MN DNR Weekly Report for Sept. 4, 2018

District 5 - Eveleth area CO John Slatinski (Ray) reports bear baiting and hunting activity was the prevalent activity for the week. The rain came just in time to hatch a new batch of mosquitos for the bear hunters but hasn’t seemed to hamper the success of hunters so far. ATV use was also monitored with various violations noted. Equipment maintenance was also taken care of.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring area lakes and related angling and boating activity, checking public access sites, checking area forest roads and continuing to work on equipment. Computer data entry was completed and phone calls were returned.

CO Duke Broughton (Cook) spent the week monitoring angling, boating, ATV, and bear hunting and goose hunting activity. Anglers on Lake Vermilion reported moderate success. Goose and bear hunting success was limited. Broughten also assisted with locating a lost individual in the BWCA.

CO Marc Hopkins (Tower) spent the week working bear hunters, wild rice, anglers, and ATV enforcement. Even with a good wild berry and nut crop, Hopkins found many hunters were successful in harvesting a bear. The early goose hunters did not have a very good opener, and Hopkins did not find any hunters who had harvested geese.

CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) worked anglers, boaters, aquatic invasive species and state park enforcement, and the early goose and bear hunting openers. He also investigated a truck load of litter dumped in the woods and followed up on a fire investigation and an illegal bridge case. Goose and bear hunters were having poor luck with an abundance of natural food being the main reason for poor bear success. Bozovsky also attended the funeral of CO Kyle Quittschreiber, who recently passed away. Enforcement action was taken for possessing toxic shot, failing to register a bear bait station, hunting within 100 yards of an unregistered bear bait station, and a number of ATV and boating violations.

CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) attended the funeral for CO Kyle Quittschreiber. An issue of a stripped-down watercraft that was abandoned at a local public access was investigated. Area fields were checked ahead of time before the early goose season started. Despite checking fields for half of a day, only about two dozen geese were seen. On opening morning, there were many more goose hunters seen and checked than there were geese in the bag. The Labor Day weekend brought out high numbers of ATV riders. Enforcement action was taken for operating unregistered ATVs and failure to display registration.

CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) continued to work on background investigation of a CO applicant. Fredin responded to two separate anonymous complaints of wetlands violations but discovered no violation at either site. Fredin checked bear baiting activity and received a complaint from a hunter of stolen trail camera who also believes someone urinated on his bait site, which is known tactic to deter bears from the bait.

International Falls #2 – vacant.

District 6 - Two Harbors area CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) spent the week focusing on bear baiting and hunting enforcement. Rain off and on as the opener neared and into the weekend made for some difficult baiting conditions, although most hunters still reported activity. Williams also assisted with recovery efforts, which have so far been unsuccessful, on Lake Ore-Be-Gone in Gilbert.

CO John Velsvaag (Ely #2) checked bear baiting and bear hunting activity this past week. He also checked anglers and boaters on area lakes. Bear hunting and fishing were slow.

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) was out on the bear opener. He checked bear baits, hunters and ATVs. Anglers were also checked. Assistance was given to the U.S. Forest Service.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked bear hunting opener checking hunters and bait stations. She also handled a complaint of bait tampering during the week before season. Manning checked anglers, attended the funeral for CO Kyle Quittschreiber and assisted Cook County with the evacuation of an injured person from Judge C.R. Magney State Park.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) attended the funeral for CO Kyle Quittschreiber, worked bear baiting and the bear opener, and worked a boat and water shift on the Whitefish Chain. One individual operating a jet ski an hour and 40 minutes late was arrested for BWI. Another individual was arrested for DWI on an ATV after having two small children without helmets and a loaded firearm loose in the back of the ATV. Other enforcement action included baiting with a non-biodegradable product, failure to register bear bait, fishing without a license, insufficient PFDs, jet skis in closed hours, and no navigation lights after sunset.

CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) worked a busy week of bear activity and the holiday weekend. Time was spent on an ATV checking tails and back roads. 

CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) spent time checking angers, bear hunters and answering calls about wildlife over the long holiday weekend. Some nice bears were harvested and hunters were happy. Enforcement action was taken for hunting and firearm violations.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked a busy Labor Day weekend with everyone out enjoying one last summer outing. Bear season opened with some camps getting a few nice bears on opening day. ATV activity was high and the weather cooperated, with the exception of a few fast-moving thunderstorms that allowed riders to ride dust-free on most trails.

District 7 - Grand Rapids area CO Randy Patten (Northome) checked anglers, boaters and bear hunters, patrolled for illegal ATV operation, and worked ongoing cases. He also responded and assisted Itasca County with a drowning. Enforcement action was taken for operating an ATV on a public highway, allowing a juvenile to illegally operate an ATV, and no ATV safety training.

CO Jayson Hansen (Bigfork) reports working with COC Nathan Benkofske in field training. Time was spent working ATV riders, campers, bear hunters, and anglers. Enforcement action was taken for bear hunting without a license, juveniles not wearing helmets on ATVs, failing to drain water-related equipment, littering, and dogs off leashes in a campground. Lots of outdoor recreational activity in the area to report with the holiday.

CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) checked anglers, worked the bear opener, checked early goose hunters and provided a K9 demo. Angler success was good. Bear harvest was down in the area. Enforcement action was taken for license issues and failure to remove a drain plug.

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) and COC Hochstein monitored bear baiting activity and worked bear hunters during the opening weekend. Enforcement action was taken for failure to remove a drain plug from a watercraft on the roadway, wild ricing after hours, no angling license in possession, angling without a license, and no throwable onboard a watercraft. Sutherland and Hochstein also assisted the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office with search and rescue efforts for a drowning victim on an area lake.

CO Jimmy Van Asch (Pengilly) reports working big game, sport fishing, AIS, and ATV enforcement. Bear hunters were checked, and hunters are reporting moderate success to open the season. Assistance was given to Itasca County Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue with a drowning victim. Enforcement action was taken for several bear hunting, angling, and AIS violations.

Hill City – vacant.

NE ATV officer – vacant.

District 8 - Duluth area CO Andy Schmidt (Duluth West) worked area lakes and rivers for anglers. Time was spent working ATV trails and complaint areas. Bear opener was worked and hunters are reporting lots of activity at baits. He also attended the funeral services for CO Kyle Quittschreiber in Frazee.

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth East) and COC Leah Kampa continued to work on a public waters violation and an early bear bait complaint. Fishing enforcement was worked on Lake Superior and areas of ATV traffic were patrolled. A wildlife possession permit was issued. Enforcement action was taken for allowing illegal operation of an ATV, no headlights, expired registration, no ATV registration, unregistered bear bait and failing to activate a burning permit.

CO Scott Staples (Carlton) checked several bear hunters over opening weekend and found few successful hunters in the area. An investigation into a deer that was shot and dumped near somebody’s doorstep south of Carlton is still under investigation. Other enforcement action was taken this past week for ATV and AIS violations.

Lake Superior Marine Unit CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) worked inland for the bear opener in the Duluth area and spent time on Lake Superior in the Duluth-Two Harbors area, where lake trout are being caught in deeper water with a few chinook salmon also seen. Olson encountered violations for extra lines and for camping on a public access during the week. Calls about nuisance animal complaints also were fielded.

CO Matt Miller (Lake Superior Marine Unit) and COC Tony Elwell conducted fishing, boating and ATV patrols and checked bear baits along the North Shore of Lake Superior. Miller and Elwell aided local fire departments with the rescue of a hiker in Jay Cooke State Park who had sustained a back injury. Citations were issued for expired ATV registration and allowing illegal operation of ATVs. Several warnings were given for no headlights on public trails and no ATV training certification.

Lake Superior Unit – vacant.