District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2022-10-17
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked duck hunters on the Thief Lake and Roseau River wildlife management areas. Hunting success varied, and a hunter was found to be in possession of lead shot. Area ATV riders and grouse hunters were also checked. Grouse-hunting success is not great.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) checked anglers on the Rainy River and Lake of the Woods. An individual was cited for netting whitefish during a closed season. Sura also checked small-game, waterfowl, and archery hunters. Enforcement action was taken for hunting waterfowl with an unplugged shotgun, hunting waterfowl without a federal duck stamp, transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and discharging a firearm within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) spoke at the Whitetail Fever conference on CWD issues and new regulations and responded to calls about injured deer and eagles. He also monitored waterfowl-hunting activity, seeing good success with multiple hunters having a limit of a mixed bag of ducks. Enforcement action for the week included no small-game license, no federal waterfowl stamp, unplugged shotguns, and no PFDs in a waterfowl boat.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working archery big-game, small-game, waterfowl-hunting activity and angling activity this past week. Time was spent patrolling area recreational vehicle trails and fielding calls from people with questions about deer hunting. Violations encountered and addressed this past week included angling with extra lines and license violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports steady grouse-hunting activity in the area. Enforcement action was taken for transporting loaded firearms, allowing illegal hunting practices by juveniles, and for juveniles on an ATV with no helmets.
Warroad #1 vacant.
Warroad #2 vacant.
Baudette #1 vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2022-10-17
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking anglers this week. Time was also spent checking turkey, grouse, and deer hunters. Various hunting related complaints remain under investigation.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) monitored angling activity on area lakes and patrolled ATV trails. Time was spent checking waterfowl hunters and completing deer farm inspections.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports completing step one of the field training process with COC Znajda. Several reports of car-killed or injured eagles were received. With a large influx of eagles into the area, drivers should be aware that eagles often feed on road-killed animals from raccoons to deer and can fly into the driving lanes of oncoming traffic. A few anglers braved the windy and cooler weather but found little success. Vinton presented the law enforcement portion of a local firearms safety class.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) began training with COC Jesse Drown this week. They spent the weekend checking duck hunters and pheasant hunters. Duck hunters were able to find plenty of ducks, but pheasant hunters had a hard time finding birds, with a lot of the area corn fields still standing. Enforcement action for the week included trespassing, not having PFDs in a waterfowl boat, and some licensing issues.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) checked small-game hunters and worked ATV enforcement and ongoing cases. He also spoke to a group of outdoor enthusiasts about CO duties, hunting laws and ethics.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working sport fishing, migratory waterfowl, archery deer-hunting and ATV enforcement. A busy pheasant opener was worked over the weekend. Time was also spent conducting deer farm inspections.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) monitored angling activity with few anglers out and about. WMAs and WPAS were worked for small-game, waterfowl, archery and pheasant-hunting activity. Patrol was conducted for ATV and off-road vehicle activity.
Bagley vacant.
Bemidji #2 vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2022-10-17
CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) reports checking duck, deer and squirrel hunters during the week. Numerous calls about sightings of uncommon wildlife were fielded, along with questions about the upcoming deer seasons. Additional time was spent completing online training.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) and COC Ryan Christenson spoke at a local school career class about the duties of a conservation officer. They also taught an ATV safety class. They responded to multiple wildlife-related complaints, including an injured swan and deer. Not many pheasant hunters were observed but hunters preparing for the upcoming deer season were out.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports seeing a lot of hunters out for the pheasant opener, but not many birds were harvested over the weekend. Several violations relating to small-game hunting were addressed and enforcement action was taken. Brown also observed a few anglers out trying to get walleyes to bite, with little success. Questions regarding the upcoming rifle deer season were received and fielded.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked small-game and waterfowl hunters. Several questions about Lake Christina?s motorized/non-motorized areas were handled. Deer-hunting license questions were answered. Fishing has slowed down in the area with high winds and cooler weather this week.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) spent time checking area wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas for waterfowl and pheasant hunters. A few birds were observed but high winds throughout the week kept activity rather low. One hunter was contacted while finishing hunting. He was excited about some birds he had harvested. After further inspection, however, the birds harvested were actually protected non-game birds mistaken for another species. Also, the hunter had a loaded firearm he?d been transporting unknowingly in his vehicle for several months. Enforcement action was taken for both violations.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) spent the week working on small-game enforcement and annual trainings. Angling enforcement was also worked.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports helping the Division with various tasks. Trapping and hunting related questions were also answered.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, waterfowl hunters, and pheasant hunters. Waterfowl numbers around the area continue to be low. Baumbarger observed a few pheasants in the bag during opening weekend, but there is still a lot of standing corn around the area. Additional time was spent answering questions about the upcoming antlerless season. He also handled injured-animal complaints.
Osakis vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2022-10-17
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports checking small-game, waterfowl and deer hunters. He also patrolled local lakes for angling activity. He investigated a deer-dumping complaint, walk-in access violations, assisted other agencies and provided advice in regards to trespassing. Training was attended and equipment maintenance was also completed.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) spent time completing required training, assisting with firearms safety training classes and handling miscellaneous animal-related complaints. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations, transportation of loaded firearms and failure to register deer.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked small-game and waterfowl hunters. She also took calls regarding an injured hawk and nuisance beavers.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) continues field training with a conservation officer from the past Academy. They worked waterfowl hunters and anglers throughout the week in Cass County. Numerous violations were addressed.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers and hunters. Grouse hunters were seen doing well while angler success slowed down after the cooler weather arrived. Mathy also attended training, issued a wildlife-possession permit, and received a nuisance-beaver complaint.
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked angling, small-game, waterfowl, and big-game enforcement. Many questions were fielded about the upcoming deer season and current seasons. As a reminder, all feeding and attractants for deer are banned in Hubbard County. (Page 82 of the hunting regulations book.) A large number of filleted walleye carcasses were also found on Grace Lake. If you have any information, please contact the TIP line. Enforcement action was taken for failure to stop at a stop sign, no proof of insurance, and driving after suspension.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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