District 6 - Two Harbors CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports the weather held over the weekend with fair temperatures and some sunshine making conditions very nice for the final weekend of the regular firearms deer season. Very few hunters were seen, however, and those checked reported no success. Violations included insufficient blaze orange/pink and operating an ATV without headlights.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely #2) checkeddeerandsmall-game hunters this week. He also spent time patrolling for waterfowl-hunting activity. Additional time was spent monitoring fishing and boating activity.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked deer hunters in Lake and Cook counties. A lot of deer hunters switched back to grouse hunting due to lack of deer in the area. Ice fishing activity wasmonitoredasafewinland lakes are frozen over.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) spent the week patrolling deer hunting, trapping, and angling activity. The final weekend of the firearms deer season had a few folks out looking for that last opportunity at a buck. Lakes in the area are in a freeze-and-thaw cycle, and folks are reminded to bring ample safety gear when traveling out on frozen water. Equipment maintenance was performed.
COAnthonyBermel(Babbitt) continued the final phase of field training with COC Kris Ryan. Time was spent in the La Crescent station where COC Ryan will soon be stationed. The officers worked waterfowl-hunting and angling enforcement on pools 7, 8, and 9 of the Mississippi River. 3B season deer hunters were checked over the opening weekend of the season. Some success was noted among waterfowl and deer hunters. Enforcement action was taken for several instances of failure to register deer, transporting a loaded firearm on an ATV, and ATV registration and operation violations.
COMeganFranzen(Silver Bay) spent the week checking small-game and deer hunters. Hunters reported varied success as the deer season ended. The week ended with relatively high temperatures along the shore, but hopefully the upcoming week of snow and cool weather brings the change of the season.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on deer- and grouse-hunting enforcement for the week. The last weekend of the firearms deer season came to a quiet end. Grouse-hunting activity has decreased now that inland areas are hitting freezing temperatures. One young hunter was checked with their first hard-earned grouse.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) spent time this week patrolling the area for hunting activity. Block also spent time training and working with fellow K9 handlers. Additionally, Block followed up on various complaints.
District 5 - Eveleth area CO Paul Kennedy (International Falls #1) checked several hunters throughout the last week of the deer season. Some areas provided better success, while harvest was low in others. He assisted local agencies on a medical call. Kennedy fielded several calls related to various hunting activities and the upcoming muzzleloader season. Enforcement action for the week included operating an unregistered ATV, shining during prohibited hours, and driving after revocation.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working deer-hunting activity this past week. Hunters reported a slower week overall. Angling and ATV activity wasmonitoredthroughoutthe week as well. Enforcement action was taken for failing to validate site tags and not tagging deer.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports that although fewer deer hunters were noted afield, complaints were still plentiful. Complaint areas involvinghuntingandshining after dark were investigated and remedied. Questions about land access were answered. Seasonal equipment maintenance was tended to. Fall continues to hang on with several people considering returning to the woods at the close of the firearms season for some more grouse hunting.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports it was hard to locate anyonehuntingduringthelast week of the deer season. Little activity was noted, and there were numerous comments about the lack of deer. Area forest roads were checked. Some lakes have frozen over while others remain open with boats on them. Equipment work continues.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) spent this week monitoring the last week of the firearms deer season. The woods were quiet this week, with not many hunters out. Time was also spent following up on a report of dogs chasing deer, which ended up being unfounded, along with working on other ongoing cases. Enforcement action this week included DWI, hunting while impaired, possessing a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and hunting without a license.
COAaronLarson(Tower) primarily worked deer-hunting and spruce-top-theft activity. Larson spent time checking hunters throughout his station and following up on hunting related investigations. Larson also spent time working on equipment maintenance. He reports the deer-hunting activity slowed significantly after the first week of the season.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) continued working the final week/weekend of the firearms deer season. Many deer camps had already closed their gates and hunting activity continued to dwindle. Time was also spent speaking at a Pathblazers Snowmobile Club meeting and responding to a variety of calls, including complaints of trespassing and shooting from the roadway.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) and COC Jacob Peterson continued to check big-game hunters throughout the last weekend of the rifle deer-hunting season. The two COs assisted local agencies with various calls throughout the week. They investigated a big-game-related complaint stemming from a neighboring CO, which resulted in lending/borrowing, illegal transport of protected wild game, and other additional violations. They also assisted with another CO’s DWI arrest, which resulted in Peterson arresting an individual for hunting while intoxicated.
District 7 - Grand Rapids CO Vinny Brown (Northome) checked deer, grouse, and waterfowl hunters. Wildlife- related calls were answered, and TIP calls were investigated. Enforcement action was taken for ATV registration issues.
CO Jayson Hansen (Bigfork) worked ATV riders, anglers, boaters, big-game and waterfowl hunters. He patrolled area trails and campgrounds. Numerous game and fish-related questions were answered. He also responded to wildlife-related complaints.
COMikeFairbanks(Deer River) worked TIP complaints, checked hunters, monitored decorative material harvesting, and checked anglers this week. Fairbanks and his K9 partner Fennec also attended training and responded to calls of lost hunters. Enforcement action was taken for license issues, and an arrest was made for outstanding warrants.
CO Thomas Sutherland (GrandRapids)workedabusy second week of the firearms deer season. Sutherland worked with area officers and took enforcement action for taking deer out of season, hunting deer without a license, failing to register a deer, and operating an ATV in the main traffic lane.
COJimmyVanAsch(Pengilly) focused enforcement efforts on big-game, smallgame, ATV, and angling activities. Enforcement action was taken for several hunting related violations. Assistance was also given to neighboring law enforcement agencies with calls for service.
CO TaylorHochstein(Hill City) reports that hunting success rates in the area varied but seemed to be better the second week of the firearms season than the first. Time was spent working on ongoing cases and enforcement action was taken for various deer-hunting violations.
CO Brian Holt (Grand Rapids) worked deer hunters and trapping activity during the previous week. Time was also spent following up on complaints of baiting deer and trespassing. Holt assisted another officer with an investigation and checked recreational vehicles in the area. Violations detected involved multiple big-gamehunting violations.
Aviation Section
CO Pilot Charles Scott (Brainerd) continued ongoing and recurrent flight training with unit pilots. He also attended a wildlife planning meeting for significant upcoming projects. A night-hunting detail was completed during the last weekend of the firearms deer season, as were additional requested flights from COs.
