District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports the Ely area had an extremely busy Labor Dayweekend. ATV and angling activity were the primary focuses, but some time was also spent on bear-baiting activity. Violations included angling without a license, fishing after revocation, and taking fish with extra lines.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) patrolled his station this week checking anglers and watercraft operators. He also patrolled for ATV and off-highway motorcycle activity. Additional time was spent monitoring AIS compliance near area lakes and public accesses.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) focused time on checking bear bait stations and anglers. He patrolled on his ATV working complaint areas with area officers. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) spent time working at the Minnesota State Fair. Ledeen fielded calls regarding bear-hunting regulations. An investigation on a poaching case in the BWCA continues.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) continued field training with COC Kristopher Ryan. They worked an extremelybusyLaborDayweekend. Time was spent on bear baiting, ATV trails, and fishing/boating enforcement. Activity levels were high with the great weather. Lots of enforcement action to report, including fishing after suspension, fishing without licenses, fishing without trout stamps, expired boat registration, insufficient PFDs, bear baiting violations, ricing without a license, and ATV registration and operation violations.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week monitoring ATV activity and preparing for the bear-hunting season. Time was spent working the Info Booth at the State Fair as well as working with other officers on an ATV saturation detail in Pine County. Enforcement action was taken for various ATV-related violations.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) reports the busy fall season has begun. Focus was directed to bear baiting and preparing for the upcoming hunting seasons. Nuisance-animal calls were taken and handled accordingly. Time was spent working a security detail at the Minnesota State Fair.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) spent time this week patrolling the area for bear baiting activity. Block followed up on various complaints in the area as well. Time was also spent training with K9 Jet and giving K9 Unit demonstrations at the State Fair
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working bear baiting activity and angling activity this past week. Enforcement action was taken for multiple illegal-length walleyes, various boating safety violations, and ATV-related issues.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports the forests are again coming alive with outdoor enthusiasts. With bear hunting starting a string of openers over the next month, and the trees beginning to change their appearance, people are excited for the next season. Mosquitos and biting flies are still giving it their best to greet bear hunters for opener. Wild rice harvesting opportunities are beginning to narrow, and birds are beginning to flock up. Now is a good time for off-highway vehicle operators to brush up on regulations and confirm registration status.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring angling and boating activities over the week. Area forest roads continue to be checked. ATVs and bear hunters baiting bears were frequent observations. Wild rice harvest is in full swing with numerous groups observed harvesting. Phone calls at all hours continue as some wait until the last minute to obtain the required licenses. A little preplanning goes a long way.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent most of the week monitoring bear baiting before the bear-hunting opener, and monitoring bear-hunting activity on the Labor Day opener. More hunters reported baits getting action later in the week as natural food sources are dwindling, and a few reported getting bears on the opener. Most of the holiday weekendwasspentworkingonLake Vermilion, which was extremely busy with the summer-like weather. Cannon also responded to assist St. Louis County on several calls throughout the week. Enforcement action taken this week included unregistered bear baits, fishing without a license, various PWC violations, navigation light violations, and PFD violations.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling, bear baiting, and wild rice enforcement. He spent time checking bear baits throughout his station and found violations that will be addressed during the bear season. He also spent time checking wild rice harvesters around the Vermilion area on rivers and streams. Larson spent time investigating state park violations and assisted other agencies with vehicle accidents and careless fires.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) worked ATV, boating/angling, and big-game activity. In addition, time was spent working the DNR Info Booth at the Minnesota State Fair and assisting local law enforcement agencies. Violations encountered primarily dealt with safety equipment and license/registration issues.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) and his trainee, Conservation Officer Candidate Jacob Peterson, patrolled local lakes and checked anglers throughout the week. They also completed a big-game investigation that resulted in discovering an individual had harvested an eight-point buck without a deer hunting license during the 2024 season. The subject admitted to bringing the buck to a local taxidermy shop, but the taxidermist wouldn’t accept it due to the hunter not having a license with it. The hunter was cited for taking deer without a hunting license, his rifle was seized, and restitution costs were added.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring ATV, boating, fishing, and bear baiting activity. ATV activity was average for the time of year. Anglers reported limited success. Warm weather brought out the boaters, and many reported it was the last trip for the summer. Bear hunters reported mixed results at their baits. Broughten also fielded calls regarding early goose season, ATV helmets for youth, and bear bait registrations.
Aviation Section
CO Pilot Jason Jensen (Brainerd) reports completing sketch mapping projects, documenting bear damage in fields, and flying an aquatic plant management specialist to document a new software program to locate current APM/Waters permits from the air. Angler checks were performed from the seaplane in the Northwest Angle portion of Lake of the Woods along with documenting possible illegal public water impacts. An ATV enforcement detail was also flown in Pine County.
CO Pilot Charles Scott (Brainerd) completed the wild rice survey flights and conducted a training flight with NR Pilot Zeller. Flights were conducted to check for after- hours wild rice harvesting. Post-maintenance return to service flights were also completed.
CO Pilot Ryan Hanna (Grand Rapids) patrolled northern Minnesota for angling. Hanna assisted a local agency to attempt to locate a missing boater. Hanna also provided aerial support prior to clearing.
CO Pilot Tim Gray (Bemidji) did two security details at the Minnesota State Fair. He also flew recon flights for COs and completed currency flights.
NR Pilot Gracie Zeller (Brainerd) flew several fixed-wing training flights. Zeller attended a meeting covering the successes of this summer’s cattail project and areas that can be improved in the future.
