Minnesota #DNR Conservation Officer Reports September 29, 2025

CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking duck and prairie chicken hunters during the opening weekend for both seasons. Hunters reported varying levels of success. Time was also spent checking anglers and archery deer hunters.

CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #1) spent the week working bear-hunting activity, patrolling ATV trails, and checking grouse and waterfowl hunters. Area waterfowl hunters had mixed results. Enforcement action was taken for hunting within 100 yards of an unregistered bait, transportation of loaded firearm, taking small game without a license, and permitting unlawful youth operation of an ATV.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) worked waterfowl, deer, and small-game activity throughout the week. The waterfowl opener saw a drop in participation due to hot, clear, and flat conditions. Smaller ponds and wetlands have dried up in the past week, causing birds to concentrate on larger bodies of water, which helped success for those folks hunting lakes. Despite the weather, deer have been on their feet due to quickly disappearing foliage and crops. Compliance was high among hunters checked and reports of early or late shooting were nonexistent.

CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) continued training with COC Corbus this week. They spent time checking small-game hunters, waterfowl hunters, and archery deer hunters. Duck-hunting success was limited and most of the peak activity happened within the first half hour of the season opening.

CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) spent time on ATV, patrolling state forests for hunting activities. He also worked the “regular” duck season opener. Enforcement action included no small-game license, ATV violations, and violation of an ignition interlock restriction.

CO William Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week checking archery deer hunters, waterfowl hunters, and prairie chicken hunters. The number of waterfowl hunters observed was less than expected and may reflect the low number of ducks on the landscape. Hunters checked averaged two birds per hunter and the bag consisted mostly of teal. Hunters are reminded that life jackets are a requirement in a boat. They seem to be often-forgotten safety items among waterfowl hunters. Calls from the public included reports of a variety of injured animals. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of off-highway motorcycle violations, waterfowl hunting licensing violations, no life jackets in a waterfowl boat, leaving trail cameras on WMAs, and a bear bait without identification on the barrel.

CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) worked small-game, archery deer, and bear-hunting activity. Waterfowl production areas and wildlife management areas were patrolled. ATV and off-road vehicle activity was worked. Waterfowl opener was worked, with hunters finding few birds. Warren also monitored angling and boating activity.

CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) checked waterfowl hunters and some anglers this week. Fair to good success was had. Hunters had mixed bags of ducks. Enforcement action was taken on an unplugged shotgun and hunters missing their federal waterfowl stamp. Overall, good regulation compliance was found among hunters on land and in duck boats. An abandoned boat was investigated on an area lake and a bear causing damage to hay and hay bale covers was also reported.

Bemidji #2 – vacant.

Pelican Rapids – vacant.

CO Andrew Ladzinski (Glenwood) dedicated his patrols towards waterfowl and angling enforcement. He saw moderate success for duck hunters during the duck opener. Many teal and wood ducks were taken, with a few mallards showing up in the bags as well. He conducted site visits for multiple wetland violations in Pope County. Enforcement action was taken for youth on ATVs without a helmet, possessing smallmouth bass in a catch-and-release season, northern pike within the protected slot, unplugged shotguns, and federal stamp violations.

CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) worked a busy waterfowl opening weekend, checking many groups of duck hunters. Overall, there was decent success on Saturday and fewer birds in the bags Sunday. She continues to patrol the angling activity in her station. License violations were the most common violations encountered.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) and COC Reuss presented at Conservation Days to a couple hundred fifth- and sixth-grade youth. A high school taxidermy class was attended, and they talked about various laws regarding taxidermy licenses. Waterfowl opener was active with many hunters harvesting wood ducks, mallards, and a few blue-wing teal. Enforcement action was taken for violations including no PFDs in a waterfowl boat and hunting small game in a state park.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, boaters, ATV riders, and waterfowl hunters. Warm and sunny weather greeted hunters on opening weekend, but several groups did well with a mixed bag of puddle and diver ducks observed. Questions about trespassing and posting property were received and answered.

CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working a busy waterfowl opening weekend. Violations encountered included camping overnight in WMAs and WPAs, taking protected birds, using toxic shot, and operating ATVs without required headlights or registration displayed.

CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) and COC Kaitlyn Istvanovich spent the week focused on angling and waterfowl-hunting enforcement. Overall, harvest numbers were low. Time was also spent investigating big-game and wetland violations. Additionally, they attended a firearms safety class.

CO Curtis Jepson (Wheaton) patrolled the area for small-game, big-game, and angling activity. The duck opener kicked off this weekend with numerous hunters being seen afield. Those hunters had mixed feelings about the bird numbers compared with those of previous years. Most, however, had a good variety of birds in their possession. He also spoke with DNR biologists at the American Legion in Wheaton about how to manage and prevent the spread of chronic wasting disease and the newly implemented regulations.

CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports a good turnout for the duck opener this weekend. Teal were the most common bird observed in the bag, but a few groups had a good variety. Overall compliance was good, with a few violations encountered including no small-game license, no federal duck stamp, and no life jackets onboard watercraft.

CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) patrolled Douglas County for waterfowl, angling, big-game, and recreational vehicle activities. Harvest numbers in the station were high with most hunters having a mix of mallards, teal, and wood ducks. An overlimit case was worked with a station neighbor, with enforcement action taking place. Numerous waterfowl-hunting-related violations were also addressed.