District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports angler success appeared to rise with the cooler temperatures as did the number of anglers. He also attended a district AIS checkpoint near Tofte. Violations included: fail to remove boat drain plugs, angling without a license in possession, and failure to display watercraft registration.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) spent his week patrolling his station for fishing and boating activity. Officer Ihnen also monitored AIS compliance near pubic water accesses. Additional time was spent patrolling for ATV and ORV operators.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) spent the week patrolling area lakes for angling and boating activity. People are starting to find lake trout in shallower water on Superior as water temps approach the mid-40s. Forest roads and trails were monitored for ATV traffic. Multiple calls were taken about nuisance beavers causing property damage.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports working a variety of summer activities over the course of the week. Several folks were cited for fishing without licenses and for insufficient PFDs. Additional enforcement action included failure to display watercraft registration. A d umping c ase w as worked with charges pending. Time was spent preparing academy material.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week checking anglers and monitoring the local ATV trails. Time was also spent working with other officers at an AIS check station in Cook County. CO Franzen also responded to wildlife complaints and complaints concerning damage to private property.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on angling, boating, and invasive species enforcement for the week. Ride along activities were completed with area DNR interns. Anglers reported that a wide variety of weather conditions produced mixed fishing success. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of angling and boating related violations.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) spent time this week patrolling the station. Block also worked an AIS check station with K9 partner Jet. Time was also spent performing equipment maintenance.
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Darrin Kittelson (Int’l Falls #1) reportsworkactivitiesincludedfishing, boating, and ATVenforcement. Animal complaintswerealsohandledthroughout the week. People are reminded, if dealing with nuisance bear issues that removing all food sources is the first step in handling the issue.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) An increase in both air and water temperature has encouraged more people to spend time on or in the water. Campground beaches and public accesses are seeing increased usage. Angling reports continue to be positive although typical transition locations have left some scratching their heads.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports fishing success has slowed, ATV activity remains constant. Public water access sites continue to be checked. Assistance to other DNR divisions continues. Area lakes continue to be monitored. Spare time was spent returning phone calls, completing administrative items and working on equipment.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent the majority of the week checking anglers and monitoring boating activity. The bite is still slow, with not many fish in live wells. Boating activity on the lakes continues to be up with the warmer weather, and an extremely busy upcoming Independence day weekend is expected. Time was alsospentmonitoring ATV activity and completing some training. Enforcement action taken this week included: Boat registration issues, loud motorboat exhaust, PWC (jet-ski) infractions, PFD issues, keeping slot walleye.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling, ATV, and State Park enforcement. He fielded calls related to trespass, ATVs, miscellaneous animal calls, and illegal camping in a State Park. He also assisted other agencies with a vehicle accident and spent time working the ATV trails.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked angling and ATV enforcement. In addition, time was also spent fielding calls and presenting to several groups of grade-school students on safety and the many tools Conservation Officers use to keep both themselves and the public safe. Violations encountered included expired registration, no ATV helmets, and allowing illegal operation.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) Time was spent instructing at Camp Ripley during alcohol enforcement week. Additional time was spent working ATV enforcement and attending t he Hortman memorial services as an Honor Guard member in St. Paul.
District 7 - Grand Rapids area
CO Vinny Brown (Northome) checked anglers, monitored ORV and ATV activity, and answered wildlife-related questions. Time was spent patrolling state forests on ATV. Enforcement action was taken for operating an ATV without headlights, allowing youth to ride as passengers without helmets,and improper ATV registration on an ORV.
COJaysonHansen(Bigfork)Worked ATV’s, boating, and fishing activities. He patrolled area trails and campgrounds. Numerous game and fish questions were answered. He also responded to wildlife-related complaints.
CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) checked anglers, monitored OHV activity and responded to animal complaints this week. CO Fairbanks and his K9 partner Fennec also searched for evidence in an ongoing investigation and located a set of keys at the Public Water Access. Enforcement action was taken for license issues and ATV registration violations.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked angling and recreational activity over the past week. CO Sutherland took enforcement action for angling in a closed area, angling with a gamefish, angling with too many lines, keeping a protected slot Northern Pike, and for jet-ski’s operating too close to shore at a high speed.
CO Taylor Hochstein (Hill City) noticed that overall fishing activity has slowed down, and more and more people are headed out on the water for swimming and watersports. With recent rainfalls, ATV trails are in good shape and dust-free for the most part. Assistancewasgivenataboaterssafety class for youth operators.
CO Brian Holt (Grand Rapids) patrolled ATV trails and monitored AIS LAKE
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compliance in the area. Time was also spent checking anglers and boating safety on area lakes. Complaints were received involving angler harassment and miscellaneous wildlife complaints. Enforcement action was taken for boating safety and angling violations.
Aviation Section
CO Pilot Jason Jensen (Brainerd) reports flying fisheries creel flights, waterfowl telemetry flights and acting as safety pilot for a training flight.
CO Pilot Charles Scott (Brainerd) completed sketch mapping flights and attended to multiple maintenance items. He also prepared upcoming training lessons.
CO Pilot Tim Gray (Bemidji) flew elk survey preparation flights with wildlife. He also attended to the plane and damaged hanger after a severe windstorm in Bemidji. Thankfully, the aircraft remained undamaged.
CO Pilot Ryan Hanna (Grand Rapids) worked with field officers in collecting evidenceofpossiblewetlandviolations. Officers use many tools to do great work including the use of aviation resources.
NR Pilot Gracie Zeller (Brainerd) flew a fixed wing training flight. Zeller also installed aerial spray equipment onto a helicopter.
Enforcement Education
Please check the DNR website at www.mndnr.gov for a current class listing of all DNR Enforcement Education Courses and instructor training sessions.
If you missed a fall class and are over 18, check online for the online course information. (It is also at www. mndnr.gov.)
Please check the DNR website www. mndnr.gov for a current class listing of all DNR Enforcement Youth and Adult Snowmobile Safety Courses and instructor training sessions.
Please direct questions to 1-800-3668917 or 1-888-MINNDNR.
Reminder: Anyone born after December 31, 1979 cannot purchase a license to hunt in Minnesota without first taking a DNR Safety Training Course and receiving a certificate. In addition, many states have even more stringent mandatory Hunter Education requirements. Check before you go!
