MN DNR Conservation Officer
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2026-01-20
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked trapping, snowmobiling, and angling activity. Fishing on LotW has been spotty. Some people are finding large numbers of perch near the islands. Violations include angling with extra lines and minor license violations.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week monitoring angling, trapping, and snowmobiling activity. Enforcement action was taken for no angling license in possession.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) reports slower angler success on Lake of the Woods. Enforcement action was taken for possession of fillets on special regulation waters and violations of the Keep it Clean Law. Remember that any trash or rubbish must by in a receptacle and not left directly on the ice.
CO Bobby Stringer (Thief River Falls West) reports a slow week as severe temperatures and blizzard conditions impacted the region. Although that was the case, anglers who braved the conditions saw measured results for both Walleye and Northern Pike towards the evening hours on the Red Lake River. Stringer assisted with a Pennington County snowmobile safety course where it was a full house of attendance. Enforcement actions for the week included multiple failure to display snowmobile registrations, and failure to mark non-portable ice houses with identification as required.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) worked snowmobile activity throughout the area. Time was spent investigating big game violations that occurred during the previous deer season.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) monitored angling activity on Upper Red Lake. Officer attended training at Camp Ripley and patrolled area snowmobile trails for activity.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2026-01-20
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking ice anglers this week. Time was further spent working snowmobile enforcement and checking predator hunters. Investigations were started on big game related complaints.
CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #1) spent the week monitoring area angling and assisting with a public safety detail in the metro.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) spent the majority of the week in the metro, as part of a public safety response. Angling and snowmobile activity slowed during back to back frigid blizzards. Additional time was spent working ongoing cases and answering questions from the public about fishing and trapping regulations.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking ice fishermen around the area. Fishing slowed down with the change in weather, but plenty of anglers were still out trying their luck. Other time was spent assisting another officer with a possible pheasant taken out of season.
CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) worked angling activity and assisted other agencies in the metro area.
CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) worked snowmobile activity, with trails being in fair shape. Time was spent on angling and ice house activity. Follow up was conducted on a complaint of dogs chasing deer. WMAs and WPAs were patrolled.
CO Bill Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week assisting with a metro detail. A report of an incidental fisher was also handled.
CO Grey Corbus (Pelican Rapids) spent the week attending training at Camp Ripley and checking anglers.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) patrolled snowmobile trails this week and checked anglers. Some fresh snow made the trails better as more riders were out. Deep Lake had good success for the trout opener, with nice sized rainbows 12-16 inches on average being caught. Elk damage to hay bales was investigated and assistance with traffic control was provided for vehicles going off road during the inclement weather.
CO Ryan Schaefer (Bemidji #2) spent time this past week checking local anglers, along with assisting another Conservation Officer with a property damage case, caused by a herd of elk. CO Schaefer also assisted a local trapper with registering his recent bobcat kill and attended mandatory department training.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2026-01-20
CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) spent the week working on angling enforcement and follow up from the deer season. Deer possession permits were requested and issued.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) dealt with fish house violations, worked coyote hunters, took calls on trapping issues, and a call of dogs chasing deer was handled. Assistance was given to a metro public response detail.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) checked angling and snowmobile activity throughout the week. Ongoing big game investigations were worked and miscellaneous animal complaints were received and fielded.
CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling Douglas County for snowmobile, angling, and trapping activities. Additional time was spent in the Twin Cities on a detail.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) patrolled angling, snowmobile, and trapping activity. She noticed a slower bite, but still just as many anglers out. She assisted Douglas County with a vehicle that went through the ice. Various enforcement action taken throughout the week.
CO Curtis Jepson (Wheaton) spent time this week at Camp Ripley. Earlier warm weather has caused large pockets of open water on Lake Traverse. Now with frigid temperatures, those pockets are refreezing. Please use caution when traveling, as ice thickness can vary greatly.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working fishing and recreational vehicle activity over the week and weekend. White out conditions slowed down some activity, however, enforcement action was still taken for no shelter license, fail to renew ATV registration, and passengers under 18 riding without helmets.
CO Andrew Ladzinski (Glenwood) spent his time enforcing ice angling activity. Enforcement action was taken for no license in possession, unattended lines, and litter on the ice. He assisted with public safety in the metro area.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2026-01-20
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked angling, small game, and snowmobile patrol. Enforcement action was taken for angling, small game, ATV, and trail violations.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the area for ice angling and snowmobile activity. CO Baum found anglers having varying success on area lakes. CO Baum observed area trails to be in good condition with recent snowfall. CO Baum assisted metro agencies with public safety response.
CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) monitored angling activity on local lakes. Time was also spent in the Huntersville State Forest observing traps as the bobcat trapping season came to an end. CO Saewert responded to the metro area for a detail.
CO Patrick McGowan (Cass Lake) worked angling and snowmobile activity throughout Cass Co. CO McGowan also spent time following up on cases from this past fall. McGowan also assisted with a metro detail.
CO Jack Lien (Walker) spent his week patrolling local lakes in his area for angling activity. Weather patterns have been inconsistent resulting in varying success on Leech. He also attended some trainings.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) patrolled area lakes, and spent time on equipment maintenance.
CO Levi Brown (Staples) checked anglers on local lakes. Brown also responded to calls regarding small game hunters. Enforcement action was taken for taking a pheasant in closed season.
ATV rec officer – vacant.
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