11/17/09 Report (Dist. 6-10)

[Woody]

District 6 - Two Harbors area
 

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) checked whitefish nets, ATVs, boating equipment, and deer hunters. Complaints were taken on road hunters and trespassing. Enforcement action was taken for hunting over bait. A few diehards are still fishing as the water temps hover near the mid 30s.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked deer hunter shiners. CO Manning investigated reports of deer being hunted over bait and shots being fired during the night. One young deer hunter contacted was unfamiliar with ATV regulations, including safety requirements and hours of operation. Manning also checked ATV operators and grouse hunters. 

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) investigated TIP calls involving baiting, shooting in the Game Refuge and illegal deer stand use. The Officer worked shining complaint areas with area Officers. There is still some confusion with the new law about uncased guns. Firearms MUST be unloaded while being transported in the motor vehicle. The Officer had to remind a very young hunter about loaded firearms in a vehicle; the mother was also contacted. Fewer hunters are afield as fewer deer have been harvested so far this year. Bear hunters are reminded that everything needs to be removed from the woods at the end of the season: trash, signs and stands are still being found.

CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) along with CO Miller assisted wildlife managers in retrieving a sick cow moose from deep in the forest which was found by a hunting party. TIP calls were the flavor of the week as hunting parties reported illegal activities they were finding while afield. Some of the TIP investigations amounted to “sour grapes” between hunting parties, while others resulted in enforcement action being taken. Officer Thomasen located one area in which the hunters still had the Halloween spirit, as they were using their old jack-o-lanterns to bait deer. Enforcement action was taken this week for hunting deer over baited area, no license in possession, fail to validate site tag and various ATV related violations.

CO John Velsvaag (Ely) checked deer hunters in the Ely area. Success seems to be slow overall.  CO Velsvaag checked some trapping activity with the late freeze and took a couple of calls on possible deer baiting.

CO Marty Stage (Ely) received many TIP complaints about everything from trapping and trespassing, to baiting and failing to tag deer. Deer hunting has been slow for those who have still been out hunting in the rain.   

 

Babbitt - vacant.

Silver Bay - vacant.

District 7 - Grand Rapids area
 

CO Jon Paurus (Hill City) spent time on deer hunting and fishing enforcement. The officer also spent time following up on baiting complaints. Deer hunters were having limited success and some reported not seeing deer the entire week. 

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) finished work on case where an individual shot four (4) deer opening weekend of deer season and neglected to tag any of the deer. Ongoing work has been done with hunting deer over bait the last week and a contact was made where a citation was given out for hunting over a corn pile. Enforcement action was also taken with two individuals who used their wives deer tags to tag the deer they had actually taken when their wives weren’t in the field hunting. One lady was at work when her tag was used and the other was visiting a friend. Enforcement action was also taken for untagged deer and licenses that weren't validated at the kill sites. 

CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) worked shining complaints, trapping activity, checked deer and small game hunters, checked waterfowl hunters and patrolled for ATV activity. Deer Harvest has been on the down side. Enforcement action was taken for possess untagged deer, no license in possession and ATV violations.

CO Gary Lefebvre (Pengilly) worked trappers, deer hunters, ATVs, state parks and campgrounds. He also handled a waters complaint and two tip reports during the week.

CO Randy Patten (Northome) checked deer hunters and assisted getting a hunter who had fallen from a tree stand out of the woods. Responded and investigated complaints on trespass, felon in possession of a firearm, hunting without a license, bait, and shooting from a roadway.

CO Jeff Koehn (Grand Rapids - OHV Specialist) patrolled for deer hunters using ATVs. He conducted follow up interviews on a wetland damage case involving ATVs. Time was spent patrolling non-motorized hunting areas during the firearms deer season. CO Koehn investigated deer baiting complaints. He worked on a trespass investigation. Enforcement activity for the week included operating an ATV in a wetland, untagged big game animal and operating an ATV in a non-motorized area.

CO Sarah Sindelir (Grand Rapids) checked hunters in the area. Hunter numbers and success seemed to be low this year. CO Sindelir responded to calls for service including shining complaints, trespassing and litter. Enforcement contacts were made for gross misdemeanor shining violations.     

Bigfork - vacant.

District 8 - Cloquet area
 

CO Andy Schmidt (Brookston) spent the week working firearms deer season. Trespassing complaints and property line issues took up the majority of the officer’s time. Late night activities have also been monitored closely as shining and shooting complaints continue to be received. Enforcement action for the week included various ATV infractions, hunt deer over baited area, shooting after hours, shining, shooting from roadway, untagged and unregistered deer, and loaded firearms in motor vehicle. 

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) continued to work deer season which included some night shining work. Several successful hunters during the week were found without validating their license at the kill site. Other hunters were found shooting deer from the road. Time was also spent working a hunter harassment case that continues each year. Several traps were checked during the week, with some sets not being tended within state law requirements. Other activities included assisting area sheriffs’ departments and responding to automobile accidents involving injuries. 

CO Randy Hanzal (Duluth) worked with neighboring officers throughout the week on several cases. A gross misdemeanor shining case was made on several hunters after one of the occupants threw a lit cigarette out the window in a heavily forested area. Hunter harassment charges were filed against two hunters who used their guns to scare deer away from other hunters in the area. Several deer are being shot from the roadway by poachers sometimes leaving them to rot after being scared off by concerned citizens and other hunters who are disgusted at this type of illegal activity. Reports of illegal dumping of deer carcasses are numerous.

CO Scott Staples (Carlton) spoke to a snowmobile safety class in Esko and worked deer hunting activity this past week. One baiting complaint was received and is under investigation. Several hunters were checked in the area and most were found to be in compliance with the law. A shooting from the road complaint was received and is currently under investigation. Enforcement action was taken for transporting loaded firearm, untagged deer and failure to validate license.

Marine Unit
 

CO Matt Miller (Marine Unit) checked deer hunters and worked shining complaints.  Assistance was given to Lake County Sheriff’s Office with an overnight vehicle crash.  Baiting cases continue to be made with firearms being seized for forfeiture. Thanks to the vigilance and dedication of a Lake County deputy sheriff, an individual was apprehended for shooting a deer from a public roadway. Enforcement action taken for big game and ATV violations

CO Troy Ter Meer (Marine Unit) checked some shore anglers along Lake Superior. The rest of the week was spent checking deer season activity. Some more baited stands were located.  Assistance was provided on a deer shot after hours from the road, a deer shot and left, a hunter harassment investigation. Assistance provided on putting a deer decoy out in areas of complaints of road hunting. One person did shoot the decoy from the road. A shiner was located with a loaded rifle in the vehicle. Enforcement action taken for big game violations and littering.

CO Keith Olson (Marine Unit) checked shore fishermen along the North Shore. With the high rainfall of late, the area rivers are taking false runs of rainbow trout. Checked deer hunters. Violations for baiting, transport untagged deer, loaded firearms and ATV violations all encountered while assisting area officers. Arranged a meeting with Ramsey Co. officials on watercraft selection for their agency.

District 9 - Brainerd area
 

CO Nikki Shoutz (Pine River) received TIP calls that included hunting over bait, bow hunters wearing no blaze orange, failure to register deer before butchering, trespass and shining. Enforcement action again taken for transporting loaded/uncased rifles on motor vehicles, failing to validate license, hunting from roadway and illegal party hunting. MN law requires hunters to be “hunting afield together” if you are going to let someone else shoot a deer for your tag.   

CO Cary Shoutz (Crosslake) assisted a neighboring officer with a trespass and shooting from the roadway complaint. He also took enforcement action on a baiting case and failure to register a deer. Shoutz continued an investigation on a hunter harassment complaint. 

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) had contacts with untagged big game animals and failing to register violations. Officer Guida completed charges on a trespass and shoot big game from the roadway charges. A large 8-point buck was seized as a result of the violation.

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) investigated a drive-by shooting incident where a poacher fired a high-power rifle out the window of a pickup at a deer, carelessly sailing bullets directly at father and youth daughter out hunting in the woods. The violators were caught, and officers seized several contraband items and firearms. Three individuals face numerous charges in the matter including possession of illegal drugs and paraphernalia, possession of dangerous weapon, transporting loaded handgun, and driving after suspension.

CO Tim Collette (Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area) checked many deer hunters over the week, with most hunters experiencing limited success. Areas of reported night time deer shining were worked and in one case, a shiner was stopped at 2 a.m., and as the officer was approaching the truck, the driver discharged a firearm inside the cab. After some tense moments, it was determined the driver was attempting to unload the gun and it went off, damaging the vehicle. Fortunately nobody was hurt. Gross misdemeanor deer shining and related charges are pending.

CO Brent Speldrich (McGregor) continued taking reports of illegal baiting calls from other deer hunters. Officer Speldrich spoke to hunters who were making a real attempt at filling their tags, by scouting for deer signs, working areas where deer frequent the areas, knowing the routine of deer and just plain putting some hard work into deer hunting. These hunters were also passing along to their children, some hard taught lessons about NOT always getting a deer, but learning the valuable lessons. He completed active investigations of shooting from the roadway, trespass, harvesting antlerless deer w/o an antlerless permit, and visited staff and hunters at two special hunts that were ongoing, Savanna State Park and Rice Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

CO Chad Sherack (Pequot Lakes) took complaints of trespass, baiting, illegal ATV operation, and poor sportsmanship this past week. Officer Sherack visited many littered hunting camps this past week to ensure that garbage and other destruction wasn’t left behind.   Officer Sherack noted that a few were taking advantage of a recent law change and were running and gunning with uncased and loaded firearms resulting in Officer Sherack encountering many gun muzzles upon approach. Officer Sherack found hunting ethics went out the window with loaded uncased firearms driving through the forest. Officer Sherack issued summons for transporting loaded firearms on a motor vehicles, deer hunting w/o a license, transporting untagged deer, and fail to validate deer license.

CO Randy Posner (Brainerd) reports trespass, invalidated deer tag, deer and deer carcass dumping were the most common violations reported. Duck and goose hunters continue to try their luck; however, the success has been poor. He worked with WEO Jim Tischler on a report of duck hunters in the Crow Wing State Park. The angler numbers have slowed down and so has the fishing success. He also worked on a litter and wanton waste complaint. The suspect failed to butcher the deer before it spoiled. The suspect then decided to dump the animal on public land.

District 10 - Mille Lacs area
 

CO Dan Perron (Onamia) checked deer hunters throughout the last week. Hunting pressure decreased during the week but picked up again on the weekend. The deer take was down with hunters not seeing much. CO Perron also checked anglers on Mille Lacs with the nice weather. One lucky angler caught a 55" muskie. Others were catching walleye.   

CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) investigated trespass calls and baiting and shining complaints. Enforcement action was taken for dogs chasing deer, shooting deer after closed hours, and no license in possession. Heaton assisted CO Grundmeier with a special hunt in the St. Croix State Park. Heaton also assisted the State Patrol with a motor vehicle crash that resulted in a fatality. 

CO Eugene Wynn (Pine City) spent the week wrapping up reports from the opening weekend of deer season. He followed up on complaints of deer being dumped, littering, and reports of dogs chasing deer. He received complaints of persons camping in restricted areas, operating ATV's in restricted areas, and other possible baited stand areas. He assisted with the St. Croix State Park hunt and checked numerous hunters out in the field. Enforcement contacts included no licenses in possession and operating ATV's on county roads.

CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) spent some time at the St. Croix State Park hunt. A lot of hunters had success harvesting deer and a couple bucks were taken that will make the record books. More hunting over bait cases were handled with one that included a 50 gallon, homemade deer feeder filled with shelled corn and alfalfa pellets. The hunter insisted he knew nothing about the 30 pounds of corn and pellets in the homemade deer feeder that was 20 yards away from his stand in the middle of a shooting lane. Citations were also issued for deer license violations and ATV violations. Trespass and hunter harassment complaints were handled.

CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) checked deer hunters throughout the week. A few duck hunters were out trying their luck but action was very slow. Croatt investigated a deer that was dumped along a forest road. It appeared the deer was shot, gutted and then dumped for no apparent reason other than not having an antlerless tag. Croatt also handled calls of shooting from the roadway and shining complaints.

CO Mike Lee (Isle) checked hunters this past week with success rates down from opening weekend. Officer Lee received trespassing and possible baiting complaints this past week. Enforcement action was taken this past week foe various deer hunting violations.

CO Scott Fitzgerald (Malmo) reports working big game enforcement throughout the week.  A few hunters had bagged a deer but most were reporting a slow second weekend. Calls of shining and shooting after hours were fielded. Lots of law related questions were answered. Several car-kill deer permits were issued during the week. Enforcement action was taken for various big game violations.