew Boyle patrolled areas for small-game, waterfowl-, and bear-hunting activity. Most waterfowl hunters are having good success, with lots of birds in the area. Grouse hunters had lower success rates due to hunting pressure, warm weather, and limited visibility since the leaves have not fallen. Bear hunters also had great success with many sightings. Several bears were harvested this week.

CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) and COC Bobby Stringer report a successful waterfowl opener with most hunters reporting successful harvests. Although the weather looked harsh around Thief Lake, hunters who braved the elements harvested a variety of different ducks. The officers participated in an ATV safety class in Newfolden. Enforcement action for the week included hunting waterfowl with toxic shot, no HIP certification, and no helmet or seatbelt for youth passenger on a Class II ATV.

CO Sarah Jahn (Thief River Falls East) spent time working the opener of the waterfowl season. A big-game case was worked on. Enforcement action was taking for individuals angling without licenses.

CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) checked grouse, duck, goose, and sandhill crane hunters. Nuisance-animal calls were handled during the week. Hunters out during the waterfowl opener saw success even with the rain during the weekend.

CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) continued field training COC Mooers. They monitored angling activity on Upper Red Lake, Cass Lake, Lake Winnibigoshish, and Blackduck Lake. They also worked ATV and watercraft safety, and monitored bear-, grouse-, and waterfowl-hunting activity from Turtle River to Waskish. The number of waterfowl hunters was low for opening weekend, however, each group of hunters the officers contacted successfully harvested ducks. The variety of species harvested included American wigeon, blue-winged teal, mallards, gadwalls, green-winged teal, redheads, ring-necked ducks, and wood duck.

Baudette East vacant.

Blackduck South vacant.

Weekly CO report

District 2 – Bemidji area

Last updated: 2024-09-23

CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports attending a firearms safety class in the Mentor area. Time was also spent working the waterfowl opener. Anglers, small-game hunters, and archery deer hunters were also checked. Various waterfowl-related violations were encountered.

CO Andrew Ladzinski (Bemidji #1) spent time patrolling ATV trails and checking waterfowl hunters. He also attended emergency vehicle operations training at Camp Ripley. Hunters were having some success with teal, wood ducks, ring necks, coots, and geese. Enforcement action was taken for using a motorboat on Lake Puposky, transporting a loaded shotgun, insufficient PFDs, no headlight use on an ATV, and failure to transfer ATV ownership.

CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) checked a good number of waterfowl hunters in the early morning hours during the first two days of the regular season. Afternoon hunting was limited to a few field hunters getting after Canada geese. Other game hunting remained slow while angling pressure remains consistent. Additional time was spent investigating complaints and following up on wetland and public water restoration orders.

CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent time this week monitoring anglers, migratory bird hunters, and small-game hunters. Enforcement action was taken for a case involving an overlimit of sunfish and angling after suspension. Waterfowl hunters saw great success opening weekend with a mixed bag of teal, mallards, ring necks, and wood ducks being most abundant. Small-game hunters are still off to a slow start with the warm weather and foliage.

CO William Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week following up on deer-hunting complaints and checking archery and waterfowl hunters. Waterfowl-hunter success was spotty at best. In some areas of the station, hunters averaged three birds apiece, while in other areas hunters didn?t even average a bird apiece. Enforcement action was taken for numerous waterfowl-related violations, including no federal stamp, unplugged shotguns, transporting loaded firearms, hunting in a closed national wildlife refuge, and use of motors on waterfowl production areas.

CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling and boating activity. Small-game, bear- and archery hunting activity was worked. Waterfowl opener was worked, with hunters reporting fair hunting success. ATV and off-road vehicle activity was worked on area trails. Warren also assisted the Mahnomen County Sheriff?s Office with a medical and attended training at Camp Ripley.

CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) checked waterfowl hunters. The best success was seen in Polk County, with mixed bags of birds harvested. Non-electric, motorized use in a waterfowl resting area, no license in possession, no state waterfowl stamp, and an unplugged shotgun were addressed with enforcement action. Calls about illegal bear baits and early and late-night shooting were also addressed. Assistance was given to other agencies on a highway accident. Two career fairs were also attended.

CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #2) spent time working the duck opener, with many hunters having a successful opener. He assisted White Earth with a reported missing wild ricer on Lower Rice Lake; the individual was located the following day. Time was also spent attending training at Camp Ripley, checking small-game hunters, monitoring ATV activity, handling nuisance-bear complaints, and assisting Itasca State Park staff with an injured bicyclist.

Pelican Rapids vacant.

Weekly CO report

District 3 – Fergus Falls area

Last updated: 2024-09-23

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) attended Enviro Fest and spoke to hundreds of youths on boating safety. Bear baits were monitored. There was minimal activity. She also worked fishing, boating, and a warm waterfowl opener. Duck hunters found scattered success through the area, indicating lower numbers of waterfowl around.

CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking angling and hunting activity throughout the past week. The waterfowl opener had a great turnout of hunters, and they had very high success. A good mixture of birds in each bag was observed.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked waterfowl hunters, anglers, and boaters. A site inspection was done on an area lake with DNR personnel for a possible restoration order on an aquatic plant management violation. Duck harvest was fair on opening weekend.

CO Jake Homan (Jake Homan) spent the week working on an ongoing big-game investigation. Time was also spent patrolling Douglas County for waterfowl hunters during the opening weekend. Groups encountered had mixed results. Enforcement action was taken for numerous deer-hunting violations from previous years and waterfowl violations.

CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent her week checking anglers and ATV operators before she attended training at Camp Ripley for emergency responses. She ended her week with a very busy waterfowl opener. Countless duck and goose hunters were out, with lots of birds in the bag, most of which were teal and wood ducks. She encountered a variety of violations including lead shot, shotguns without plugs, and shooting waterfowl in open water. She also encountered harassment of wildlife. A common violation was no life jackets in waterfowl boats. A variety of enforcement action was taken.

CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports a busy opening weekend of waterfowl season. Numbers of birds seen varied between groups, with more experienced hunters finding their limits. Enforcement action was taken for transporting loaded firearms, using an unplugged shotgun, hunting without licenses, overlimits of hooded mergansers, and camping in a waterfowl production area. Some ATV violations were also addressed.

CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers and waterfowl hunters. Baumbarger attended training this past week at Camp Ripley and continued training COC Zeigler. Time was spent preparing equipment for the waterfowl opener. Weather conditions for the opener were less than ideal for hunting waterfowl, with most hunters having success early Saturday morning.

Wheaton vacant.

Weekly CO report

District 4 – Walker area

Last updated: 2024-09-23

CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) checked grouse and duck hunters, as well as ATV activity throughout the week. Several duck hunters had success; grouse hunters have been struggling to find birds. Archery hunters have been checked but limited success has been observed. Enforcement action for the week included no PFD while duck hunting, no license in possession, and operating an ATV without headlights.

CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) checking hunting activity. Enforcement action was taken for hunting without a license, no stamps, unplugged shotgun, and expired ATV registration.

CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) reports it was a busy week with many people enjoying outdoor activities in the nice weather. Duck hunters were checked, and they had some decent success. Mathy also checked anglers, boaters, AIS, grouse hunters, and ATVs. A site inspection was completed at a wetland impact and problem-bear complaints continue to come in. Enforcement action was taken for angling and boating violations.

CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports waterfowl hunters having some success on the river portions of the station. Some enforcement action for the week consisted of no life jackets, expired watercraft registration, failure to transfer watercraft, no life jackets in a duck boat, unplugged shotgun while duck hunting, and license violations. Seifermann and K9 Jet attended Enviro Fest in Todd County where approximately 330 local youth spent the day learning about the outdoors and conservation. He also assisted with recovering a cargo trailer that had been stolen and hidden on state property and received phone calls regarding bears damaging corn crops in the area.

CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked waterfowl opener, small-game, big-game, fishing, and off-highway vehicle enforcement. Cross also assisted in a water rescue of duck hunters whose boat capsized. All were rescued and did not have injuries. Enforcement action was taken for small-game hunting, ATV, and waterfowl-hunting violations.

CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) patrolled Leech Lake for angling and waterfowl hunting activity. McGowan also assisted at Camp Ripley for officer training. Enforcement action was taken for numerous angling and waterfowl violations.

ATV rec officer vacant.