District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2022-10-03
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) spent time during the week investigating a waterfowl-hunting trespass complaint. The remainder of the week was spent training. Huener was at Camp Ripley for training while COC Hams attended training in Arden Hills.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) spent time checking anglers on the Rainy River, where the ?fall bite? seems to be picking up. Waterfowl hunters were checked throughout the week as well. Bags have been good as the area still has respectable numbers of ducks and geese around. Enforcement action was taken for operating unlicensed watercraft and transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) conducted field training with COC Paavola checking area waterfowl hunters and ATV operators. A presentation on law and ethics was conducted for the Holt youth firearms safety class, and a call of a car-struck black bear in Thief River Falls was handled. Enforcement action for the week included no helmet on a juvenile ATV passenger, no lights on an ATV, and angling without valid license.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working duck-, goose-, deer-, and grouse-hunting activity this past week. Time was spent checking anglers, monitoring watercraft AIS compliance and attending training at Camp Ripley. Regas also reports patrolling area recreational vehicle trails. Violations encountered and addressed included no waterfowl stamp, no recreational vehicle registration, and watercraft-lighting violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports steady small-game hunting activity. Fishing has been slow on Upper Red Lake despite some persistent anglers? attempts. Enforcement action was taken for small-game license violations.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2022-10-03
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking waterfowl hunters throughout the week. Time was also spent checking prairie chicken, grouse, bear, sandhill crane, and archery deer hunters. Anglers were also contacted on area lakes and rivers. Various TIP calls were received.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) continued field training. Waterfowl hunters have continued to have some success in bringing in a variety of ducks as the season continues. A reminder to waterfowl hunters to make sure they properly identify what they are shooting prior to taking the shot. Time was also spent patrolling area ATV trails and checking anglers on the Cass Lake chain of lakes. In-service training was attended at Camp Ripley.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports beginning field training with COC Felicia Znajda. Area wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas were patrolled for archery deer, waterfowl and small-game hunters. A TIP call of possible trespassing resulted in the contact of two waterfowl hunters with enforcement action being taken for unplugged shotguns and ATV-registration violations. Calls were taken from people with questions about permits for shooting from a standing vehicle. Enforcement action was taken for ATV safety, helmet violations, failure to display ATV registration, transporting loaded firearms and unplugged shotgun.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking waterfowl and small-game hunters. Swedberg also attended Division training and completed follow up on several ongoing big-game cases.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working prairie chicken, waterfowl, and small-game hunting and ATV enforcement. Time was also spent responding to miscellaneous wildlife-related calls.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on small-game and waterfowl-hunting activity. Area WMAs and WPAs were patrolled. Areas were worked for shining activity. Angling activity was worked, with a few anglers trying their luck. Warren attended Division training.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2022-10-03
CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) continued to check waterfowl hunters and anglers throughout the past week. A few diver ducks have been found, but teal are still the most commonly bagged bird. Goose activity remains limited. Additional time was spent working ongoing investigations from the opening weekend of duck hunting and training at Camp Ripley.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) attended mandatory training and received calls on possible waterfowl-hunting trespass and upcoming hunting seasons. Plautz is investigating a big-game-hunting violation complaint. She also monitored fishing activity through the week.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking waterfowl hunters and anglers throughout the week. Teal still seem to be the most commonly harvested duck, according to hunters. Brown also received a few trespass complaints. Be sure to do your homework on where you can and can?t hunt. Miscellaneous wildlife-related questions were received and fielded.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) continued monitoring waterfowl hunters throughout the area this week. Not as many birds were harvested compared with opening weekend. Muskie anglers were checked in some wet and windy conditions, with success very limited. Enforcement action was taken for no angling license and PFD violations. Division qualifications and training were also completed.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) assisted with training at Camp Ripley, finished her background investigation, and took calls from people with questions regarding the upcoming deer season. Nuisance-animal-related calls were also answered and taken care of.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports helping Training staff with training and different tasks around Camp Ripley. Hunting and fishing-related questions were also answered.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, waterfowl hunters and deer hunters. Additional time was spent investigating deer-baiting complaints and answering questions about hunting regulations.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2022-10-03
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) finalized his background investigation and participated in annual training at Camp Ripley. Additionally, Cross worked angling, waterfowl hunting, small-game hunting, and big-game hunting. Enforcement action was taken for numerous waterfowl, small-game, and boating violations.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) continued training a new conservation officer from the recent Academy. The officers worked Leech Lake and attended Division training. Enforcement action was taken for numerous fishing and boating violations.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked small-game hunters and anglers. She also responded calls about an injured eagle and an injured bear.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports checking anglers and hunters for seasonal activity. He also completed online training and attended fall training at Camp Ripley.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers, duck hunters, and ATV riders. Mathy also investigated a deer-hunting TIP and a report of littered animal carcasses. Enforcement action was taken for angling and ATV violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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