District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2024-01-02
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) and CO Fontes assisted Lake of the Woods County with the recovery of a drowning victim at the Northwest Angle. Anglers were checked later in the week on the south shore of Lake of the Woods. The bite has slowed, and ice conditions are changing. Violations for the week included angling with an extra line and angling without a license.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week following up on various complaints, monitoring angling activity, and providing assistance at Upper Red Lake and Lake of the Woods.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week working angling activity on Lake of the Woods. Fontes and CO Huener assisted with the recovery of a drowning victim at the Northwest Angle.
CO Jamus Veit (Baudette East) spent time checking anglers on Upper Red Lake and Lake of the Woods. Veit assisted the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office and Kelliher Fire Department with an ice rescue on Upper Red Lake. Motor vehicle travel currently is restricted on Upper Red Lake. Enforcement action was taken for an extra-line violation.
CO Sarah Jahn (Thief River Falls East) spent time working ice fishing enforcement, assisting other agencies and handling wildlife-related complaints. Enforcement action was taken for no license in possession. Anglers are reminded they need to have their license with them when fishing.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) spent time working angling, small-game hunting, trapping and a litter complaint. Time was also spent working Lake of the Woods, where anglers saw limited success. Enforcement action was taken for extra lines, illegal-length fish and angling without a license.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports ice conditions on Upper Red Lake have not improved and recommends that anglers do not venture out. Prachar received a call from a local trapper who had an incidentally caught pine marten in his bobcat set. He reported the marten was still alive but not moving. The trapper then performed rescue CPR on the marten and successfully revived the animal. Prachar arrived later, saw video footage of the rescue, and was present when the animal returned to the wild. Prachar commended the trapper for going to that extreme length to release the animal back into the wild.
Baudette West vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2024-01-02
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking anglers and ATV operators this past week. Small-game hunting and archery deer-hunting enforcement were worked. Aeration inspections were completed. A snowmobile safety class was attended in Red Lake Falls.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) checked anglers on area lakes. Ice conditions are slow to improve with the recent weather conditions and some lakes have opened back up after the Christmas weekend rain. He responded to an ice emergency on Upper Red Lake, with a Division airboat, and transported numerous people over an open-water area to shore. Special thanks to Region 1 DNR shop staff for coming in on the holiday weekend to work on equipment repairs in preparation for another incident. Traps were checked and deer farm inspections were completed.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) spent the New Year?s weekend monitoring ice conditions, as many anglers are still waiting for lakes to harden. A few people dodged open-water pockets and thin shore ice in an attempt to find some panfish. The only success reported was them staying dry. Goodman echoes the concerns of inconsistent ice reports not just from lake to lake but contained on each individual lake. The mild weather also brought out archery deer and grouse hunters taking advantage of the last days of the season.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking anglers and following up on trapping cases. Ice in the area has recovered well from the warm weather and most area lakes have walkable ice on them. Swedberg also assisted the county with several calls for service throughout the week and time was spent assisting with follow up on fish houses that had fallen through the ice. Enforcement action for the week included trapping violations, leaving portable fish houses unattended and litter.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on angling activity, with few anglers out due to ice conditions. Ice conditions continue to vary and people are reminded to use caution and check ice thickness often. ATV checks were performed. Wildlife management areas and waterfowl production areas were patrolled for activity. Trapping activity was worked.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent time working on a background investigation for the 2024 CO Academy.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) instructed snowmobile safety to a youth class this week. The week also focused on angling checks and reports on various lakes in the region have shown ice thickness still ranging from 6 to 10 inches. Litter complaints at public accesses were followed up on and a dumped deer carcass was also found. Angling enforcement action was taken for fishing with no angling licenses and no licenses in possession. ATV-registration display was also addressed.
CO Brett Fox (Bemidji #2) spent the week patrolling for ice fishing and small-game-hunting activity. Poor ice conditions on area lakes have led to a lack of anglers in many places. Violations this week included transporting a loaded firearm and operating a motor vehicle on a snowmobile trail.
Moorhead vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2024-01-02
CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) spent the week working on small-game enforcement and her background investigation. TIP complaints were worked and follow up from the deer season continues.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) spent time monitoring ice conditions and ice anglers. Warmer weather did not favor current ice conditions. Several reports of fish houses falling through the ice were taken. Pheasant hunters, ATV riders, and trappers were monitored. She also spent time on a background investigation.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) checked pheasant hunters and ATV activity in the area. Ongoing cases were also investigated.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked pheasant hunters and ice and boat anglers. ATV traffic on area lakes has stopped due to terrible ice conditions. Assistance was given to a local law enforcement agency with a stolen ATV investigation.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) continues to warn ice anglers about the very unpredictable ice in the Alexandria area. Thicknesses can vary over short distances and lots of open water still exists. One ice angler felt brave enough to bring his ATV out on the ice. However, he?d failed to transfer ownership to himself after purchase and the registration was two years expired. A citation was issued. Pheasant hunters were monitored over the final days of the season.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) responded to and assisted the county with fishing shelters partially going through the ice. Luckily, all shelters were unoccupied. She received multiple reports of ice deteriorating in areas after the rainfall. Few anglers were out with current conditions, but she did see pheasant hunters as the season ended.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working on background investigations for the Division and answering questions from the public.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking pheasant hunters, trappers, and anglers. Ice thickness around the area still varies greatly, with most lakes having open water. The most ice reported is 4 to 5 inches. Foot ravel has been the only option on just a few lakes, with extreme caution urged to anglers as ice conditions are more like late spring than late December or early January.
Wheaton vacant.
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