District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2022-11-01
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers and duck hunters on Lake of the Woods. Preparations are underway for the deer season. Violations for the week included angling with an extra line, leaving a blind in a wildlife management area overnight, shooting an overlimit of hen mallards, and trespass.
CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) checked waterfowl and small-game hunters in the area. Anglers fishing the Rainy River are having success targeting both walleyes and sturgeon. Several miscellaneous complaints were followed up on and investigated.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) conducting a ride-along with a student interested in a career in natural resources law enforcement, conducted follow up on open big-game investigations, removed permanent stands from WMAs, and answered numerous calls from people with questions about the upcoming firearms deer season.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports checking anglers and archery deer, waterfowl, and small-game hunters this past week. Time was spent working ongoing cases, patrolling area recreational vehicle trails and investigating TIP information with CO Vollbrecht. Violations encountered this past week included unregistered off-highway motorcycle, operating off-highway motorcycles in the road right-of-way and taking deer out of season.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports steady grouse-hunting activity. The numbers of grouse are still high but the birds are wary of hunters this late in the season. Time was spent working small- and big-game hunters.
Warroad #1 vacant.
Warroad #2 vacant.
Baudette #1 vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2022-11-01
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports attending a firearms safety class field day in the Mentor area. Time was also spent checking small-game, duck, and deer hunters. Various wildlife- and public land-related complaints were received.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) checked grouse and waterfowl hunters. Time was spent on area lakes and patrolling ATV trails. He followed up on a complaint of a deer being shot from a roadway and shining activity.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) continued working with COC Drown this week. They checked several groups of duck hunters, small-game hunters, and anglers through the week. Swedberg and Drown wrapped up an investigation involving unregistered bear baits and other issues. They also checked two anglers who did not have licenses, were in possession of marijuana, and one also had active warrants. Swedberg and Drown issued both citations and made an arrest for the warrant.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) received calls about elk sightings and complaints of litter, dogs chasing deer and trespass. Peterson also worked big-game and small-game hunters. Grouse numbers were reported as good.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working small-game-, migratory waterfowl- and deer-hunting enforcement. He completed deer farm inspections. Time was also spent removing illegal deer stands and equipment from state wildlife management areas.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week checking duck hunters, pheasant hunters, and anglers, and preparing for the upcoming firearms deer season. Duck hunters are anticipating the next push for birds from up north and pheasant-hunting success has been poor. Anglers are enjoying the nice weather and finding plenty of walleyes and panfish that are eagerly biting. Calls from the public included reports of car-killed deer and general questions regarding hunting regulations.
Bagley vacant.
Bemidji #2 vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2022-11-01
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports helping the district and training staff with various projects. Deer-hunting related questions were fielded and a local snowmobile safety class was attended.
CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) continued focus on angling, pheasant and waterfowl enforcement. Ducks and geese remain limited in the area as focus shifts to prime pheasant and deer hunting. Fair weather and a decent bite brought out a good number of anglers over the weekend. Many said it was their last boat weekend of the year. Additional time was spent investigating wetland and public waters violations. Questions regarding the upcoming firearms season were fielded.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking anglers and small-game hunters during the week. Time was also spent with follow up on deer and trapping cases. Pheasant activity has picked up, according to local hunters.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) completed an investigation into a bowhunter reported to be using bait near his tree stand to attract deer. A large number of overgrown carrots were found placed in the hunter?s shooting lane. Despite his intentions to feed the squirrels, a citation was issued and a crossbow was seized. A muskie angler was giving himself an advantage to catch a monster by using two lines one live bait and the other artificial. Lawler spotted the violation and ruined the plan by issuing a citation.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) spent the week focused on waterfowl- and small-game-hunting activity. Several hunters contacted continue to be disappointed by the bird numbers observed this year and success rates have been very low. Minnow permits were issued and enforcement contacts were made.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, pheasant, and waterfowl hunters. Additional time was spent checking deer hunters, investigating deer-baiting complaints, and trespass complaints. Waterfowl numbers around the area continue to be low, but fall fishing is picking up some.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, ATV riders and bowhunters. Deer license and zone questions have increased ahead of the deer season. Waterfowl numbers have significantly decreased in the area with many duck hunters looking at stowing their decoys for the year.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) and COC Ryan Christenson spent time following up on deer-hunting complaints. WMAs and WPAs were patrolled for violations. Time was also spent checking small-game hunters, anglers, and complaints of dogs at large.
Osakis vacant.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2022-11-01
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) encourages hunters to take the time to read the big-game regulations in preparation for the regular firearms deer season. He reports checking small-game, waterfowl and bowhunters this past week. Calls from the public consisted of possession-permit requests, injured-animal calls and big-game-related questions and concerns.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) spent time preparing for the upcoming regular firearms season. Time was also spent on the water over the weekend as people took advantage of the nice weather. Most public access docks have been removed in the area and water levels are low on some lakes, making access tricky in spots.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) worked waterfowl hunters and anglers throughout the past week. The fishing bite remains slow, and the warm weather has resulted in poor waterfowl-hunting opportunities in the area. Enforcement action was taken for numerous waterfowl-hunting violations.
ATV rec officer vacant.
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