MN DNR
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2025-03-10
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on Lake of the Woods and patrolled Hayes Lake and area wildlife management areas. Enforcement contacts included an angler in possession of an illegal-length walleye and anglers in possession of fileted, frozen walleye fillets on a special management lake.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area anglers and following up on various complaints. Violations encountered were an overlimit of walleyes, angling with extra lines, no shelter license, no owner information on shelter, litter, unattended lines, possessing fillets on the ice, and no license in possession.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) attended a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators officer water survival course.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) reports continued angling success on Lake of the Woods. Enforcement action was taken on numerous anglers for angling with extra lines.
CO Paul Kennedy (Baudette East) assisted at an officer water survival class held in Staples earlier in the week. As the week continued, he focused on angling activity on area lakes. With warmer weather moving in, several access points on lakes are starting to see poor ice conditions. Enforcement action for the week included wanton waste, angling with extra lines, angling without a license, litter, and no shelter license.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) assisted North Dakota Game and Fish with an investigation and worked a detail on Lake of the Woods. He saw moderate angling success. Enforcement action for the week included angling without a valid license, possessing an illegal-length walleye, angling with extra lines, angling with unattended lines, no shelter license, and a nonresident purchasing a license restricted to residents.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) spent the week investigating violations that occurred during the previous deer season. Enforcement action was taken for the use of an invalid bonus permit that resulted in an overlimit.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) continued to check ice anglers on Upper Red Lake. Most shelters have been removed from the lake and individuals are chasing schools of crappies around. Most of the snow in the area has melted over the past week with the warm weather.
CO Brianna Shaw (Blackduck South) spent the week patrolling for outdoor recreational activities. The warm weather has put spring cleaning into full effect. A friendly reminder to check burning regulations and restrictions for your area.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2025-03-10
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports working on several hunting related violation cases. Time was further spent checking anglers and ATV operators. Various public land access sites were also checked.
CO Andrew Ladzinski (Bemidji #1) dedicated his recent patrols to enforcing fishing regulations, with the close of the walleye season. As fishing licenses expired on Feb. 28, he caught anglers casting their hopes into the twilight for that elusive late evening burbot bite. Enforcement action dealt with angling without a license, no license in possession, and a variety of ATV-related violations.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) checked a good number of anglers chasing panfish over the past week. Folks were educated on the new special regulations for crappie and sunfish limits in the area and were reminded to buy a 2025 angling license. Additional time was spent on ATV enforcement, responding to fires, and following up on deer-hunting cases.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) attended K9 training with his K9 partner Axel.
CO William Landmark (Moorhead) field-trained COC Jepson. Much of the week was spent checking anglers on local lakes. Warm weather and good ice conditions got anglers on the ice, but most reported a slow bite. The officers worked the Red River Valley Sportsman Show and had the TIP Wall of Shame on display. The officers also worked on some ongoing deer-related cases and enforcement action was taken for failure to register deer and taking a deer without a hunting license.
CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling activity. Fish house removal is in full swing. Please remember to take all items with you when you leave the lake. ATV activity was worked and appears to be the favored mode of transportation on area lakes. Warren also assisted DNR Wildlife with a call of a dead moose and patrolled WMAs and waterfowl production areas.
CO Matthew Boyle (Pelican Rapids) spent the week checking ice anglers and following up on litter violations from the week prior. Area lake accesses are in poor condition after the warm weekend. ATV traffic is steady on several lakes. Boyle would like to advise people to use caution and travel at your own risk with coming ice conditions.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) attended the officer water survival trainers course this week. Area lakes were checked for activity and for any fish houses remaining. Manteufel would like to remind anglers about the deadline for removal (11:59 p.m. on March 17 for inland waters in the northern one-third of the state) and stress its importance. ATV registration display and operating without lights violations were addressed and a fish house left at an access in the area was investigated. Wildlife-related questions were also answered.
CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) spent the week attending training and working on equipment maintenance. Some time was spent checking area lakes.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) conducted a snowmobile safety class certifying 36 students. The fish house removal deadline was monitored. There were no issues. Ice fishing and ice conditions were monitored and equipment maintenance was completed. Calls were received of dead swans in the area and dogs running on neighboring lands.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) continued to monitor angling and ATV activity during the week. Ice conditions are extremely unstable. Caution is advised if venturing out.
CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling Douglas County for angling activity. Time was spent assisting Arizona Game and Fish with an ongoing big-game case. Time was spent also completing station equipment duties.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent the week at the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators Officer Water Survival Training to obtain her instructor certification. Now she will be able to teach these skills to new conservation officer Academies, State Trooper Academies, and deputy boating schools. She also assisted in teaching a snowmobile safety class to nearly 40 students.
CO Bobby Stringer (Wheaton) reports decreasing ice conditions on Lake Traverse and the Mustinka River. Several open areas are exposed as warm weather continues to deteriorate the ice. An increase in shore anglers was observed along open-water areas within border waters that are subjected to continuous seasons. Stringer wants to remind anglers to be aware of border water boundaries and the associated regulations within. Additionally, Stringer provided dive support for the officer water survival train-the-trainer course and assisted local instructors in scheduled snowmobile safety training.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working fishing and recreational vehicle enforcement. Time was also spent on commercial inspections and upcoming firearms safety classes.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers and ATV operators. Additional time was spent patrolling area lakes for the fish house removal deadline and following up on a couple of deer-season cases.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2025-03-10
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked angling, conducted equipment maintenance, and finished training. Cross reports rapidly changing ice conditions on area lakes.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the local area for panfish angling activity. Baum found varying success around the area. Lakes in the area seem to have a thick ice layer but be sure to continue to check ice conditions prior to venturing out. Baum wants to remind those heading out on the ice to review ice safety information on the DNR website.
CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) spent a majority of the week working ice anglers. Time was spent on Cass Lake. People reported small perch were being caught, with minimal success for other panfish. Area aeration inspections were completed. A report of a wolf being hit by a vehicle was taken. When law enforcement arrived, it was found to be a coyote.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) patrolled Leech Lake for angling activity. McGowan also attended trainings at Camp Ripley. Enforcement action was taken for numerous angling and ATV violations. Anglers should use extreme caution if continuing to ice fish as ice conditions are deteriorating quickly.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) checked late-ice panfish anglers. Enforcement action was taken for several anglers fishing with expired licenses. A father and adult son were checked while fishing on Bowstring Lake. Sura noticed fish stuffed into an auger hole outside one of the fish houses. Further investigation led to discovering four northern pike that were taken out of season and left to waste, and one walleye taken out of season and filleted out.
CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) checked angling and ATV activity. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations.
Cass Lake vacant.
Staples vacant.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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