Weekly CO report
District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2025-09-08
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) and COC Jayden Frank spent time following up on bear-hunting activity and performing commercial bear guide inspections. Time was also spent on Lake of the Woods contacting anglers and enforcing boating laws. They ended the week checking hunters during the teal and early goose opener. Enforcement action was taken for failing to register bear baits, no license in possession, and transporting a loaded firearm on an ATV.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week monitoring bear-hunting activity, monitoring ATV traffic, checking area early goose/teal hunters, and following up on various complaints. Violations encountered were unplugged shotgun, illegal party hunting, taking migratory waterfowl without a license, failure to drive in a single lane, and second-degree DWI. Early goose/teal hunters reported limited success despite the number of geese that have showed up in recent days. Hams would like to remind waterfowl hunters to make sure they have the appropriate license and to check their shotguns for a plug prior to going hunting for the first time of the year.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week attending various trainings and patrolling area public lands. Enforcement action was taken for hunting bears over an unregistered bear bait.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) reports increased activity in the field and on the Rainy River. Lower water temperatures have been moving fish into the Rainy. Prachar assisted Roseau County with a call for service involving a firearm. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations, hunting geese with toxic shot, and failure to have state and federal waterfowl stamps.
CO Bobby Stringer (Thief River Falls West) reports a successful week for bear hunters throughout the area. Although the success rate is trending in a good direction, there continues to be minor bear-baiting violations noted. Stringer participated in the KTRF radio open line where a variety of topics were discussed. He also assisted a local agency with a significant farm accident medical emergency. Enforcement actions for the week included violations related to ATVs, bear baiting, and wildlife management areas.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) spent the weekend working the early teal/goose season. Enforcement action was taken for a group of hunters who took a goldeneye out of season. Additional ATV violations were handled as well.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) continued field training with COC Danielle Reuss. They spent the week checking bear hunters and working recreational vehicle enforcement. Bear harvest numbers were low, though many hunters reported their baits being hit. Anglers leaving the area after the holiday weekend were compliant with aquatic invasive species regulations. A variety of bear bait and ATV violations were observed and addressed.
CO Brianna Shaw (Blackduck South) spent the week patrolling for recreational vehicle and sport fishing activity. Additional time was spent enforcing early teal and Canada goose regulations. Shaw responded to a call regarding an injured pelican and coordinated with wildlife rehabilitation services.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2025-09-08
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports working bear-hunting related activity. Time was also spent following up on some 2024 trapping violations. Teal and goose hunters were also checked.
CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #1) spent the week checking area early teal hunters, bear hunters, and anglers. Teal hunting was successful for the few hunters checked. Time was also spent answering questions, patrolling ATV trails, and handling animal- and trespass-related complaints.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) worked teal and goose hunters out for the early season opener. The waterfowl didn’t fully cooperate for the few hunters checked, but the morning conditions were prime. Anglers began searching for fish entering fall patterns while recreational boating slowed significantly. Goodman continues to investigate public water excavation violations with numerous citations issued.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking bear-hunting activity, patrolling ATV trails, and checking lakes for fishing, boating, and wild ricing activity. Early teal season hunters found mixed success, with most being able to find a few birds. Overall success was lower compared with past years. Other time was spent training with K9 Axel.
CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) continued field training this week with COC Nathan Garza. The week consisted of primarily big-game, waterfowl, and ATV enforcement. Additional time was spent investigating an illegal dumping of a bear. Enforcement actions were taken for illegal off-trail travel, youth without helmets on ATVs, illegal dumping, and a DWI arrest.
CO William Landmark (Moorhead) continued field training COC Corbus. Time was spent on early teal season, early goose season, and ATV enforcement. The officers were pleased to find no violations among early teal hunters, most of whom found a few birds. Enforcement action was taken for shooting doves from a motor vehicle, taking small game without a license, wanton waste of an animal, and operating an ATV with youth under the age of 18 without a helmet.
CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling and boating activity. A local angling tournament was monitored. AIS compliance was worked, with many cabin owners removing boats for the season. Early goose and teal openers were worked. The turnout was low. Time was also spent on bear-hunting activity. A report of a bobcat attacking a dog was investigated.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) checked waterfowl hunters and public lands for bear hunting and other activities. A trespass complaint was also followed up on. Enforcement action was taken for hunters without the HIP certification and an unvalidated bear tag. Manteufel would like to remind bear hunters that baits cannot be set up on federal waterfowl production areas. Compared with the past two seasons, a high number of mallards, pintails, teal, and wood ducks were observed in the area.
Bemidji #2 – vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2025-09-08
CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) spent the week focused on angling and recreational vehicle enforcement. Waterfowl enforcement was also worked, but bird numbers for the early goose and teal opener were disappointing.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked early goose hunters, teal hunters, anglers, and boaters. Public lands were patrolled, and bear baits were checked. A trappers education class was attended. Along with CO Saewert, she spoke to the youth about laws and ethics.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports focusing his enforcement effort on angling and ATV activity during the week. Early teal season was also worked over the weekend and various violations were encountered, including no federal stamp or small-game license. Blue-winged teal were the main birds observed being harvested over the weekend.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, boaters, ATV riders, and early teal hunters. Hunting success was low for teal, with the number of birds seen on area wetlands low. ATV violations were high for the week.
CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling Douglas County for angling and waterfowl-hunting activity. Time was spent checking numerous goose and teal hunters. Enforcement action was taken for angling without a license and several waterfowl-related violations. Assistance was provided to local law enforcement agencies on several occasions.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent the week patrolling angling and ATV activity leading up to the busy weekend checking early teal and goose hunters. Lots of hunters were out, with more birds in the bag on Saturday than Sunday. She encountered several violations with various enforcement actions taken, including unplugged shotguns, taking mergansers out of season, hunting without a small-game license, no federal stamp, no state stamp, no HIP certification, and numerous hunters on the water without PFDs.
CO Curtis Jepson (Wheaton) patrolled his station for early teal and goose activity. Teal hunters reported lower bird numbers than last year. Success rates varied, but all hunters checked had something to show in their possession. Calls from the public included questions about regulation and trapping.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working fishing and early teal activity. Enforcement action was taken for shooting before legal shooting hours, no federal duck stamp, and no PFD.
CO Andrew Ladzinski (Glenwood) dedicated his time to waterfowl and angling enforcement. Questions were fielded on legal firearm types for big game. Enforcement action was taken for various watercraft violations, failure to display ATV registration, and no HIP certification. Angling without a license continues to be commonly seen violation. Teal and goose hunters reported a slow start to the seasons.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2025-09-08
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked angling, bear-hunting, and ATV activity throughout the week. Calls for service were answered, and case follow up was also conducted.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the area for bear-hunting and recreational vehicle activity. Baum found many area bear hunters having success. Baum observed many outdoor enthusiasts enjoying the cooler temperatures on ATVs. He wants to remind everyone getting on an ATV to review the recreational vehicle regulations book for up-to-date laws. Baum took enforcement action for various violations.
CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) spent a busy weekend patrolling area lakes and ATV activity. There was lots of recreational activity throughout the weekend. Fishing reports were slow, but many anglers still had fish. Time was also spent checking early teal/goose hunters. Many hunters had success. A trapping education class was attended.
CO Patrick McGowan (Cass Lake) and COC Kaitlyn Istvanovich worked Cass Lake and Winnibigoshish Lake during the week. Additionally, they patrolled Leech Lake for early teal and goose hunters. Enforcement action was taken for numerous fishing, hunting, and boating violations during the week.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) checked hunters participating in the early teal season. A few groups had some luck, but resident teal numbers for the area are much lower than they have been the past couple of seasons. Bear hunters in the area continue to have success. Area wild rice lakes continue to see a lot of visitors as it has been a great year for harvesting wild rice.
CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) checked hunting, angling, and ATV activity. She investigated shoreline violations and assisted at multiple vehicle accidents.
CO Levi Brown (Staples) saw a slow start to the early teal season. Most hunters did not get a limit of teal but were able to nab a few. Also, a few Canada geese were taken. Please ensure you have all your required licenses before going out and hunting waterfowl and remember the shooting hours differ from the regular duck season.
Walker – vacant.
ATV rec officer – vacant.
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