District 6 - Two Harbors
CO Sean Williams (Ely 1) reports: Grouse hunting activity continues to ramp up now that the woods have begun to open and the understory is clearing. Success however still seems to fall behind recent years. Problem bear calls persist around the area and several complaints were taken of bears breaking into homes. Residents are again asked to secure attractants like bird seed and garbage.
CO Brent Ihnen (Ely 2) continued checking fishermen and watercraft operators this week. He also spent time patrolling for big and small game hunting activity. Additional time was spent monitoring ATV and OHM riders on area trails.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) checked small game hunters and ATV riders. The back roads had heavy traffic with people enjoying the nice fall weather. The officer followed up on hunting complaints and nuisance animal calls.
CO Hudson Ledeen (Hovland) spent the week patrolling forest roads and trails. Grouse hunters were out in numbers over the weekend, and success varied from group to group. Seasonal equipment maintenance was performed on station equipment. Enforcement action was taken for hunting violations.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) reports heavy ATV traffic with the warmer weather. Duck hunter numbers were low, and local bird numbers seem low. Grouse numbers continue to be down, although a few birds are showing up with the leaves starting to drop. Enforcement action was taken for transporting a loaded firearm on an ATV.
CO Megan Franzen (Silver Bay) spent the week primarily monitoring small game hunting activity. Time was also spent in the southern part of the state assisting other officers with pheasant opener. Cooler weather during the week led to relatively hot temperatures over the weekend, and the return of cooler weather should help with hunting activity.
CO Trent Anderson (Tofte) focused on grouse hunting and ATV enforcement for the week. The woods and trails were busy with folks enjoying the weather before the cooldown. Various grouse hunting and ATV violations were encountered and addressed.
CO Cassie Block (Two Harbors) spent time this week checking hunters in the area. Block continued training with K9 Jet. Time was also spent assisting other law enforcement agencies.
District 5 - Eveleth area
CO Paul Kennedy (International Falls #1) monitored small game and ATV activity throughout the week. Ruffed grouse hunters reported low success as the week went on with a lot of vegetation still holding. Kennedy completed trainings with surrounding officers. He also took several calls related to wetland violations, trespass, and a shooting from the roadway complaint.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) It appears that nature is finally reaching the grand finale for this year’s fall color show up north. The unseasonably warm weather brought plenty of people outdoors over the weekend. Grouse hunters are starting to see a few more birds although overall numbers appear to be down significantly from the previous two years. The removal of navigational aids has reduced the number of anglers on the water although fishing continues to be good. Waterfowl numbers are low as hunters await the northern flight.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports checking area forest roads and atv trails. Grouse hunting remains poor. Waterfowl activity over the week appeared non- existent with little hunting and few ducks in the area. Recreational ATV riding continues. Beaver problems were delt with.
CO Sean Cannon (Cook) reports outdoor activity continues to pick up throughout the area. This week time was spent checking Grouse hunters, checking waterfowl hunters, checking anglers and monitoring ATV activity along with other activity on area forest roads.
CO Aaron Larson (Tower) spent time checking small game hunters and working ATV activity and spent time at a training session. Larson observed higher levels of traffic later in the week with some grouse being taken. He ran across violations of transporting loaded firearms. He also responded to waterfowl hunting complaints.
CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked small game, ATV, and waterfowl enforcement. In addition, time was spent attending a district meeting, receiving online training, and following up on complaints. Violations encountered included taking grouse with no license, expired ATV registration, and operating an ATV on a state highway.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) Time was spent assisting various DNR Divisions with input on proposed ATV trail systems. Nuisance bear calls continue to roll in, and several complaints were also fielded.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring hunting, fishing, and ATV activity. Waterfowl and grouse hunters reported limited success. Few fishermen were encountered this week; however, they reported moderate success. Warm fall weather brought out a higher number of ATV riders. CO Broughten fielded calls regarding licenses, trespass, ATV trails.
