12/06/09 Report (Dist. 6-11)

[Woody]

District 6 - Two Harbors area
12/6

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) took a report of a dog caught in an untagged snare. The owner was able to get the dog out, but reports that it was a close call. Most trappers contacted reported a very poor pine marten/fisher season. The smaller lakes have frozen and most are not quite ready yet, but should be in a couple of days with some colder temps. Enforcement action was taken for no orange while checking traps and for no ATV registration displayed.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) took several complaints on persons illegally dumping carcasses-deer and beaver. The officer checked traps and trappers as well as muzzleloader hunters. Manning also helped teach snowmobile safety classes and followed up on an illegal burning complaint, a baiting complaint, and a trespass issue.

CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) spent the early part of the week catching up on cases left over from deer season and sent reports to the county attorney for charges. Equipment maintenance and preparations for the upcoming winter seasons were tended to. As fisher and pine marten season winds down, the officer noticed many sets pulled early which may be an indicator that many trappers did well this season. CO Thomasen did notice that many trappers were leaving their cubby boxes in the woods after pulling their traps; a violation of the law.

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked muzzleloader hunters and trappers. The muzzleloader hunting pressure is very low. Illegal bear bait sites are still being found and investigated. Trapping complaints have been reported to the CO, one involved a fisher walking down the road with a trap on its head. Trappers are reminded to check their traps regularly and be mindful of over limits. Trespass calls and trapping over limits are under investigation.

CO John Velsvaag (Ely) continued to follow up on deer season complaints and trapping complaints. He took calls on wanton waste of deer and several complaints of traps not meeting the lynx zone requirements. Spearing and ice fishing activity was observed this past weekend.

CO Marty Stage (Ely) investigated a lynx case and worked trapping enforcement. Lakes and river froze last weekend and the snow kept falling. Muzzleloader hunters are not too common, but there have been some deer migrating down from up north. Trappers are reminded about the lynx regulations and to remove the marten and fisher boxes from the woods after season or you will be cited.

Babbitt - vacant.

Silver Bay - vacant.

District 7 - Grand Rapids area
12/6

CO Jeff Koehn (Grand Rapids - OHV Specialist) patrolled for OHV activity. He spent time checking for trappers using ATVs to run trap lines for the open fisher, martin and bobcat seasons. CO Koehn checked small game hunters as well. Enforcement activity for the week included illegally possessed game birds.

CO Jon Paurus (Hill City) worked the muzzleloader deer season and trapping activities. The deer hunters were happy to have snow on the ground but reported that they were still having a hard time finding deer. A few more baiting cases were investigated.

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked muzzleloader deer hunting activity with mixed results had from area hunters. CO Sutherland also checked area trappers with the fisher and pine marten take seemingly low. Area lakes are just starting to freeze up, but are not yet safe to venture out on. Remember to ask local individuals about ice conditions before venturing out onto lakes you are unfamiliar with.

CO Gary Lefebvre (Pengilly) worked muzzleloader deer hunters and trappers during the week. He also responded to two trespassing complaints.

CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) worked trapping activity, muzzle loader activity, trespass complaints and assisted the county with a DWI. The recent cold and snow has helped in the success for muzzle loader hunters. Enforcement action was taken for operate snowmobile on roadway, snowmobile registration issues and fail to display tag on snares.

Bigfork - vacant.

District 8 - Cloquet area
12/6

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) spent time working trapping and hunting enforcement. Many grouse and deer hunters were out during the past week. Complaints continue to be worked involving deer hunting and harassment. Most area lakes are iced over, but this officer will not walk out and check thickness.

CO Randy Hanzal (Duluth) reports lakes are beginning to become ice covered in the area, however the ice is way too thin to venture out onto safely. Three to four inches of clear good ice is needed for foot traffic. Patrol efforts were stepped up after several reports of traps being stolen were reported. Very few muzzleloader hunters reporting success.

CO Jeff Humphrey (Cloquet) reports deer season follow up continued last week. Complaints of dumped deer parts continue to be reported throughout the area. CO Humphrey assisted at the special muzzleloader deer hunt at Jay Cooke State Park. CO Humphrey completed seasonal equipment maintenance and changeover.

CO Andy Schmidt (Brookston) spent much of the week working muzzleloader hunters and trappers. Schmidt assisted with the special muzzleloader hunt in Jay Cooke State Park. Rivers and lakes are starting to build ice in the area and it shouldn’t be too long before ice fishing gets started. The officer completed reports and met with the county attorney’s office regarding charging for firearms deer season violations. Boats were winterized for storage also.

CO Scott Staples (Carlton) caught up on phone calls and paperwork after being off for a week. Time was also spent patrolling the special muzzleloader hunt at Jay Cooke State Park where few successful hunters were found.

District 9 - Brainerd area
12/6

CO Nikki Shoutz (Pine River) followed up on deer hunting cases. She also handled calls of dogs chasing deer and dumped animal carcasses from trappers and hunters. With the cold weather, anglers have started to venture out on to the thin ice of small area lakes.

CO Cary Shoutz (Crosslake) checked muzzleloader hunters and a few bold ice anglers over the past week. He also checked trapping and nuisance beaver complaints and taught a Snowmobile Safety class in Emily.

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) checked muzzleloader hunters this past week. Some deer are being seen but few are being shot. Officer Guida conducted a routine safety check of a watercraft being operated on the Mississippi River. The operator was not in possession of any life jackets.

CO Tim Collette (Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area) checked muzzleloader deer hunters. The officer also assisted with enforcement during the annual Crow Wing State Park muzzleloader deer hunt where hunters harvested some nice deer, and responded to calls of a sick, stranded loon and of a person falling through the ice. The man’s dog had fallen through and he had called for assistance getting the dog out, but before anybody could get there he attempted to rescue the dog, falling through himself. Both he and the dog were rescued using a ladder and a rope and pulled out safely, but it was a very cold reminder that the ice is extremely dangerous this time of the year.

CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) worked trapping and muzzleloader deer hunters. Ice just began forming on most lakes.

CO Chad Sherack (Pequot Lakes) followed up on complaints of trespass, shooting from roadway, and dumping deer carcasses. Officer Sherack also took several calls about ice fishing regulations from anxious ice anglers.

CO Randy Posner (Brainerd) continued to work on deer hunting issues. He received a complaint of wanton waste by goose hunters. Anglers are starting to move out on some area lakes with new ice. Posner received a complaint of someone doing ATV damage in the Pillsbury State Forest. He worked at the Crow Wing State Park for their “earn-a-buck” muzzleloader hunt, and hunter success was good.

District 10 - Mille Lacs area
12/6


CO Scott Fitzgerald (Malmo) reports seeing a few small game hunters out trying some late season grouse hunting. A few muzzleloader hunters were also checked throughout the week. CO Fitzgerald finished up some deer season cases and turned paperwork into the county attorney’s office. He assisted the State Patrol with an accident with injuries on Hwy 65 and patrolled the Solana State Forest and surrounding county land. With the cooler weather ice is starting to form on most area lakes including Mille Lacs. Please remember early ice is dangerous. Please talk to your children about the dangers of venturing out on thin ice. For more information please check out the Education and Safety section on our DNR website.

CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) checked muzzleloader hunters during the week. Croatt attended a district meeting and handled calls of shooting from the roadway.

CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) continued to take complaints of deer carcasses and garbage being dumped on private property. Cold weather has finally put a layer of ice on some lakes in the area. Ice is still unsafe to walk on.

CO Greg Verkuilen (Garrison) checked a few muzzleloader hunters most of which report deer are few and far between. Small game hunters were out making use of the snow coating and lack of leaves but grouse are still hard to come by. Small lakes in the area are frozen over but no anglers have been observed yet. Verkuilen also investigated a dumping complaint and attended a district meeting.

CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) attended a district meeting. She followed up on wetland complaints and reports from deer season.

CO Eugene Wynn (Pine City) spent time during the week working on equipment maintenance. He received complaints of baiting and muzzleloader hunters hunting with rifles. He received calls and questions regarding ice conditions and answered questions about small game hunting. Ice is forming on area lakes, but caution should be taken before venturing out. Waiting for more cold weather would be a good idea before trying to venture on the thin ice.

CO Mike Lee (Isle) continued checking small game and muzzleloader hunters. Officer Lee observed so-so success. Officer Lee attended a district meeting at the Isle IREC. He also followed up on a complaint of a deer shot off the road. Ice is starting to appear on Mille Lacs Lake, but in no way is it safe to venture out on it.

District 11 - Albany area
12/6

CO Robert Haberman (Little Falls) investigated more baiting deer cases throughout the week. Colder temperatures kept many hunters indoors, but some braved the cold and successfully bagged a deer. CO Haberman also received calls of injured wildlife and checked on a possible wetland violation.

CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) reports this past weekend about an inch of ice or so formed on area lakes. Muzzleloader season continues to be slow for most hunters. Complaints of road hunting and shining were received. Coyote hunters took advantage of the snowfall, which resulted in generating a trespass complaint.

CO Keith Bertram (Sauk Centre) spent the week checking hunters. Calls regarding injured animals and trespass were handled. CO Bertram spoke at snowmobile safety classes in Sauk Centre and Melrose.

CO Todd VanderWeyst (Paynesville) reports time was spent working deer, duck and pheasant hunters. The officer followed up on firearms deer cases. CO VanderWeyst spoke at a snowmobile safety course about laws and ethics. Administrative tasks took up a lot of the officer’s time.

CO Chad Thesing (Albany) worked hunting activity and wetland issues. Deer and pheasant success in the area has been slow. Half of the lakes in the Albany area froze over Saturday morning. A call of a deer that fell through the ice was handled. People are reminded to check ice depths before venturing onto lakes. Know what you would do, if you fell in. Enforcement action for the week included fill in public water; hunt deer with no blaze orange; and no hunting license in possession.

CO Mike Martin (St Cloud) concentrated on trapping and commercial enforcement over the past week. Officer Martin took care of station maintenance and end of month reports as well.

CO Brian Mies (Annandale) checked pheasant and deer hunters. Investigation was completed on a deer case. CO Mies taught the law portion to the French Lake Snowmobile Safety Class.

CO Rhonda Keniston (Long Prairie) continued investigations on deer cases. A WCA complaint was determined to be a non-violation. Muzzleloader hunters were few and pheasant hunters were fewer. Lakes continued to freeze over. A TIP call resulted in enforcement action for shooting a wild animal from a motor vehicle and restitution for a wild turkey.