District 1 – Baudette area
CO Eric Benjamin (Warroad) worked ATVing, snowmobiling, and angling enforcement. Enforcement action was taken for possession of a small amount of marijuana, operating an ATV on a grant-in-aid snowmobile trail, illegal possession of fillets/immeasurable fish on a special-management water, and failure to maintain carcasses.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls) responded to a call about a young mule deer buck that had most likely wandered over from North Dakota. It had been hanging around for a few days, causing safety issues on a highway. Area wildlife managers determined that the animal was most likely suffering from an illness. The decision was made to dispatch the deer for safety reasons and so it could be tested.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck) reports that ice-fishing success on Upper Red Lake has remained slow through the cold snap. Enforcement action was taken for angling with extra lines, no fishing license in possession, and possession of controlled substances and paraphernalia. Prachar worked with CO Landmark for Hockey Day Minnesota on Lake Bemidji. Prachar and Landmark also responded to an ice rescue with the sheriff’s office. All individuals involved made it to safety.
District 2 – Bemidji area
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports speaking at the Red Lake Falls annual sports banquet. Time also was spent assisting a neighboring officer with case follow-up involving an elk taken in another state.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) worked area trails and lakes for snowmobile activity. Information was provided to White Earth tribal wardens. Information was received about a possible trespass violation, which was forwarded to the local conservation officer.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports checking area ice anglers and fishing shelters. Area snowmobile trails are in desperate need of additional snow. Vinton also attended a local sports show and answered a variety of questions and continued work on a potential new CO hire’s background.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week patrolling area lakes, checking ice-fishing activity, and monitoring snowmobile trails, and conducting aerator inspections.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) reports overall activity slowed down during the past week. Time was spent following up on a potential commercial bait dealer violation and deer-hunting violations. Shelter violations continue to be observed, with some people forgetting to have identification on them.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) taught the laws and ethics portion of a snowmobile safety class. Plautz also checked ice anglers in the frigid temperatures during the weekend. In one instance, a fish house was found to be vacant, along with eight frozen northern pike outside the fish house. Enforcement action was taken. Plautz is investigating a fish house found on a lake with no identification and no shelter tag for the second year in a row. An investigation continues in finding the rightful owner.
CO Andrew Goodman (Elbow Lake) spoke with many victims of the recent rash of fish house vandalism and break-ins. Anyone with information about these incidents is urged to report it to the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office or TIP line.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, snowmobilers, ATVers, and fish houses. Several fish houses were checked that did not have identification on them as required. Owners were contacted, and enforcement action was taken. Littering complaints were received and are being investigated on area lakes.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports enforcement efforts for the week were concentrated on checking anglers, snowmobilers, and predator hunters.
District 4 – Walker area
CO Jacqueline Hughes (Longville) reports continued patrolling for angling activity. She investigated a trespassing complaint, and suggests you always double-check who owns the property before going onto it. Hughes also received a call about an injured/ill gray fox in town that was walking up to business doors.
CO Randy Posner (Staples) reports that he worked on fishing enforcement this past week. Violations observed were no license and unattended lines. Ice pressure ridges continue to grow on area lakes. Complaints about unlicensed and no identification on fish houses were reported.
District 5 – Eveleth area
CO Shane Zavodnik (International Falls) responded to a call to assist the local police department with an incident involving a snowmobile striking a pickup truck and then the snowmobile operator fleeing the scene. While doing a regulatory check of a few fish houses, it was apparent that marijuana had been smoked. When confronted about it, each party was honest, quickly handing over the drug paraphernalia and raw marijuana that they had.
CO Duke Broughten (Cook) spent the week monitoring angling and snowmobiling activity. The recent cold weather improved ice conditions. Broughten also assisted with a snowmobile crash with injuries.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) worked primarily trout anglers and snowmobilers. Frigid temperatures toward the end of the week kept outdoor enthusiasts to a minimum. A coyote running loose with a snare around its neck and a fox that showed no fear of humans were handled.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) checked anglers on Virginia-area lakes. One angler was cited for angling without a license. While following up on a trapping violation, Frericks executed a search warrant on a trail camera that was found monitoring the area where the traps were found. Due to the information gathered and interviews conducted, several citations were issued.
District 6 – Two Harbors area
CO Sean Williams (Ely) reports extremely cold weather deterred some snowmobiling activity for the annual Ely-Babbitt-Tower snowmobile fun run. Large groups of sledders were still seen and reports were that the temperature dips near negative 40 in the area helped with the slush that had become severe on some lakes.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports lots of snowmobilers but few anglers out in the frigid cold.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled area snowmobile trails and checked sledders. She also checked anglers and ice-fishing shelters as well as ski passes. Questions about coyote-hunting tournaments outside Cook County and use of tracked ATVs on designated snowmobile trails were addressed.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) primarily worked on a background investigation during the week. Time also was spent patrolling snowmobile trails and station lakes. Clubs have been doing a good job grooming the trails but new snow would certainly aid a thinning base. Spotty moose sign and a large amount of wolf sign was observed.
CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) spent time with a public lands squatting issue.
District 7 – Grand Rapids area
CO Randy Patten (Northome) patrolled area snowmobile trails and checked anglers. He also processed incidentally caught furbearers and performed equipment maintenance.
CO Sarah Grell (Grand Rapids) worked people out spearing and angling through the ice. She also spent time with snowmobile trail enforcement and completed a couple of investigations from the deer season.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked angling and spearing activity with the January slump in full swing. Enforcement action was taken for possessing a found deer without a permit and for operating an unregistered snowmobile.
CO Taylor Hochstein (Hill City) continues to monitor ice fishing and snowmobiling activity in the area, both of which have slowed dramatically due to the cold weather.
District 8 – Duluth area
CO Jacob Willis (Brookston) responded to a call about animal carcasses being dumped next to Highway 23. Multiple small-game animals and various protected birds were among the animals dumped just outside the Fond du Lac neighborhood of Duluth. If anyone has any information about where these animals came from or who dumped them, CO Willis would appreciate a call or email.
CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) worked winter fishing on area lakes. Many snowmobilers were out during the week, enjoying the excellent trails in the Duluth area. Duncan followed up on TIP calls and participated in a snowmobile safety class.
CO Jeff Humphrey (Cromwell) patrolled local snowmobile trails and area lakes during the week. Calls/complaints about snowmobile trespass and speeding were received and investigated. Humphrey also followed up on a complaint that resulted in big-game violations for failing to register deer, validate licenses, and unlawful transport.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) spent extra time patrolling area state parks after receiving information that people are walking dogs on ski trails and not having dogs on leashes. A litter violation was worked where the old shell of a snowmobile was dumped along a railroad grade. The registration is still on the snowmobile and the registered owner does not return phone calls. Other means of contacting this person are in the works.
Lake Superior Marine Unit
CO Matt Miller (Lake Superior Marine Unit) checked snowmobilers and ice anglers on a frigid week along the North Shore. Bad slush conditions continue on inland lakes, and harbors on Lake Superior are just starting to freeze up.
District 9 – Brainerd area
CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) worked angling, spearing, and snowmobiling activity. Laws were discussed at a snowmobile safety class, and a complaint regarding an individual shooting and wasting squirrels at a bird feeder was addressed.
CO Eric Sullivan (Pequot Lakes) worked toward completing a background investigation. He also checked anglers, including one shelter where the occupants had several unattended lines down. Sullivan observed the line was all spun out on one rattle reel and the rattle reel was bouncing up and down as a fish pulled on the end. Sullivan located the responsible party in a nearby fish house and the subject came back and pulled in approximately a 24-inch walleye. The angler was cited and the walleye was set free.
CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) worked on a background investigation for the Division of Enforcement. He also fielded calls about injured wildlife. A complaint about deer carcasses and solid waste being dumped on a snowmobile trail was taken.
CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) focused on the first week of winter trout-fishing activity on area mine pit lakes and checked other area anglers and ski trails. A flight was done over area state forest lands, looking for illegal stands in response to a complaint. Some illegal stands were located from the aircraft, which will be tagged and removed.
CO Scott Fitzgerald (CCSRA) reports checking trout anglers throughout the week and weekend. He also patrolled the SRA for park violations and answered many outdoor law-related questions.
District 10 – Mille Lacs area
CO Gregory Verkuilen (Garrison) worked angling activity, where the cold snap appears to have slowed down catch rates. Issues addressed included creative and careless techniques for measuring fish, along with relying on other state’s regulations for setting out lines. Verkuilen also checked some rabbit hunters and monitored snowmobile traffic.
CO Dustie Speldrich (Willow River) patrolled area lakes, including Lake Mille Lacs, during the holiday weekend. Enforcement action was taken for no angling license in possession, no shelter licenses displayed, and improper identification of a shelter. Speldrich also investigated a nuisance-wolf call.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) saw increased angling activity as ice thicknesses finally allowed people to drive on most area lakes. Extra time was spent patrolling a local lake with high numbers of trout anglers and a history of anglers leaving a lot of garbage behind. Thanks to the efforts of lake association members and certain anglers, huge improvements in the historical littering problems were seen. Grundmeier checked quite a few people who had cleaned up litter left by others which, without a doubt, had caused others to think twice before leaving a mess behind. Citations and warnings issued to those not getting the point also seemed to be making a difference.
District 11 – St. Cloud area
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) and a local taxidermist (who donated his time and supplies to mount a snowy owl) gave a presentation on owls and taxidermy at the Lincoln Elementary School in Little Falls. Kuske came upon a person who had just hit a deer with his vehicle and ended up in the ditch with an undrivable vehicle. Kuske asked the driver, who was alone, for his driver’s license, and the driver readily admitted that he did not have a license but only an instructional permit. Enforcement action was taken for driving without a license, and the deer was given via permit to the parent who owned the totaled vehicle.
CO Annette Kyllo (Pierz) reports the owner of a spear house that had been left at a public access for a week was located and the house was removed.
CO Caleb Silgjord (Sauk Centre) reports a littering investigation was completed with enforcement action being taken, and assistance was provided to an angler who drove his vehicle into the Birch Lake State Forest and found a locked gate hindering his exit.
CO Frank Rezac (St. Cloud) reports checking ice anglers, ATVers, and snowmobiles on area lakes. A call about an injured bald eagle was received.
District 12 – Princeton area
CO Angela Londgren (Cambridge) followed up on a deer case, attended a lake association meeting, monitored projects with local government units, and took complaints about litter.
CO Rick Reller (Buffalo) followed up on a possible waters violation and checked anglers.
CO Trent Seamans (Big Lake) focused enforcement efforts on ice anglers. Additional time was spent issuing wildlife possession permits and patrolling for recreational vehicles.
CO Mike Krauel (Mora) investigated a suspicious vehicle complaint in a WMA that resulted in an arrest for a warrant and a gross misdemeanor charge.
District 13 – West Metro area
CO Alexander Birdsall (Waconia) reports that while checking ice anglers, he observed a truck driver pulling someone on a snowboard across a lake. The driver then decided to do “doughnuts” on the ice while pulling the friend on the snowboard. The driver was cited for careless operation and admitted that the conduct probably wasn’t the smartest thing he could be doing.
CO Tim Maass (Osseo) worked angling and ATVing activity on area lakes. Time also was spent investigating a big-game violation.
CO Vang Lee (ELCOP) worked trout anglers and ATVing activities on metro-area lakes. He also responded to a complaint about an individual operating an ATV on the Gateway State Trail in Maplewood.
CO Arnaud Kpachavi (Mound) assisted Hennepin County Water Patrol with a DWI on an area lake.
District 14 – East Metro area
CO Garrett Thomas (Eagan) spent time checking ice anglers on local lakes and has seen success for those targeting northern pike. He also conducted a site visit and follow-up interview with an individual suspected of filling in a wetland with dirt, conducted aerator inspections, and took numerous calls regarding trout rules and regulations. Time also was spent working an ongoing deer-poaching investigation.
CO Tony Salzer (Ham Lake) responded to several TIP calls that resulted in enforcement action. Salzer also answered questions about falconry seasons.
CO Luke Gutzwiller (White Bear Lake) had the opportunity to take a novice angler spear fishing during the Take a Kid Fishing weekend.
CO Joe Kulhanek (Hastings) spent a cold weekend working coyote hunters and anglers in the area. He also patrolled area WMAs for illegal off-road activities. E
District 15 – Marshall area
CO Andrew Dirks (Worthington) checked ice anglers, ATVers, and snowmobilers throughout the week. Enforcement action was taken for license, registration, and illegal-length northern pike violations. A vehicle went through the ice on an area lake during the weekend and anglers are urged to use caution when driving on the ice.
CO Craig Miska (Ortonville) checked angling, ATVing, predator hunting and snowmobiling activity during the week. Ice anglers are reminded that unless special regulations exist, motor vehicle travel is not allowed within the boundaries of WMAs and WPAs.
District 16 – New Ulm area
CO Shane Vernier (Willmar) worked area angling and snowmobiling activity. He also assisted an angler in getting off the ice and to an ambulance. The angler had a fish hook stuck in his eyelid. The CO also received multiple incidentally-caught fishers.
CO Eric Schettler (Fairmont) assisted in the recovery of a vehicle that broke through the ice on a lake. No one was injured.
District 17 – Mankato area
CO Jeremy Henke (Albert Lea) reports working angling and snowmobiling enforcement. Numerous vehicles have been reported through the ice in the area, and extreme caution should be used when on the ice.
CO Tyler Lusignan (Faribault) assisted with a call about a bald eagle that was hit by a semi-truck and was stuck in the side mirror of the semi. The eagle was safely removed from the semi and transported to an animal hospital. It is expected to recover from its injuries.
CO Chris Howe (St. Peter) reports at least three vehicles and two snowmobiles went through the ice on south-central Minnesota lakes during the weekend. Some of the individuals involved needed medical attention.
District 18 – Rochester area
CO Kevin Prodzinski (Wabasha) reports working ice fishing, predator hunters, trappers, and some snowmobiling enforcement this week. New snow brought out predator hunters in force, along with a few sleds and some coyotes were found. Finally, numerous questions were answered regarding the upcoming late CWD hunt in Deer Permit Area 346. Enforcement activity for the week involved mainly fishing and trapping violations.
CO Mitch Boyum (Rushford) reports checking coyote hunters in the area. Some shed hunters have been out and having some luck.
CO Phil George (Rochester) checked ice anglers and answered questions from the public regarding late CWD deer hunts.
CO Kylan Hill (Zumbrota) reports that multiple contacts with predator hunters were made after a fresh pile of snow fell in the area.
The post Minnesota Outdoor News Cuffs & Collars – Jan. 25, 2019 appeared first on Outdoornews.
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