District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2023-06-13
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on the Roseau River and Lake of the Woods. A large walleye/sauger overlimit case was worked with CO Fontes on Lake of the Woods, and citations are pending for both the overlimit and obstructing a conservation officer. Other violations include possessing illegal length walleye and angle with an extra line.
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area anglers and following up with various complaints. Violations encountered were possessing fish illegally taken in Canada, dangerous wake, transporting fillets without skin patch, and no license in possession.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) had a busy week working fishing, aquatic invasive species, and ATV laws and regulations. Enforcement action was taken against individuals for using an extra line, transporting a boat with the drain plug in, transporting fish without a skin patch present, and an overlimit of walleyes on Lake of the Woods, among other violations. Most notably, Fontes, along with CO Huener, cited a party of five individuals from out of state who were in possession of 60 total walleyes and saugers. Two individuals from that party were also cited for obstructing the investigation. Fontes also assisted local agencies with a medical emergency and handled a wolf-depredation call.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) worked the weekend in the Lake of the Woods area with CO Fontes. Enforcement action for the week included no helmet on a juvenile ATV operator, no ATV registration, allowing illegal operation of an ATV by a juvenile, adult without ATV safety training, driving after revocation, overlimit of walleyes, and transporting watercraft with the plug in and with aquatic plants.
CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports working primarily angling and boating activity on area lakes. Regas noted anglers? success has improved during the evening bite on many lakes with leeches and spinner rigs. Regas also assisted with the Bemidji-area Take-A-Kid fishing guides meeting and event activities at Bemidji State Park focusing on watercraft safety and angling ethics. Violations encountered and addressed this past week included watercraft, registration, and angling license violations.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports slower angling success on Upper Red Lake. Time was spent working angling and ATV activity. Enforcement action was taken for numerous ATV violations and no angling license in possession.
Baudette East vacant.
Baudette West vacant.
Thief River Falls East vacant.
Karlstad vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2023-06-13
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports working an AIS detail in the Baudette area with other officers. Time was also spent instructing at the CO Academy. Anglers and watercraft operators were also checked.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) monitored boating and angling activity on area lakes. Several nuisance-animal calls were taken. Time was spent working details on Upper Red Lake and Mille Lacs Lake.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking anglers, commercial leech-trapping activity, and recreational vehicle activity. Swedberg also worked on a complaint involving a landowner altering their shoreline and cutting cattails. Swedberg wants to remind lake home owners that most work along the shoreline is going to involve a permit from either the county or the state and to do their research before starting the work.
CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) spent the week working sport fishing, boating enforcement and safety, and ATV enforcement. Time was also spent conducting white-tailed deer farm inspections and assisting other district officers with an AIS check station. A law and ethics presentation was given to students at an ATV safety class in Moorhead.
CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) spent time at Camp Ripley assisting CO Academy staff. An aquatic invasive species detail was worked near Baudette.
CO Brett Fox (Bemidji #2) spent the week patrolling for ATV and angling activity. Fox assisted the city of Bagley and Clearwater County with complaints of a bear in town. Violations this week included ATV registration, no fishing license in possession, and transportation of aquatic macrophytes.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) followed up on a possible wetland filling complaint, worked ATV enforcement and assisted at the CO Academy.
Bagley vacant.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2023-06-13
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) taught an ATV safety class in the area, certifying several youth. Fishing, boating, AIS and ATV enforcement were focused on throughout the week, with good fishing reports being observed. Plautz followed up on a TIP call and took several bear-related and injured-animal calls.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) spent most of his enforcement effort on boating and fishing activity. Nuisance-animal calls were received and fielded. Brown also received information about a possible overlimit of walleyes; enforcement action was taken. Enforcement action this week included taking fish without an angling license, failure to renew watercraft registration, and illegal-length northern pike.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) reports seeing heavy angling activity, with decent reports to go with it. She assisted the Alexandria Police Department with locating a missing juvenile who was found safe in a short amount of time. Znajda was involved in other public relations throughout the week, including speaking with a large group of realtors about aquatic plant management and teaching an ATV safety class with a neighboring CO. She also presented the TIP411 trailer at the Fergus Falls Summer Fest and attended the Arrowwood Resort kids angling tournament.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) focused this week?s enforcement efforts on angling and recreational vehicle activity. Time was also spent on training, and she stopped by the kids fishing contest on at Arrowwood Resort in Alexandria.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports catching up on trainings throughout the week. Questions were answered regarding taxidermy and fur-buyer licenses.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2023-06-13
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked angling, watercraft patrol, and off-highway vehicle patrol. Fishing success was slow throughout the week. Enforcement action was taken for off-highway vehicle, angling, and watercraft violations.
CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) spent time on fishing and ATV enforcement. Educational presentations were given to a local drivers? education class and fishing club. Several calls regarding injured or nuisance animals were received.
CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) patrolled area lakes for fishing and boating activity. McGowan also worked details on Upper Red Lake and Mille Lacs Lake. Enforcement action was taken for numerous violations.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) primarily checked anglers and recreational vehicle riders. Mathy also assisted another agency with the search for a missing person and worked on a public-water-alteration case. A call was received about a deer acting strange. Enforcement action was taken for boating and angling violations.
CO Corey Sura (Remer) worked ATV and angling activity. Enforcement action was taken for operating an ATV with expired registration. Nuisance-beaver permits were issued to the county to prevent road and trail erosion.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) assisted with two ATV safety classes. She also checked ATV activity and followed up on ongoing cases.
CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports seeing an increase in seasonal activity. He reports conducting zebra mussel sniffs with K9 Jet. Other calls included miscellaneous wildlife-related and recreational vehicle-related calls. He also conducted seasonal equipment maintenance.
ATV rec officer vacant.
