MN DNR Conservation Officer

Weekly CO report

District 1 – Baudette area

Last updated: 2025-02-18

CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on Lake of the Woods and spoke to someone cutting trees illegally on the wildlife management area. Enforcement action was taken for anglers in possession of illegal walleye fillets, overlimit of walleyes/sauger, and angling with too many lines.

CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) attended annual training at Camp Riley and followed up on various complaints.

CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week participating in trainings and patrolling Lake of the Woods. Enforcement action was taken for possessing an overlimit of walleyes.

CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) attended training at Camp Ripley. Time was also spent working angling and snowmobile activity. Prachar worked with other COs on a walleye-overlimit case that included a group of 16 anglers over the walleye limit on Lake of the Woods by more than 50 fish. Other enforcement action was taken for illegal operation of a snowmobile.

CO Paul Kennedy (Baudette East) attended the annual awards ceremony and safety training held at Camp Ripley. He worked the Lake of the Woods area with other conservation officers. Enforcement action for the week included several unattended lines and angling with extra lines. Enforcement action was taken in an investigation where 16 individuals were found to be in possession of an overlimit of walleyes/sauger.

CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) spent the week checking anglers on the Red Lake River. Time was spent at Camp Ripley for training.

CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) continued to work angling activity on Upper Red Lake. The walleye bite remains sporadic while some anglers are finding some crappies with the aid of electronics. He attended training at Camp Ripley.

CO Brianna Shaw (Blackduck South) spent the week patrolling for angling and recreational vehicle activity. Additional time was spent at training at Camp Ripley. Enforcement action was taken for open burning of prohibited materials and unlicensed ice shelters. Shaw came across large quantities of unlawfully discarded bait on frozen water bodies and trails. The proper way to dispose of unused bait is in the trash or on private land with permission from the landowner.

Weekly CO report

District 2 – Bemidji area

Last updated: 2025-02-18

CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking anglers and ATV operators on area lakes this week. Time was further spent attending a training session at Camp Ripley.

CO Andrew Ladzinski (Bemidji #1) spent time patrolling local lakes and snowmobile trails. He attended an Emergency Medical Technician refresher course at Camp Ripley. He also assisted other officers and the Beltrami County Sheriff Office with burning complaints. Enforcement action was taken for various snowmobile violations.

CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) attended training at Camp Ripley and continued deer-season investigations. Bitter cold put a damper on most outdoor activity over the holiday weekend, however a good number of snowmobilers were out riding freshly groomed trails. Additional time was spent fielding wildlife-related calls and checking ice anglers.

CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) attended training and continued to patrol the area lakes and trails. Several snowmobilers were encountered, with enforcement action taken related to registration and equipment issues. Assistance was also given to the Becker County Sheriff Office with a fatal snowmobile crash.

CO William Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week working on ongoing cases, completing annual online training, and attending Division annual awards and safety training.

CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) spent time checking snowmobile trails and lakes for activity and attended training at Camp Ripley. Questions about regulations for non-band members on the White Earth Reservation were answered.

CO Matthew Boyle (Pelican Rapids) spent the week working on closing some previous cases. Time was also spent at Camp Ripley for an annual awards ceremony and training.

CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) attended annual training at Camp Ripley, patrolled for snowmobile activity, and checked anglers. Very little success was observed on area lakes, with anglers having only a few fish or none. Calls about wildlife-related issues were also answered and owner-display questions regarding fish houses were addressed.

CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #2) spent the week monitoring snowmobile and angling activity. He also spent time attending training at Camp Ripley and completing online training.

Weekly CO report

District 3 – Fergus Falls area

Last updated: 2025-02-18

CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) spent the week focused on angling and recreational vehicle enforcement. She also attended the annual awards and training at Camp Ripley.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked with community education and registered an upcoming snowmobile safety class. Training was attended and coyote hunters were contacted.

CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports spending most of his enforcement effort on angling and snowmobile activity with the recent snowfall. Brown also spent time on ongoing investigations and annual training. Fishing success has improved on some area waters, according to anglers.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, ATVs, fish houses, and snowmobiles. A snowmobile safety class in Evansville was attended, with the laws and regulations talk given to the class. Several fishing and fish house violations were encountered.

CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling anglers in the Douglas County area. Time was also spent checking snowmobilers operating on area lakes and trails. A detail was worked on Smith Lake. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of angling violations.

CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) patrolled lakes and snowmobile trails. There was lots of activity with the recent snow. She and other officers teamed up to patrol more-populated lakes. Numerous violations were encountered including fishing with too many lines, unattended lines, litter on the ice, fishing without a license, and no snowmobile registration.

CO Bobby Stringer (Wheaton) reports mild success in neighboring angling tournaments. Although that is the case, many questions were related to shelter removal dates. Remember, border waters between Minnesota and North and South Dakota is March 5, which is slightly different from inland water dates in the southern region. Stringer attended the DNR Enforcement annual awards and training event and the Traverse County Sportsman Club annual meeting. Enforcement action for the week included multiple extra lines, litter on the ice, no shelter license, no license in possession, and an ATV helmet violation.

CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working fishing and recreational vehicle enforcement. Enforcement action was taken for litter on the ice, unattended lines, and no fish house ID displayed.

CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers and snowmobile operators. Additional time was spent attending annual training and checking coyote hunters.

Weekly CO report

District 4 – Walker area

Last updated: 2025-02-18

CO Michael Cross (Lake George) checked area lakes and patrolled snowmobile trails. Additionally, EMT training was completed, and a background investigation was finalized. Enforcement action was taken for ice angling violations.

CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the area for angling and snowmobile activity. Baum found the trails to be in good condition, with occasional spots that are thinner. Baum attended EMT refresher training this week at Camp Ripley. Baum instructed the Hubbard County area 4H Club on ice safety. Baum took enforcement action for a snowmobile trail sticker violation.

CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) spent two days at Camp Ripley for training. The Menahga career fair was attended, with students from seventh to 12th grade present. Time was spent on local snowmobile trails over the weekend. Violations for speed and registration were most common. Assistance was given to the Becker County Sheriff Office with a snowmobile vs. fish house crash on Two Inlets Lake. The operator was later pronounced deceased.

CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) worked Leech Lake for angling activity. McGowan also spent time at Camp Ripley for Division training. Enforcement action was taken for numerous angling violations.

CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) continued to check anglers. The bite remained relatively slow. Some time was spent on Bear Committee items and attending annual training. Enforcement action was taken for angling violations.

CO Corey Sura (Remer) spent time investigating a trespass complaint. Snowmobile trails were patrolled. Violations encountered included operating snowmobiles with expired registration.

CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) checked angling and snowmobile activity. Enforcement action was taken for snowmobile violations.

Staples vacant.

ATV rec officer vacant.