MN DNR Weekly Report

[Lee Borgersen]

            MN DNR Weekly Report

  Nov. 18, 2015
 

District 5 - Eveleth area

CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls) reports a slow second weekend of deer season for most hunters; however no complaints about the weather were heard. Some hunters even put the guns on the rack to go fishing on the Rainy River as the weather was so nice.  Enforcement action taken for the week included transporting loaded firearm and operating ATV during closed hours.
CO Jimmy Van Asch (International Falls) continued to monitor this year’s deer hunting activities throughout the surrounding areas. Hunters are still enjoying their time in the stand with nice weather, despite success rates being on the slower side. A majority of the week was also spent following up on open cases, shining complaints, and reports of theft around the area.  Enforcement action was taken for unlawfully transport a loaded firearm, operating an ATV during restricted hours, and failure to display valid ATV registration. 

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports another quite uneventful week in the deer woods with very few hunters and fewer deer and lots of complaining about no deer. Equipment transition is on-going and computer data entry was completed.

CO Marc Hopkins (Tower) reported as the firearm deer season continues, a few more bucks were seen being harvested. The officer responded to a number of complaints, including trespassing, shining, baiting, early shooting, and a wanton waste complaint. The officer assisted the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office with an ATV fatal crash. A bald eagle was struck and killed by a motor vehicle and a dog was accidently caught in a trap.

CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) primarily worked deer season, handled a number of complaints and TIP calls, and managed to locate some grouse and duck hunters.  A deer hunter checked said he shot a spike buck and now he’s “looking for horns.” He said he had been party hunting, however he was hunting alone the day he was checked and the day he shot the spike, using a family members borrowed license, which apparently had been standard practice for 20 years. The tag had not been validated and the deer had not been registered. Enforcement action was taken on lend or borrow a license, unlawful party hunting, fail to validate deer site tag, fail to register deer, transport illegally taken big game animal, no blaze orange, operate ATV during closed hours, operate ATV on public highway, operate a motor vehicle on a state trail and no horse pass.

CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) handled a wide variety of calls from deer hunters. A report of a hunter on public property being harassed because someone else has hunted in the area for 50 years is being investigated. According to the suspect that means they were there first. Reports were completed for several wolf depredation complaints where pets and livestock were killed. Numerous reports of trespassing are being investigated, and a high number of complaints of shots being heard well after legal shooting hours are steadily coming in. A rural landowner called CO Frericks to report his van that was parked in his driveway was struck by a bullet. CO Frericks arrived and eventually found the bullet after it had struck the frame of the van. A search of the area revealed a deer stand and a fresh deer kill immediately to the south of the residence where the van was struck. By following the drag marks of the deer CO Frericks was able to locate the person who fired the shot. The investigation is still ongoing.   

CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) worked deer hunting complaints throughout the week.  Complaints of hunter harassment, deer stand theft, trespass, and unlicensed youth taking deer where a few.  Hunter numbers appear to be down but some nice bucks are being taken.

Cook - vacant.

Ray - vacant.

District 6 - Two Harbors area
CO Sean Williams (Ely) responded to a call for assistance over the weekend for a juvenile hunter who had been missing for several hours after a family argument. Several Conservation Officer’s, St. Louis and Lake County Sherriff’s deputies and rescue squad members responded. The concern was the young hunter had entered the woods without any blaze orange and was not very familiar with the area. After rescue squad members began using a P.A. system the hunter made it to the roadway and was reunited with family members.

CO Marty Stage (Ely) continued to work deer hunting and whitefish netting activity. Continued warm weather had kept lakes ice free and hunters in the woods longer.

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports that deer hunters were happy to see fresh deer tracking snow. That happiness was short lived as many hunters reported seeing lots of wolf tracks and too few deer tracks. The CO cited a deer hunter for hunting over bait and seized his rifle that the hunter’s father had given him the day before. That rifle had been passed down to the hunter’s father from his grandfather. Some people continue to bait and believe increasing their chance for a deer is worth taking the risk of losing a family heirloom, The CO also took enforcement action for hunter harassment, operating ATV outside deer hunter hours, operate ATV without safety certificate, operate ATV on public roadway without driver license, and for selling netted rough fish.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked deer hunters and followed up on cases from opening weekend.  The officer also checked grouse hunters and ATV operators, assisted Cook County Sheriff’s Office and continued to answer questions about the firearms deer season.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) noticed a little bit of blood on a deer tag during a routine license check that after investigation led to an untagged / unregistered deer. A citation was issued and the deer was seized. In another case a hunter turned them self in for killing a buck with antlers being under the legal size and forfeited the deer. Other enforcement action included insufficient blaze orange, fail to validate a deer tag, and transporting a grouse without a wing.  Time was also spent on baiting cases.

CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) worked area hunting activity. Time was spent on a few TIP complaints. Time was also spent looking for a runaway child in the Babbitt area, child was turned himself in after search and rescue personnel called for him in the woods.

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) spent time checking deer hunters and investigating past bear cases. Hunters are enjoying the warm weather so far this season. Complaints were followed up on and enforcement action was taken for big game violations.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked a busy second weekend of the firearms deer season. Deer harvest numbers were down but the violation rate was up. With the assistance from other officer’s enforcement action was taken for operating ATV in closed hours, no deer license, hunting over bait, false application for a license, and possession of marijuana. Several other cases are actively being investigated.

District 7 - Grand Rapids area
CO Randy Patten (Northome) checked deer hunters and anglers. He investigated complaints of trespass, shooting within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling, hunt deer over bait, road hunting, hunter harassment, operate ATVs in closed hours. Enforcement action taken for trespassing.

CO Jayson Hansen (Bigfork) checked big game hunters, worked ATV activity, checked small game hunters, waterfowl  hunters, and assisted the county sheriff’s office on calls. He continued to work on various investigations. CO Hansen also took care of miscellaneous wildlife complaints. Violations included illegal transport of big game, fail to validate tags, fail to register deer, ATV hours of operation, and illegal possession of big game animals.

CO Sarah Sindelir (Grand Rapids) checked deer hunting activity this past week. She worked a trespass complaint and took a call concerning a sick deer that was harvested. She also worked a complaint of a deer being poached in the city of Grand Rapids. Enforcement action was taken for OHM, deer registration and deer tag validation violations.

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked deer hunting activity over the past week. Enforcement action was taken for shooting at a big game animal from the road right of way, discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle, trespassing, failing to tag a deer and failure to validate a site tag.

CO Gary Lefebvre (Pengilly) worked trappers and firearms deer hunters. Several ATV complaints were worked. He also handled several trespass and hunting complaints during the week.

CO Shawn Wichmann (Hill City) spent the week working deer hunting activity. Mid-week deer hunters were out in force with the mild weather. He continued to work ongoing complaints and various investigations.

CO John Velsvaag (NE Region ATV Officer) checked ATV activity over the past week and worked in several different areas with illegal ATV use. He also checked deer hunters and worked on illegal deer baiting complaints. CO Velsvaag received calls on stolen equipment and trespass questions.

District 8 - Duluth area
CO Andy Schmidt (Brookston) and a COC spent the week enforcing big game laws. The COs handled multiple trespass complaints that involved historical disputes between neighboring landowners. The COs worked illegal shining, ATV enforcement and researched complaints of parties hunting does in a buck’s only area with the possible of baiting violations. Enforcement actions were taken during the week for three individuals hunting deer without licenses and for operating an ATV without the required lights. The COs also assisted the city and county with various calls including a report of hunters pointing a firearm at other individuals who were target shooting in a gravel pit.

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) spent the week working firearm deer season. Many people were checked in the field and most reported having a great time, but not seeing many deer.  Several complaints were investigated that involved shooting from the road, harassment, deer carcass dumping, shining and hunting over bait to name a few.

CO Jeff Humphrey (Cromwell) continued deer season work with numerous calls, questions, and complaints involving deer hunting regulations and violations. Hunters checked continued to report seeing fewer deer and hearing far fewer shots than in previous years. A lot of vacant deer camps were observed over the second weekend. CO Humphrey assisted neighboring officers in a work detail and late season duck hunters were checked during the week with mixed results reported. CO Humphrey also checked beaver trapping activity and commercial bough/spruce tip harvesters in the area. A variety of deer season violations were encountered including baiting, unlawful party hunting, lending/borrowing licenses, direct or allow juveniles to commit violations, failing to validate licenses, and failing to register deer.  Commercial forest products and ATV violations were also encountered.

CO Scott Staples (Carlton) spent a busy week checking deer hunters in the area. Numerous contacts were made for hunting deer over bait, failing to validate site tag, insufficient blaze orange, and taking antlerless deer in bucks only zone. Permits were issued for car kill deer and bear over the past week also. Drivers are asked to be more cautious in the evenings and after dark when the animals are much more active. An incident at Jay Cooke State Park resulted in several charges including having dogs off of leashes, having a fire in an undesignated area, removing vegetation from a state park, and vehicle permit violations.

Lake Superior Marine Unit
CO Keith Olson (Marine Unit) checked deer hunters in the Duluth and Two Harbors areas.  The hunt continues to be down for success rates. Olson responded to numerous car deer incidents, with the drivers wishing to take possession of the deer, fielded questions on youth licenses, worked shining complaint areas and participated in a worked a detail in the BWCA.  Olson followed up on a trespass complaint received during opening weekend and dealt with a landowner’s complaint on the neighboring landowner.

CO Matt Miller (Marine Unit) checked commercial cisco netters as the mild November weather continued. Calls of trespassing hunters and ATVs operating in closed hours were handled. Baiting and blaze orange violations are still being handled. Enforcement actions were taken for big game and ATV violations.


 "He fought da law and da .....  law won!"


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