Division of Wildlife Central Ohio – Wildlife District 1 State wildlife officer Chad Grote, assigned to Marion County, and wildlife officer supervisor Josh Shields attended the dedication of the Mallett Family Tract near Big Island Wildlife Area in April. The 415-acre tract was dedicated as public land for hunting, fishing, birding, and outdoor recreational opportunities. It was purchased in partnership…
SOUTHCENTRAL REGION From the Game Commission Bedford County Game Warden Brandon Pfister reports a Bedford County man has been charged with trapping through the use of bait visible from the air. Blair County Game Warden Michael College reports dumping cases are on the rise. He reminds everyone that dumping garbage can result in fines of $500 or higher. Mifflin County…
District 1 – Baudette area CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked turkey hunters in Roseau and Marshall counties and northern pike anglers on Lake of the Woods. Enforcement contacts included angling during a closed season, operating an unregistered ATV, and possessing a spear on Minnesota waters after sunset. CO Ryan Brown (Karlstad) continued to monitor turkey-hunting and fishing activity in the…
Northwest Zone – Captain Laura Petreikis In Mercer County, Captain Petreikis and CPO Posateri patrolled Mercer County during firearm deer season. After legal shooting hours, flashlights were observed in the timber. A short time later, a truck was observed driving through the field. Officers approached the hunters and identified themselves as game wardens. A field-dressed deer was on the ground…
Out-of-Season Striped Bass Busters (New York City Counties) The weekend of April 2 and 3 proved to be busy for ECOs in Region 2 conducting boat patrols with the U.S. Coast Guard in Raritan and Jamaica bays. Officers checked several recreational and charter boats and seized 36 out-of-season striped bass. ECOs Milliron and Michalet responded to an evening poaching complaint…
SOUTHEAST REGION Milwaukee/Ozaukee/Washington County Team/March Wardens Sam Haferkorn and Erik Anderson, both of Milwaukee County, stopped two off-highway motorcycles for illegal operation and safety violations while operating on the Hank Aaron State Trail. Warden Travis Sindles, of Kenosha, worked the spring fish run in Kenosha and Racine counties for brown trout and steelhead. Through March 30, a total of 521…
District 1 – Baudette area CO Ben Huener (Roseau) removed and demolished a fishing shelter left on Lake of the Woods. Anglers were checked on the Warroad River, as were turkey hunters in Roseau and Marshall counties. CO Corey Sura (Baudette) reports another week of high, fast, dirty water and less-than-ideal weather conditions made angling success for sturgeon pretty low…
DISTRICT 1 CO John Kamps and PCO Marc Mankowski responded to a 911 call of an individual who fell through the ice at the mouth of the Carp River. The COs were first on the scene and contacted a group of eight males who were safe and voluntarily swimming in the open water. The group was informed by the COs…
Division of Wildlife Central Ohio – Wildlife District 1 State wildlife officer Austin Levering, assigned to Knox County, received information that a suspect had failed to game check a harvested white-tailed deer. After talking with the suspect, the individual was found in violation of harvesting a buck without properly game checking the harvest. The suspect was issued a summons for…
SOUTHWEST REGION From the Game Commission Allegheny County Game Warden Evan McDaniel reports a Pittsburgh resident received a warning for possessing a raccoon for a short time during a snowstorm. The public is reminded to leave all wildlife alone. Do not pick up or move wildlife. Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties LMGS Dan Puhala reports that results already can be…
District 1 – Baudette area CO Ben Huener (Roseau) continues to monitor the removal of the remains of multiple fishing shelters on Lake of the Woods and Hayes Lake. CO Corey Sura (Baudette) and CO Curtis Simonson pulled in to a local river access where they found several individuals attempting to load a half-sunken boat onto its trailer. Apparently the…
Northwest Zone – Captain Laura Petreikis In Lee County, CPO Priest responded to a hunting accident that took place at a private hunting club in Amboy. One male subject was shot while pheasant hunting. One BB went through his glasses and entered just above his left eye. The subject was transported to the hospital and later flown to Chicago for…
All I Want for Christmas (Albany County) In Albany County, a hunter recently paid a penalty for taking a deer out of season on Christmas Day in Guilderland. On Dec. 25, 2021, ECO Bevis received reports from a complainant who reported he had heard a single shot from what sounded like a muzzleloader as he stood outside his home. Officer…
SOUTHEAST REGION Sheboygan, Fond du Lac Team/March Warden Josh Wiedenhoeft, of Sheboygan County, was working in the Kettle Moraine State Forest-Northern Unit when he heard the Waldo State Bank had just been robbed. The suspect’s vehicle was traveling toward Wiedenhoeft’s location. Wiedenhoeft was requested by the Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department dispatch to assist the county. Wiedenhoeft and two Sheboygan County…
District 1 – Baudette area CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked turkey hunters in Marshall County. A nonresident deer hunter was cited for purchasing and filling a resident deer tag in the fall of 2021. Other enforcement action was taken for hunting without a license in possession and failing to validate a turkey tag before removing the bird from the place…
DISTRICT 1 Conservation officers (COs) Shannon Kritz and Jeremy Sergey represented the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Law Enforcement Division at a career fair held at the National Guard Armory in Ishpeming where they spoke to military service men and women about the conservation officer career. COs Phil Helminen and Jared Ferguson were checking anglers ice fishing in Dickinson County….
Division of Wildlife Central Ohio – Wildlife District 1 During the 2021-22 white-tailed deer hunting season, state wildlife officer Brad Kiger, assigned to Franklin County, received information regarding a deer violation. It was determined that the hunter purchased a hunting license after harvesting a deer. While talking to the hunter, officer Kiger explained the laws and requirements for legal hunting….
SOUTHWEST REGION From the Game Commission Allegheny County Game Warden Douglas Bergman reports an individual from Forward Township received a warning for operating a gasoline powered, motorized moped on the Great Allegheny Passage bike trail for a short distance. The public is reminded that the use of motorized vehicles is unlawful on the bike trail, outside of strict policy which…
District 1 – Baudette area CO Ben Huener (Roseau) investigated a calf depredation in the Greenbush area. Tip-up anglers were checked on Lake of the Woods, and work continues removing old frozen-in fishing shelters. CO Corey Sura (Baudette) attended annual training at Camp Ripley. Time was spent on the Rainy River for what was an expected busy weekend. Enforcement action…
Northwest Zone – Captain Laura Petreikis In Carroll County, CPO Peecher resolved the removal of an ATV from the Mississippi River that had fallen through thin ice while being used for ice fishing. No injuries occurred to parties involved but citations for pollution of the waterway have been issued. In JoDaviess County, CPO Hoftender responded to a complaint of a…
Night Vision Thwarts Illegal Fishing (Westchester County) On March 8 and 12, ECOs Tompkins, Wamsley, and Thibodeau conducted a large-scale striped bass enforcement effort in Westchester County, surveilling multiple areas along the Hudson River. Overnight, ECOs watched as anglers illegally caught fish out of season. Utilizing night vision, the ECOs made contact with anglers claiming they didn’t have any fish….
SOUTH-CENTRAL REGION Rock River Team/February While working on Rock Lake for a fishing tournament, warden Ryan Mannes, of Horicon, stopped a snowmobiler for expired registration. Upon contact, the rider said he did not think he needed current registration to operate on a frozen lake. Mannes educated the individual and enforcement action was taken. Warden Mannes, while on Fox Lake, contacted…
District 1 – Baudette area CO Ben Huener (Roseau) taught waterfowl identification and enforcement techniques to conservation officers who attended the past two academies. The training was at Whitewater State Park. CO Corey Sura (Baudette) spent time on both the hard water and open water, as the Rainy River is once again fishable by boat. Violations encountered included fishing without…
DISTRICT 1 Conservation Officer Zach Painter was on patrol in Gogebic County and conducted a traffic stop on a motor vehicle. Immediately upon contact with the operator of the vehicle, CO Painter observed several signs of intoxication. CO Painter conducted standard field sobriety tests (SFSTs) on the operator. The operator was placed under arrest for operating while intoxicated (OWI) with…
Division of Wildlife Central Ohio – Wildlife District 1 In February, state wildlife officer Maurice Irish, assigned to Delaware County, presented a two-hour course to Otterbein University students enrolled in the wildlife, fish, and wildlands science major. Topics covered included an overview of the Ohio Division of Wildlife, a wildlife officer’s authority and duties, as well as specific case studies….
SOUTHWEST REGION From the Game Commission Allegheny, Beaver and Washington counties Land Management Group Supervisor Dan Puhala reports the first prescribed fire operation of the year in the Southwest Region was successful. Approximately 65 acres of fields were burned in early March on State Game Land 232. This operation helped remove woody growth, invasive plants and some thatch allowing the…
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