District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2022-02-28
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on Lake of the Woods and snowmobilers around Roseau County. Fishing remains slow on Lake of the Woods, but one group of anglers was found in possession of more than their limit of walleyes and sauger. Other violations included snowmobile speeding, possession of marijuana, illegal-length walleye and angling with extra/unattended lines.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) attended the Lake of the Woods Keep It Clean Committee meeting. The primary focus of the meeting was discussion of new things that could be implemented to reduce the amount of litter and waste left on the lake?s frozen surface. Sura reports angling success continues to be below average on both Lake of the Woods and Upper Red Lake. Violations encountered throughout the week included fishing with extra lines, fishing without a license, expired snowmobile registration, taking illegal-length northern pike and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
CO Ryan Brown (Karlstad) reports an increase in snowmobile activity throughout this past week. Angling activity was also monitored and big-game cases were worked. Enforcement action this week included snowmobile registration issues and failure to stop at a road crossing.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) responded to calls of an injured deer and injured owl, investigated the intentional blockage of a snowmobile trail with snow, and spoke about ice safety at a 4H youth fishing clinic. He also took enforcement action for excessive speed on a snowmobile, failure to stop a snowmobile at a crossroad, operating an unregistered snowmobile and no lights on a Class II ATV.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls East) continued to monitor snowmobile and angling activity this week, and took nuisance-animal calls. Deep snow, and temperatures that are warm during the day but that fall below freezing at night will make ice shelter removal difficult. Make plans now for removing your shelters as the deadline is approaching quickly. Enforcement action taken this week included failure to display valid snowmobile registration, expired snowmobile registration, failure to stop at roadways/intersections on a snowmobile, exceeding snowmobile speed, allowing the illegal operation of a snowmobile by a youth, operating an ATV in the traveled portion of a highway, storing an ice shelter at a public access and other ice shelter-related violations.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports monitoring angling activity on area lakes and snowmobile trail activity. Time was spent completing a background investigation and fielding calls from people with concerns of a bobcat hanging round a neighborhood scavenging on a car-killed deer and water quality questions and concerns of area lakes oxygen levels.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports an increase in snowmobile activity with the warmer weather. Time was spent working snowmobile and angling activity.
Warroad #1 vacant.
Warroad #2 vacant.
Baudette #1 vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2022-02-28
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports speaking at a sports club meeting in Red Lake Falls. Time was also spent working on open case-related follow ups. Anglers and snowmobile operators were checked. Various snowmobile and angling violations were encountered.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) patrolled area lakes and snowmobile trails. Time was spent at local cross-country ski trails and Vollbrecht also went to Bemidji State University for an ice safety/ice fishing demonstration. He continued to work on a Division background investigation.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week working fishing and snowmobiling activity. There were many people out enjoying the great weather over the weekend. Many groups of snowmobilers and anglers were checked. Swedberg wants to remind anglers that their licenses expire this week and to get them renewed if they want to continue fishing. Enforcement action for the weekend included operating a snowmobile without registration, taking crappies under the minimum length, and fishing with extra lines.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week checking angling and snowmobile activity in the Pelican Rapids station. A few nice walleyes were caught by anglers at the end of the season, but overall fishing for all species was slow this week. A reminder that the deadline for fish house removal is March 7. People with houses still on lakes should start trying to remove them now. Conditions will likely make them difficult to remove and more snow is in the forecast for next weekend. Off-trail snowmobile use has been a problem after the last snowfall, especially in Maplewood State Park. Snowmobilers are reminded that in almost all instances it is illegal to leave the snowmobile trail.
Bemidji #2 vacant.
Bagley vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2022-02-28
CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) monitored snowmobile trails and lakes throughout the week. Trail conditions improved with the added snow but few ice shelters remained on area lakes after continuous blizzards. Additional time was spent on equipment maintenance and coordinating training along.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked with area firearms safety instructors getting spring classes registered and scheduled time for a CO talk. Plautz monitored fish house activity and worked snowmobile enforcement. Several calls were fielded about injured, wounded and sick deer. Farmers are struggling with hay and silage being consumed by deer and turkeys. Snowmobile-trespass issues were addressed and equipment maintenance was performed.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked area lakes for fish house removal. The deadline to remove fish houses from area lakes is March 7. Please take the time to remove your houses and anything left on the ice from your fishing activity.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) patrolled both Douglas and Todd county snowmobile trails this week after a large snowfall brought riding conditions to a peak. Numerous snowmobilers were contacted for going off-trail. Lawler reminded them that most trails are allowed by landowners but can be removed if they feel disrespected. Enforcement action was taken against out-of-state snowmobilers who didn?t purchase a Minnesota trail pass. Angling activity took a nosedive as most wheelhouses came off the lakes before the large snowfall.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working snowmobile and fishing enforcement. Enforcement action was taken for no fishing license in possession, failure to display current registration, and operating unregistered snowmobiles. Douvier continues working on a background investigation for the Division.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, fish houses, and snowmobile operators. Additional time was spent checking coyote hunters and setting up an upcoming firearm safety class. Baumbarger handled several injured-animal calls and deer-depredation complaints.
Osakis vacant.
Elbow Lake vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2022-02-28
CO Calie Kunst (Remer) continued to patrol snowmobile and fishing activity in the Remer area. Kunst also taught a snowmobile safety class. Enforcement action was taken for numerous violations throughout the week.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports checking anglers and patrolling by snowmobile. The recent snowfall has created great trail conditions. He reports receiving several snowmobile-trespass complaints and calls about fish house removal. He assisted other law enforcement agencies.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) patrolled Cass County for snowmobile and angling activity. Enforcement action was taken for numerous violations.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) continued to work fishing activity. Snowmobiling activity is busy and should be for some time. Enforcement action included no Snowmobile registration, failure to transfer registration, excessive speed, and a DWI investigation.
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled area lakes and trails for ice angling and snowmobile activity. Baum found increased snowmobile activity with the recent snow and warmer weekend weather. He took enforcement action on various angling and snowmobile violations such as angling without a license, no license in possession, failure to display snowmobile registration, and snowmobile exhaust.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) assisted with a snowmobile safety class. She responded to a vehicle accident and a stuck snowmobile. Enforcement action was taken for expired registration.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) checked anglers and snowmobile trails. Fishing remained poor and activity slowed considerably as many people removed their fish houses for the winter. One shelter owner was warned for leaving their shelter for several days at a public water access. Mathy also finished a background investigation this past week. Enforcement action was taken for angling, snowmobile, and ATV violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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