12/06/09 Report (Dist. 1-5)

[Woody]

District 1 - Baudette area
12/6


CO Ben Huener (Roseau) investigated baiting complaints during the week. Trapping activity was monitored and the first snowmobilers of the year have been seen around Roseau County. CO Huener followed up on a case from firearms deer season.

CO Larry Milbridge (Warroad) spent time wrapping up waterfowl and deer cases. Trappers and muzzleloader hunters were checked in the state forest.

CO Jeff Birchem (Baudette) spent time checking fisher, bobcat and marten trappers in the area. Snowmobile trespass complaints were investigated and a youth snowmobile safety class was attended in Baudette. Lake of the Woods is just starting to make ice.

CO Angie Warren (Thief River Falls) followed up on cases from firearm deer season, took care of equipment maintenance, and finished up on other administrative items. Calls of a car injured deer and an injured owl were handled. Midweek brought snow and colder temperatures with the first sighting of a snowmobile and area waters getting a skim of new ice. People are reminded that ice is just starting to form.

CO Keith Backer (Blackduck) conducted follow up on complaints of deer taken out of season, and took a report of sick/injured eagle. Area lakes have frozen over but are not safe for any travel.

CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck) checked the first ice angler of the season on Upper Red Lake. There was approximately 5 inches of ice in that area, but ice depths vary throughout the lake. Use caution when traveling on the lake and check for ice depths as you travel. CO Vollbrecht also checked trappers and monitored ATV traffic.

CO Robert Gorecki (Baudette) monitored trapping and ice conditions throughout the week. Trappers are reporting fair harvest of furs through the last week with improved snow conditions. CO Gorecki attended a Red lake Technical meeting where continued walleye recovery strategies were covered. Ice continues to form on Red Lake with some venturing out on foot already. Anglers are reminded to always use caution when going out onto the ice, and to check ice conditions for themselves.

Karlstad - vacant.

Warroad #2 - vacant.

District 2 - Bemidji area
12/6

CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) reports some snowmobile tracks in the area. So far, no anglers or shelters are on the ice. Anyone venturing onto the ice is reminded to take precautions before going and use extreme caution. Muzzleloader deer hunters were checked, and complaints of trespass and wanton waste were investigated. A Snowy Owl that was hit and killed by a car was retrieved. The owl had a USFWS tag on it.

CO Tim Gray (Bagley) checked muzzleloader deer hunters and trappers. A trespass complaint was investigated.

CO Stacey Sharp (Bemidji) continues to investigate complaints and violations from the firearms deer season. Muzzleloader deer hunting, trapping, and ATV activity was monitored. A complaint of a wolf killing a domestic dog was investigated.

CO Phil Seefeldt (Moorhead) reports most lakes have frozen over but the ice is very thin and unsafe. Wait a few days before venturing onto the ice. Lots of standing corn continues to hamper archery and muzzleloader deer hunters. A complaint of an illegally possessed raptor was investigated. The officer participated in an ice safety interview with a local news crew, and attended the Barnsville MDHA Banquet to answer natural resource questions.

CO Joe Stattelman (Detroit Lakes) conducted interviews related to a poaching case. Muzzleloader deer hunters and trappers were checked, and a TIP call related to illegal hunting was investigated. An interview about ice safety was done with a Fargo TV news crew.

CO Al Peterson (Osage) checked muzzleloader deer hunters and trappers. The deer hunting pressure appears to be very light. Several firearms deer season complaints are still under investigation.

CO Gary Forsberg (Pelican Rapids) reports skim ice on area lakes. Goose hunters were checked, and an injured raccoon call investigated. Complaints of elevated stands left in a WMA and altering public waters were investigated. The officer spoke to the Pelican Rapids Snowmobile Safety Class about laws, safety, and riding ethics. He also attended the Barnsville MDHA Banquet, along with CO Seefeldt, to answer natural resource related questions.

District 3 - Fergus Falls area
12/6

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) monitored area fishing and whitefish netting activity. Plautz found some muzzleloader hunters out having limited success. Ice is starting to accumulate on the lakes now and fishermen are reminded to be very cautious before venturing out, as ice in the area is not safe. A cougar sighting near Henning was reported. The caller had safety concerns for the people and pets in the area.

CO Paul Nelson (Elbow Lake) checked pheasant, muzzleloader deer hunters and trappers. He’s currently following up on complaints of trespass, deer through the ice, deer, pheasant, and waterfowl parts thrown on private property. Ice fishing has started in the local area but ice is still dangerous with 2 inches the most he has observed. Some lakes still open and colder weather is needed before anglers should think about going on area lakes.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) received complaints of deer hunters hunting late and trespassing. Osborne continued investigation from the regular deer season. Osborne also worked on equipment maintenance.

CO Mike Shelden (Alexandria) reports checked muzzleloader deer hunters, late season duck hunters and pheasant hunters. Additional time was spent winterizing and storing enforcement duck boats for the season. Officer Shelden worked on a litter case at the Lake Burgen public access. The individual who dumped a bag of garbage at the access left a canceled check, a pay stub and a receipt for a new tire all with her name on the items. When asked why she would have driven from a town 25 miles away and dump garbage at the Lake Burgen access she said, “It's a place I like to go and swim in the summer so I drove down to see it in the fall and when I saw other garbage there I decided to clean out my car and leave the garbage.” Other enforcement action was taken for an unplugged shotgun.

CO Jeff Johanson (Osakis) received a TIP call regarding some illegal deer hunting activity near Clotho. An individual now faces several charges in the case and two deer were seized, including a nice 8-point buck. Other activity included checking muzzleloader and archery deer hunters, pheasant hunters, monitoring the trapping activity in the area, and working on a litter investigation. The first ice fishermen of the year were checked, but most ice is not thick enough to support fishermen quite yet.

CO Daniel Baumbarger (Wheaton) reports area lakes and rivers are now completely ice covered, but fishermen are urged to use extreme caution because the ice is still unsafe to walk on. Enforcement activity for the week included checking muzzleloader deer hunters and pheasant hunters. Enforcement action was taken for several big game tagging / taking/transporting violations.

CO Tony Anderson (Morris) reports the muzzleloader deer season activity slow. Muzzleloader hunters are still finding a lot of standing corn and few hunters to move deer. CO Anderson found pheasant hunting activity has picked up but the pheasant bag remains poor. CO Anderson found the most common violation was pheasant hunters not wearing the required amount of blaze orange during the (muzzleloader) firearms deer season. Waterfowl numbers have dropped drastically with the freeze up of most area lakes. CO Anderson fielded calls about late goose season and muzzleloader deer season questions.

CO Kurt Nelson (Glenwood) reports the week was spent checking pheasant and deer hunters. There were a few more hunters out during the week now that corn harvest has progressed. Success is still low. Very few deer hunters are out in this area. Those contacted are reporting few deer. Area lakes froze over last Friday night, but ice is still not safe for anglers.

District 4 - Wadena area
12/6

CO Paul Parthun (Lake George) checked muzzleloader and archery deer hunters. He continued to work active big game cases and took complaints of unlawful hunting in Bemidji State Park and on the Schoolcraft Game Refuge. Enforcement action was taken for hunting in a closed state park and hunting on a closed game refuge.

CO Sam Hunter (Park Rapids) checked deer hunters during the muzzleloader dear season. Hunting activity was very low. Very few hunters were out and about with even fewer success stories. Officer Hunter also received a call of swans frozen into a lake.

CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) continues to answer calls regarding deer licensing. He investigated deer shining complaints, as well as provided assistance to local law enforcement with a burglary investigation. Officer Oldakowski also addressed road-hunting issues as during the regular deer season.

CO Gary Sommers (Walker) focused on big game hunting activity. In addition, he met with the lead snowmobile safety instructor to prepare for an upcoming class.

CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) checked trappers and hunters during the past week. Ice has formed on most lakes as of the morning of 12-05-09 and precaution should be used before venturing out too far. Officer Mathy also fielded calls regarding trapping, spearing, and ice conditions.

CO Larry Francis (Remer) continued deer season follow-up, with most complaint investigations being concluded. He also met with snowmobile safety instructors regarding an upcoming class and checked area lakes for ice conditions. Most small lakes are now ice covered, but nobody is venturing out yet.

CO Duke Broughten (Longville) continued to monitor trapping and muzzleloader deer hunting activity, where success was limited. With the recent cold weather Longville area lakes have started to freeze over, however ice is not safe for travel. CO Broughten also checked areas for illegal deer stands and performed equipment maintenance.

CO Jeff Halverson (Staples) worked muzzleloader season complaints and followed up on deer tag/registration violations. Some ice fishermen ventured out on the backwaters of the Crow Wing River, but extreme caution should be exercised, as most areas of ice are still very thin.

CO Colleen Adam (OHV Recreation Officer Park Rapids) worked muzzleloader deer season and trapping activity during the last week. Violations of hunting over bait still continue to be an issue. Officer Adam also attended the Trail Ambassador After Action meeting in Merrifield and provided enforcement insight to discussions regarding ATV recreational opportunities.

District 5 - Eveleth area
12/6

CO Lloyd Steen (Ray/Kabetogama) patrolled roads in the muzzleloader hunting season and checked marten and fisher trapping activity. He answered complaints on neighbors feeding deer that were making trails over septic systems that may freeze down and closed DNR trails being ignored by muzzleloader hunters. He picked up a severely injured car hit eagle that had to be put down and assisted Voyageurs National Park with an investigation that revealed deer hunting violations from the regular firearms season.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports office time was spent preparing electronic files for upcoming migration to new computer program. CO Fondie spent time on various other administrative related items and work on equipment. Angling activities were not observed, no anglers detected. Archery deer hunters were not seen. Snow brought out the first snowmobiles.

CO Brad Schultz (Cook) reports not many trappers going after the fisher and the pine marten. The ice fishermen are waiting for more ice. Only about 1 to 3 inches is reported on most of the smaller bays of Lake Vermilion. The main lake has yet to freeze over solid. Please keep a close watch over pets and children when they are anywhere near this thin ice. Every year people die from falling through thin ice. Very few muzzleloader or archery deer hunters were observed. A complaint was responded to in another officer's area of people camping at a public access and operating ATVs during closed hours and operating on closed trails.

CO Dan Starr (Tower) worked on muzzle loading specials hunts, which harvest was found to be spotty. Trapping activity was worked, with fisher and marten numbers down. Ice is starting to form, but caution should be used. An illegal fire was worked and follow-up was attempted on a separate illegal fire. A reminder to snowmobilers, get your safety training certificate if you were born after December 31, 1976. Also, snowmobiles with loud pipes make local property owners angry; enforcement efforts will be stepped up this winter to protect trail easements.

CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) worked trapping, small game hunters and muzzleloader deer hunters. The cold weather was taking its toll on hunters sitting in tree stands and most came out early. The first ice anglers were observed venturing out on questionable ice. A Montana Game Warden provided information on a MN hunter doing illegal deer hunting activity that has crossed three states. Dumped deer carcasses continue to be discovered, along with other associated garbage along with them. Enforcement action was taken on no blaze orange, unregistered ATV, operate ATV during the closed hours of deer season and littering.

CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) spent time checking area trappers to see if they were tending their traps as required. Several people were checked muzzleloader hunting and few archery hunters were checked. Most area lakes have a coat of ice now. CO Frericks even saw three ice anglers walking along the shoreline on one area lake. They weren’t on the ice for too long when they decided it was a good idea to get off. The first snowfall brought out people on snowmobiles.

CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) reports area lakes currently have a thin layer of ice covering. Fisher/marten season has wrapped up with most trappers getting a few. Violations of unattended traps, no trap tag, and trap tampering were found.

I. Falls # 2 - vacant.