District 6 - Two Harbors CO Sean Williams (Ely 1) reports: the waterfowl season started with good amount of ducksandhuntersforthearea. Grouse hunting activity was fair and bird numbers continue to be lower than recent years. Violations included: hunting with no license in possession.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely 2) patrolled his station this week checking grouse and bear hunters. He also patrolled for fishing and boating activity. Additional time was spent monitoring AIS compliance near area lakes and public water accesses.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked bow hunters, small game hunters, and ATV riders. Time was also spent checking anglers on remote trout lakes. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations.
COHudsonLedeen(Hovland) contacted multiple groups of grouse hunters over the weekend. Almost every hunter had complaints or concerns about the lack of grouse in the area. Fishing remains consistent on most lakes. Time was also spent patrolling the BWCA. Enforcement action was taken for varying violations.
COMeganFranzen(Silver Bay)spenttheweekprimarily monitoring ATV and small game hunting activity. Peak fall colors brought a lot of visitors and traffic to the area, and the weather was perfect for outdoor recreating. Grouse hunters reported generally greater success than opening weekend, but the number of birds seen was still relatively low.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) spent time on a wide variety of activities this week. Time was spent patrolling the BWCAW with CO Larson. Activity levels in the wilderness were high. Duck opener was worked with decent duck numbers observed. Grouse numbers still seem way down in the station. Enforcement action was taken for fishing without licenses, illegal length northern, unregistered watercraft, litter, cans and glass in the BWCAW, no HIP certification, and possession of toxic shot.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on grouse hunting and angling enforcement for the week. Time was spentworkingtheBWCAand ATV activity. Grouse hunters have been reporting a lower amount of birds this year.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) Spent time this week attending K9 training with fellow handlers. Time wasalsospentcheckingsmall game hunters in the area. Block reminds those who are hunting and encourages those who are simply out in the field to stay visible and wear their blaze orange/pink.
District 5 - Eveleth area CO Paul Kennedy (International Falls #1) spent time this week answering and returning calls related to the fall hunting seasons and upcoming youth hunts. Waterfowl hunters reported a slow start to the season with only a handful of ducks and geese observed. Kennedy also assisted at a local trapping education class over the weekend.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) As fall progresses, seasonal activities continue to increase in number and participation. The weekend brought nice weather seasoned with tree colors enhancing the visual pallet. More waterfowl hunters were in the area than usual for the opener, with some success observed. Grouse hunters are hoping for the canopy and understory to start thinning out in the forests.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports little success over the week in grouse hunters checked. Waterfowl reports from the weekend were mixed. Beaver problems have again started. ATV activity was checked and public access sites monitored.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) kept busy this week as outdoor activity is quickly ramping up for the fall. Time was spent checking grouse hunters, monitoring forest roads and ATV activity, monitoring ongoing bear hunting along with archery deer hunting, and checking anglers. Waterfowl hunters were checked over the main season opener this weekend, with more hunters out than the last couple of years. A fair amountofbirdswereseenand there was plenty of shooting, but few birds were downed.
COAaronLarson(Tower) worked primarily hunting and angling activity. He spent time checking waterfowl hunters who were having mixed success. CO Larson also worked the BWCAW where he found violations such as angling without a license, illegal length northern pike, possession of cans and glass in the BWCAW, and other license violations.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked small game, big game, and waterfowl activity. Nuisance bears continue to be reported and an investigation into a report of geese being taken before the season started resulted in enforcement action. Local duck hunters had moderate success over the opener while grouse hunters continued to be frustrated by low numbers and thick cover.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) Time was spent investigating a trespass complaint and working on ATV operating procedures over the week. Additionally, Zavodnik worked waterfowl, small game, and ATV enforcement over the weekend. Waterfowl success varied, as some hunters were able to pin down decent pockets of ducks opening day. A fair number of nuisance bear calls have been fielded over the week.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring hunting, fishing, and ATV activity. More hunters were encountered for waterfowl opener than last year. Waterfowl hunters had moderate success. Grouse hunters reported limited success. Few anglers were on the water this week. CO Broughten fielded calls regarding nuisance animals, youth hunting regulations, and burning permits.
