Some DNR officers report hearing complaints about early teal season during waterfowl opening – Grand Forks Herald

Here is the weekly report from Department of Natural Resources conservation officers in northwestern Minnesota and adjacent areas of northern Minnesota for Monday, September 26:

CO Ben Huener (Reed) conducted field training with COC Hams. They spent time taking a waterfowl identification class, checking out bear bait, and checking out waterfowl and small game hunters. Thief Lake had a good turnout, with the hunters having mixed success. Violations found included shooting before work hours and wanton waste.

CO Corey Sura (Baudette East) attended the annual training at Camp Ripley. Waterfowl hunters were reviewed during the weekend opening. Sura saw average hunter success over the weekend with typical early season mixed bags, consisting primarily of blue-winged teals. Addressed personal flotation device violations.

CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) conducted field training with COC Paavola. They worked the opening weekend of waterfowl, where moderate to good success was found with multiple hunting parties with mixed bags and some limits. Investigations into deer bait hunting and illegal bear bait stations were conducted. Enforcement action was taken for taking deer for bait and setting up bear bait stations without a valid bear license.

CO Demosthenes Regas (Blackduck South) reports checking bear, grouse, bow deer and duck hunters last week. Regas reports that he worked the opening duck hunt, that he started with near-perfect duck hunting conditions on opening morning. Regas noted that the hunters reported seeing a fair number of ducks, but also that their shooting skills were a bit rusty. He spent time helping with water safety officer training at the State Patrol Academy at Camp Ripley, checking on some late-season fishermen on area lakes and investigating a wolf predation complaint. Violations found and addressed last week included waterfowl seal violations.

CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports a significant amount of small game hunting activity. Enforcement action was taken for lack of small game license in possession and also for shining/shooting from a motor vehicle.

warpath #1 – vacant.

warpath #2 – vacant.

baudette #1 – vacant.

CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports contacting several waterfowl hunters during the first weekend. He also spent time controlling bear hunters, bow hunters, and fishermen. Several violations related to angling and hunting were found.

CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji #1) continuous training in the field. He spent time patrolling the area’s ATV trails, lakes and looking for the waterfowl opener. He was a busy waterfowl opener on many public approaches, with a mixed bag of ducks being brought in. Waterfowl hunters caught mallards, wood ducks, pintails, ringnecks, and teals. He also spent time preparing and maintaining equipment for the waterfowl season.

CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) I spent the week reviewing small game hunters and waterfowl hunters. Checked out many groups of duck hunters over the weekend, and most of the groups had some success and almost all of the groups complied with the law. Teal, Wood and Ring-necked ducks were the most common ducks seen over the weekend, with a few Ruddy Ducks and Mallards mixed in. ) and do not plug in a shotgun while hunting migratory waterfowl.

CO Al Peterson (Osage) helped with in-service training and worked with bear and duck hunters. Duck opener was good for most hunters. Almost everyone had ducks and many had their limit. Peterson also responded to a break-in call from a squirrel catcher. The hunter was located and enforcement action was taken for breaking and entering and without a license.

CO Steve Chihak (Moorhead) gave a presentation on law and ethics at a firearm safety class in Pelican Rapids.

CO Angie Warren (Mahnomen) he spent time hunting small game, archery, and bear hunting. WMAs and WPAs in the area were patrolled. The fishing activity was worked with a few fishermen trying their luck. The opening of the waterfowl season was worked with good hunters. Complaints of jet ski operators harassing waterfowl were followed up and beaver dam removal was carried out.

Bagley – vacant.

#two – vacant.

CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) reports having verified a good number of duck hunters during the regular opening, with high regulatory compliance. The opening day produced a good average number of ducks for most hunters, followed by a sharp decline on the second day. Additional time was spent monitoring fishermen and responding to complaints of target shooting on public lands and harassment of hunters. Goodman also received a call from a person who had struck a deer in central Stevens County. The person later found out that the deer rode the rest of its journey, all the way to Otter Tail County, in a trailer they were pulling.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) handled reports of illegally destroyed aquatic vegetation, held an ATV safety class, and worked the inaugural weekend of the waterfowl hunt. Several calls were handled regarding the upcoming deer season, juvenile hunting, and home invasion. Plautz handled the ATV violations found this week and worked on a possible double fishing trip claim. She responded to a call for a dead deer found in a field, likely killed in a collision with a motor vehicle.

CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports that he spends most of his law enforcement effort on angling and waterfowl/small game activity throughout the week. He watched many hunters for the opening of the waterfowl hunt this weekend. A high percentage of the groups he found were lucky enough to reach their limits. Hunters reported seeing mostly teal, with the occasional mallard or wood duck.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) waterfowl hunters, fishermen and ATV drivers. Most of the waterfowl hunters surveyed were very disappointed at the lack of waterfowl present, with several expressing discontent at the start of teal season. Osborne assisted US Fish and Wildlife Service officers in a Douglas County waterfowl harassment case.

CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) monitored waterfowl hunters during the busy opening weekend. Many groups were reviewed and almost all were very successful. Teals were the most commonly taken birds, with various limits of two and three hunters counted. Musk fishermen were also monitored as activity increases late in the season. The Bowhunters were also reviewed, with some having success early in the season.

CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) I spent the week helping with training at Camp Ripley and working on the waterfowl watch over the weekend. He also spent time with Breckenridge fifth graders talking about invasive species and how important it is that each person play their part. In the waterfowl opener, Wood took a report from TIP about an individual who had shot a pelican. This TIP led to a dead pelican and a citation issued to the responsible individual. Wood welcomes these TIPs and hopes the public will continue to call in to report what he sees during the fall hunting seasons. He also worked the angling app.

CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports that he helps train staff with different tasks at Camp Ripley. She also continues to work on a background investigation. Questions and complaints about the opening of the duck hunting season were also received.

CO Daniel Baumbarger (Glenwood) reports that the week’s enforcement efforts focused on controlling waterfowl hunters and anglers. She took extra time to attend training and review bowhunters. Baumbarger noted that the waterfowl hunters had some success during the opening weekend. Several hunting groups attributed the low success to the early teal season and believed the birds were scattered and educated.

osakis – vacant.

CO Jordan Anderson (Wadena) continuous field training COC Znajda. He spent time investigating a deer landing incident and monitoring fishermen. The waterfowl hunters were reviewed during the opening weekend. Most of the hunters had some ducks in the bag.

CO Patrick McGowan (Walker) ongoing training with a new conservation officer candidate. Officers worked lakes and rivers in the Cass County area throughout the week. The area has been busy with waterfowl hunting and fishing activity. Enforcement action was taken for multiple excesses, boating safety violations, and numerous waterfowl hunting violations.

CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) controlled the hunting activity and fishing with a rod. She also responded to the call of a wounded eagle. Enforcement actions were taken for lack of license in possession, lack of HIP certification, and an additional fishing line.

CO Michael Cross (Lake George) I worked archery deer and bear hunting along with small game hunting all week. The weekend consisted mostly of waterfowl hunters and archery deer hunters cross-checking. None of the waterfowl hunters Cross checked had a skunk in the opening. She also devoted significant time to ongoing background investigation.

CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) mainly waterfowl hunters and fishermen. A hunter harassment call was received and investigated. He also took time to train last week. Enforcement actions were taken for waterfowl, angling, and ATV violations.

CO Adam Seifermann (Staples) reports a busy start to the waterfowl season. Hunters were successful with mixed bags of mallards, teals, and wood ducks. He also checked out squirrel and grouse hunters in the area. Some enforcement measures included insufficient licenses, unplugged shotgun, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of lead shot while hunting waterfowl, insufficient number of life jackets, taking a migratory non-game bird, and various other issues. Recreational Vehicle Registration.

ATV Recreation Officer – vacant.