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FeedMinnesota Cuffs & Collars - September 7th, 2012
District 1 – Baudette area
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) reports the early bear hunting report is a little slower than expected, but several bears were harvested. Enforcement action for the week included allowing illegal operation of an off-highway motorcycle by a juvenile, possession of walleyes taken illegally in Canada, and hunting geese with an unplugged shotgun.
CO Jeff Birchem (Baudette) checked goose hunters over the opening weekend and found harvest success to be only fair in the Lake of the Woods area.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls) worked invasive species details on Lake of the Woods and Union Lake with local officers and monitored the start of bear and goose hunts.
CO Keith Backer (Blackduck) reports an overlimit of fish complaint was investigated and wild rice activity was checked.
CO Robert Gorecki (Baudette) reminds ATV operators that it is unlawful to operate your ATV in a public water or lake.
District 2 – Bemidji area
CO Tom Hutchins (Erskine) checked several suspected shoreline violations and inspected a minnow retailer.
CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) noted that acorns seem to be the food of choice for bears during the opening bear season and the few early goose hunters out had some success.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji) investigated No Wake Zone complaints and took a report of a sea gull with a fish hooked in its bill. He also provided assistance to a state park ranger when a guest refused to stick the yearly pass to his windshield.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) inspected a game farm in the Dent area and addressed the Bluffton Lion’s Club, providing information about AIS enforcement and the new regulations for the upcoming deer season.
CO Phil Seefeldt (Moorhead) reports officers discovered an intoxicated driver while patrolling for goose hunters, resulting in the party being arrested for 1st Degree DWI.
CO Joe Stattelman (Detroit Lakes) assisted the Clay County Sheriff’s Office in the search for a missing individual.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) monitored goose-hunting activity and provided use of force training to new officer recruits. Goose hunters reported a slow opening morning.
CO Gary Forsberg (Pelican Rapids) was assigned to assist with a fire in the Greenbush area during the past week.
CO Stacey Sharp (Bemidji) worked angling and boating activity and checked area trails for ATV activity.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) reports goose hunting was poor with few honkers observed in the bag.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked the DNR booth at the Minnesota State Fair and fielded numerous questions regarding deer hunting, wolf hunting, ATV safety, snowmobile safety, and FAS safety classes.
CO Paul Nelson (Elbow Lake) checked anglers and boaters on area lakes.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked early goose and mourning dove hunters, along with boaters and anglers.
CO Jeff Johanson (Osakis) spent time checking early goose and dove hunters, and in one case, a group of hunters lost their geese and received citations after they were found trespassing on posted property.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Wheaton) and COC Beckmann worked an AIS detail near Lake Minnewaska where officers encountered numerous violations of transporting water, failing to remove drain plugs, and transporting aquatic vegetation.
CO Tony Anderson (Morris) and COC Lawler taught an ATV Safety Class in Morris to several area youth.
District 4 – Wadena area
CO Paul Parthun (Lake George) took TIP complaints of illegal length fish, snapping turtle problems, snakes on a road, headless deer, and goose hunting in the city limits.
CO Sam Hunter (Park Rapids) was called to a forest fire which was set by two young individuals who were playing with a torch. CO Hunter received a few calls on tournament fishermen who were pre-fishing and were not complying with AIS and other DNR laws.
CO Gary Sommers (Walker) made contact with one individual who was towing an empty boat trailer on a highway that had aquatic vegetation hanging from it. The driver of the vehicle said there was no way there could be vegetation on the trailer because he checked the trailer after he had unloaded the boat. Apparently he didn’t notice the vegetation hanging from the axle, clearly visible with the boat removed. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) forwarded an illegal hunting stand and an ATV violation on federal land to the local Chippewa National Forest Officer.
CO Larry Francis (Remer) conducted an investigation in reference to a fox issue and determined that the party shot a fox from his house so he could get it mounted.
CO Jeff Halverson (Staples) checked fishermen, boaters, and ATV operators. An AIS check showed an 8 percent violation rate.
District 5 – Eveleth area
CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls) spent time checking bear hunting activity. Not a lot of bears taken, mainly due to warm weather.
CO Brad Schultz (Cook) reports an investigation into a possible illegal bear-hunting case was dealt with, assisted by area officers.
CO Dan Starr (Tower) reports it has turned out to be a very poor year for rice.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) reports continuing field training with COC Bermel. Officers worked invasive species enforcement at the International Falls border crossing, resulting in a large number of citations and warnings being issued for various invasive species law violations as well as many seizures of illegal fish coming across the border from Canada. Officers received a TIP complaint of a goose shot and left to waste prior to goose opener. Officers located the goose, evidence of where it was shot from, and eventually gained an admission from the shooter. Enforcement action was taken and a shotgun was seized.
CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) reports the wild rice crop is poor this year.
District 6 – Two Harbors area
CO John Velsvaag (Ely) received several calls about the wolf hunt and nuisance pine marten.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) came across a young man from Ohio fishing without a fishing license. The man told the CO that he didn’t need one because he was on his way from Ohio to a place in Michigan that didn’t require them so he didn’t think he needed one in Minnesota either. The CO informed the Ohio man that this was the first time he had ever heard an excuse like this and the Ohio man said he found that hard to believe.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) reports a complaint of ATVs doing damage in a forest campground resulted in citations for two individuals.
District 7 – Grand Rapids area
CO Randy Patten (Northome) handled an injured owl call.
CO Jayson Hansen (Bigfork) checked bear hunters, worked ATV complaints, and assisted Itasca County deputies.
CO Gary Lefebvre (Pengilly) worked the early goose season and bear hunters.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked the early goose and bear seasons over the past weekend and encountered many successful hunters.
CO Brent Speldrich (NE ATV REC) patrolled illegal trails that were being used by bear hunters who were illegally using them to access their baits.
District 8 – Duluth area
CO Jeff Humphrey (Cromwell) worked angling, boating, OHV, invasive species, early goose, and bear-hunting enforcement throughout the week.
CO Andy Schmidt (Brookston) worked bear hunters and checked bait stations in the area.
CO Randy Hanzal (Duluth) reports a few nice bears were harvested during the opening weekend but baiting activity is slow, probably due to the heat and dry conditions.
CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) reports an ATV complaint resulted in enforcement action taken for operating on closed trails.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) gave assistance to a neighboring officer in investigating a large number of people creating a dam on an area lake without a permit. A cease and desist order was issued and the investigation continues.
District 9 – Brainerd area
CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) fielded questions regarding the changes in the trespass laws and the new firearm’s deer season limits.
CO Tim Collette (Pequot Lakes) investigated a call of a bear hunter trespassing on private land, and working boating enforcement and invasive species details over the holiday.
CO Nikki Shoutz (Pine River) reports a dead loon was picked up and a call was handled involving an injured sea gull. The lack of natural berries in the woods is resulting in more bear hits.
CO Randy Posner (Brainerd) worked in the Pillsbury Forest on complaints of persons shooting in the closed area. He also checked horse riders and for approved firewood in the camping areas in the Pillsbury Forest.
CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) handled a car-kill eagle call when he removed a dead white chicken and a dead black chicken from Minnesota Hwy. 210.
CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) reports low numbers of geese and goose hunters were found in the area in comparison to past years.
District 10 – Mille Lacs area
CO Eugene Wynn (Pine City) spent time working AIS enforcement over the holiday weekend with very good compliance found.
CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) assisted with a gas pump fire at a local gas station. While the gas pump and canopy was ablaze, traffic was stopped for safety reasons. One party was rather upset he could not drive by and argued with the officer for several minutes, stating he wanted to take his chances by driving by the blaze rather than going the suggested alternate route. He had to wait anyway.
CO Scott Fitzgerald (Malmo) reports a call of someone trying to sell DNR and other signs was turned over to the sheriff’s office.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) found a few goose hunters forgot to purchase a hunting license and waterfowl stamps.
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) responded to a complaint in the General Andrews State Forest of unauthorized motor vehicles on ATV/OHM trails.
District 11 – St. Cloud area
CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) addressed the illegal operation of ATVs.
WREO Keith Bertram spent the week checking anglers, boaters, and goose hunters.
CO Rhonda Friese (Long Prairie) assisted the Todd County Sheriff’s Office with an ATV-related damage to property investigation.
CO Todd VanderWeyst (Paynesville) worked out of the area assisting other COs with AIS, early goose, fishing, and bear-hunting activity.
CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud) reports a caller wanted help with a groundhog issue in town and another caller wanted to report a trapping violation that ended up being legal.
CO Chad Thesing (Albany) reports an invasive species detail was worked on Big Birch Lake with neighboring officers.
District 12 – Princeton area
CO Tony Musatov (Sauk Rapids) checked anglers, boaters, and goose/dove hunters.
CO Angela Londgren (Princeton) continues to investigate damage at a local WMA.
CO Rick Reller (Buffalo) and COC Mueller started the week checking anglers along the Mississippi River and Wright County lakes.
CO Brandon McGaw (Mora) reports enforcement action taken on ATV passengers under 18 without a helmet.
CO Brian Dobbick (Cambridge) spent time teaching the law portion of a firearms safety class in Cambridge and assisting at the DNR booth at the Minnesota State Fair.
District 13 – West Metro area
CO Steve Walter (Waconia) gave a firearms safety presentation at the Minnesota National Wildlife Refuge to kids who will be hunting youth waterfowl day.
CO Tony Salzer (Osseo) responded to a call of a homeowner cutting cattails.
CO Thephong Le (ELCOP) took enforcement action for transporting aquatic macrophytes.
CO Jackie Glaser (Metro Water Resource Enforcement Officer) worked a Minnesota State Fair booth that showcased the partnership with the DNR and the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon organization.
CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) attended training and a pistol match in Wisconsin. The team from Minnesota won for the 10th year in a row.
CO Thor Nelson (Bloomington) observed a group of goose hunters who gained permission to hunt from someone who wasn’t authorized to give permission. The hunters then drove on a standing alfalfa hay field to place decoys, causing damage to the crop. The property owner stated that he will no longer allow hunting on his property.
CO Kevin Neitzke (Ft. Snelling) worked boating enforcement with CO Vang. He also checked dove and goose hunters and responded to complaints of illegal fishing.
CO Adam Block (Prior Lake) dealt with several animal nuisance complaints and spoke to a firearms safety class in Prior Lake.
CO Vang Lee (ELCOP) did a presentation to a firearms safety class at the Hmong Cultural Center in St. Paul and talked at the Hmong Alliance Church in Maplewood on hunting and fishing regulations.
District 14 – East Metro area
CO Patrick McGowan (Hastings) reports numerous waterfowl and boating violations were detected over the weekend.
CO Vuthy Pril (ELCOP) checked anglers around the metro lakes and rivers. CO Pril also responded a TIP complaint and several calls.
CO Travis Muyres (Ham Lake) and the DNR K9 Unit gave demonstrations at the Minnesota State Fair.
CO Lisa Kruse (White Bear Lake) did equipment maintenance, spent time patrolling William O’Brien State Park and worked on aquatic vegetation cases.
District 15 – Marshall area
CO Neil Henriksen (Benson) reports the enforcement focus of the week was directed at AIS, OHVs, and hunting. The dove and early goose season started quietly.
CO Matt Loftness (Marshall) reports most goose hunters stated they saw fewer geese than previous years.
CO Gary Nordseth (Worthington) issued numerous out-of-state minnow transport permits throughout the week.
CO Ed Picht (Montevideo) reports goose and dove hunters had spotty success.
CO Jim Robinson (Slayton) reports enforcement action was taken for operating a dirt bike on road, careless operation of a dirt bike, operate an ATV on a roadway, no helmet on a juvenile, and license/stamp/registration violations.
CO Craig Miska (Ortonville) worked the early goose and dove opener.
CO Doug Lage (Marshall) investigated an air quality violation finding non-permitted items being burned.
District 16 – New Ulm area
CO Jim Steffen (Willmar) spent the week checking boaters, fishermen and ATV riders.
CO Jeff Denz (Willmar) worked an invasive species detail on Green Lake and noted overall good compliance.
CO Wayne Hatlestad (Litchfield) checked ATV activity and enforced state forestry fire laws.
CO Brett Oberg (Hutchinson) worked the opening weekend of the early Canada goose and dove seasons.
CO Greg Abraham (New Ulm) reports a busy weekend with dove and early goose openers on the same day.
CO Mike Gruhlke (Jackson) completed his radio program with KKOJ/KRAQ discussing topics including early goose and dove season.
District 17 – Mankato area
CO Corey Wiebusch (Mankato) reports enforcement action was taken for failing to remove a plug from watercraft, no small game license, loaded firearm in motor vehicle, overlimit of geese, fail to retrieve waterfowl, and various ATV violations.
CO Chris Howe (St. Peter) reports multiple enforcement contacts were made with juveniles operating ATVs on public highways.
CO Brent Ihnen (Waseca) participated in the Annual Basil Irwin Pistol Match.
CO Bob Geving (Mankato) gave a law and ethic presentation to a firearms safety class.
District 18 – Rochester area
CO Phil George (Rochester) assisted with an AIS detail along the Mississippi River.
CO Scott Fritz (LaCrescent) reports ginseng diggers were out for the opening weekend. Many ginseng plants are already down.
CO Tyler Quandt (Red Wing) reports spending time during the week and holiday weekend checking river anglers, trout anglers, boaters, early goose hunters, ginseng diggers, ATV riders, and horse trail users.
CO Mitch Boyum (Rushford) reports checking dove and goose hunters. Violations included no license in possession and possessing toxic shot while waterfowl hunting.
CO Scott Moran (Wabasha) worked a horse trail pass detail at the Zumbro Bottom State Forest Unit.
CO Joel Heyn (Plainview) worked anglers and hunters during the week. The goose opener was slower than past years, but some hunters still did well.
CO Tom Hemker (Winona) received a call of a shot heard and a dead deer found at sun-up at a location. He continues to investigate but he did not find a bullet hole in the deer.
