WEEKLY DNR ENFORCEMENT REPORT: Illegal angling activity, ATV contacts etc.

Here is the weekly report from Department of Natural Resources conservation officers in northwest Minnesota for May 19:

District 1 - Baudette area

CO Ben Huener (Roseau) monitored angling activity on the Warroad River and Lake of the Woods. ATV and OHM contacts were made around Roseau and Kittson counties.

CO Angie Warren (Thief River Falls) worked angling and boating activity on area rivers. A complaint of anglers taking illegal fish is under investigation. Boats and trailers were monitored for AIS compliance. CO Warren spoke with a lake association president in regards to topics and issues for upcoming speaking engagement.

CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck) reports working angling activity on Upper Red Lake and special regulation lakes throughout the week. Time was spent investigating various wildlife calls, wolf depredation, nuisance beaver and one caller reported a suspicious death of a deer which was determined to have been a result of predation by coyotes. CO Regas responded to a report of an injured pelican. The pelican was found entangled in a landing net which appeared to have come detached from its handle while an angler was landing a northern pike. CO Regas cut the pelican from the netting. The pelican appeared not to have been injured and was eager to return to cruising about Blackduck Lake. A littering issue was addressed with one angler who discarded the entrails of his catch at a public access.

CO Robert Gorecki (Baudette) monitored fishing and ATV activity throughout the week. Anglers continue to report excellent fishing on Upper Red Lake. While monitoring fishing activity CO Gorecki observed an angler catch what appeared to be an illegal length fish and place it in a compartment in the front of the boat. After watching for a while longer CO Gorecki eventually approached the boat and checked the anglers. They reported a couple of walleye and opened a livewell in the back of the boat which contained a couple legal walleye. CO Gorecki had them open the dry storage compartments in the front of the boat and found three illegal length pre-spawn female walleye underneath the life jackets in the compartment. Appropriate enforcement action was taken.

Baudette -vacant.

Blackduck #2 - vacant.

Karlstad - vacant.

Warroad #1 - vacant.

Warroad #2 - vacant.

District 2 - Bemidji area

CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports focusing time on checking anglers and boaters. Time was also spent checking ATV operators and talking to boaters about AIS laws. Follow-up work was also done on a wetland impact site and a wolf case from the 2013 trapping season.

CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) assisted other agencies, attended a Law Enforcement Memorial and participated in a radio talk show. Angling, leeching, boating and beaver problems were monitored.

CO Tim Gray (Bagley) checked anglers, boaters and ATVers. ATVers and boaters are reminded to check their machines for current registration.

CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji) monitored angling activity throughout the week. Anglers are reporting mixed success. CO Vollbrecht investigated a complaint of an illegally set trap and a possible wolf depredation. Boaters were checked for safety equipment compliance. Time was spent patrolling area trails and closed forest roads for ATV activity.

CO Brian Holt (Bemidji) spent the week checking angling and sucker spearing activity. A good number of boaters and anglers were checked in Itasca State Park. Time was also spent at public accesses speaking with boaters about aquatic invasive species. A complaint regarding an injured deer was handled and a nuisance beaver permit was issued.

CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports checking anglers and discussing AIS concerns with boaters. Nuisance beaver permits were also issued. TIP calls of possible over limits were investigated.

CO Al Peterson (Osage) monitored fishing activity, assisted at the academy and helped Menahga Fire Department with taking 75 fourth graders out for the “Hooked on Fishing” event.

CO Gary Forsberg (Pelican Rapids) spent the week checking fishermen. Activity is picking up with the better weather. Time was also spent working fishing TIPs and teaching ATV class in the vacant Moorhead station. A dead eagle call was investigated and turkey hunters were checked.

Wetland Resources Enforcement Officer Joe Stattelman spent the week focusing efforts on WCA and AIS activity. Time was spent on site visits and issuing Cease and Desist Orders for WCA violations. Time was also spent on Use of Force training for the CO Academy. Fishermen and boaters were checked for AIS law compliance at public access points. Training was set up with local law enforcement for AIS law training for newly hired officers.

Moorhead - vacant.

Detroit Lakes - vacant.

CO Pilot Chris Lofstuen (Bemidji) spent time in Bemidji flying missions. A wolf and moose telemetry mission was flown for the National Park Service in Voyageurs National Park. Daily creel survey flights were flown over Leech Lake and a wetlands flight was flown in Red Lake and Polk counties. Training was received from John Heineman and CO Pilot Jensen introduced Lofstuen to seaplane operations on a creel survey flight over Lake Vermillion.

Natural Resources Pilot John Heineman (Bemidji) finished up the sandhill crane survey in northwest Minnesota and provided training on a Leech Lake creel survey to new CO Pilot Chris Lofstuen. Heineman also prepared for upcoming sandhill crane survey in east central Minnesota.