CO Rep 10 bears in field

[Lee Borgersen]

 CO Report: 10 bears in a field.


 Sep 16, 2016 at 6:15 p.m.

District 9 - Brainerd area

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) patrolled ATV trails this week. Heavy rain storms hit in the area and the officer checked the trails for hazards and damage. Officer Guida received a complaint from a

bear hunter about another bear hunter tampering with his bear bait. An investigation has started.
CO Randy Posner (Brainerd) reports that he worked on fishing enforcement this past week. The anglers are out and the fall bite is picking up. He checked bear hunters and the report of bear activity was good. AIS concerns were reported by DNR inspectors. He received a complaint of a youth duck hunter leaving infested water without pulling the plug on their boat.

He worked on goose hunting enforcement and a tip of after-hours shooting. He checked boats after sunset and found navigation light violations. He also found violations of PWCs operating after hours and no wake violations. Nuisance bear complaints are not slowing down. He received new complaints of bear in the city of Baxter, Pillager, Lake Shore and Brainerd. Area farmers report significant damage to cornfields by bear. One local farmer reported as many as 10 bears in one corn field.

CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) worked angling, aquatic invasive species, ATV, and bear enforcement.

CO Sam Hunter (Park Rapids) checked fishermen, ATV's and wild rice activity. Officer Hunter checked bear hunters and bait stations. CO Hunter received information of boats operating faster than the no-wake speed in a no-wake zone on the Fish Hook River.

CO Lee (Crosslake) and the COC investigated a beaver dam removal complaint on Greer Lake.

  ..
Time was spent investigating a possible wetland violation in Ross Lake Township. Contact was made with an OHM for violations in the Emily area. Several bear bait locations were also checked. Time was spent assisting Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office on a missing six-year-old in the Cuyuna area. Officer Lee and COC also assisted Crow Wing County Sheriff's Office on

an out of control male waving a sword at deputies.

District 10 - Mille Lacs area

CO Scott Fitzgerald (Malmo) reports continuing to check bear hunters throughout the Malmo station during the week. ATV activity was monitored on state and county lands and many outdoor law related questions were fielded. A call regarding two dogs chasing deer was investigated and several areas in a WMA were patrolled for hunting activity. Officers also checked out a possible deer bait and documented items that were there. A call of an injured eagle was also taken during the week.

CO Dustie Speldrich (Willow River) spent the week following up on bear baiting/hunting investigations and ATV violations. Violations detected included motorized travel in a WMA, non-biodegradable materials in a bait and off trail travel in a limited class state forest. She also spent time training with the LEMA Honor Guard.

CO Dan Starr (Onamia) handled several calls regarding nuisance beaver, bear bait issues, WMA issues and wild rice issues. CO Starr worked night boating activity and found lack of running lights to be common. Boaters should be reminded that sunset is a time listed in the fishing regulations book, not when the sun disappears. CO Starr also monitored the walleye closure on Mille Lacs Lake.