District 2 – Bemidji area

Last updated: 2025-11-17

CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports spending most of this week working the continuing firearms deer season. Time was also spent checking duck hunters, working trapping related complaints, and responding to various trespass-related calls. Enforcement action was taken for several deer-hunting related violations.

CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #1) spent time checking hunters during the firearms deer season. Most hunters continue to report a slower season. He worked details with other area conservation officers and spent time following up on TIP calls.

CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) reports a slower end to the regular firearms deer season. A few reminders were needed for hunters to register their deer, but overall hunting regulation compliance was high. Warm midweek weather brought out a fair number of anglers to chase the fall walleye bite. They had decent success. Ice-covered ponds and shallow bays congregated the few huntable waterfowl in the area, allowing the die-hard hunters the opportunity to see some birds.

CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking all sorts of hunters. Most people were out deer hunting, but several people were out chasing grouse and ducks in the area. Swedberg and K9 Axel also assisted area officers with some shooting from the road cases and a reckless discharge case. Both cases remain ongoing.

CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) continued field training this week with COC Nathan Garza. Time was spent working the firearms deer season. Enforcement action was taken for hunting over bait and multiple instances of transporting loaded or uncased firearms.

CO William Landmark (Moorhead) continued this week field training COC Corbus. The week was spent working firearms deer season activity. Enforcement action was taken for transporting a loaded firearm, shooting at a big-game animal from the road right-of-way, and driving deer with a motor vehicle. Officers have seen generally good success this deer season, with many new hunters harvesting their first deer. Officers would like to remind ATV owners that if their ATV is over 2,000 pounds, it is considered and off-road vehicle and is not allowed to be operated on roadways.

CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) spent the week focusing on firearms deer-hunting activity. Investigations of trespass and baiting were conducted. Deer registration issues were addressed, a complaint of possible dumping on a wildlife management area was investigated, and ATV and ORV checks were performed.

CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) continued to check deer hunters throughout the week and followed up on TIP reports on baiting, overlimits, and trespass. A deer shot from the road in a game refuge area was also addressed. Much appreciation and thanks are given to the public for assistance in that area. A turkey hanging from a tree by a rope was reported on private property along with a deer hanging in the middle of a separate property. The deer case was solved and was a miscommunication between family members. Possession permits were issued for car-struck deer and carcasses disposed of in a ditch were also addressed and cleaned up.

Bemidji #2 – vacant.

Pelican Rapids – vacant.

District 3 – Fergus Falls area

Last updated: 2025-11-17

CO Hanna Wood (Fergus Falls) spent the week focused on big-game enforcement. Some waterfowl and recreational vehicle enforcement was also worked. She would like to remind people to ensure their land is posted according to the hunting regulations booklet if they have intentions to pursue trespass with anyone who enters their property.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) spent the busy week of firearms deer season handling a multitude of violations. Overall, hunters seemed to struggle to fill tags, with deer not moving much during the day. Several hunter-harassment and trespass calls were handled, as was an instance of dogs running on neighboring property.

CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports checking deer-hunting and pheasant-hunting activity during the week. Success rates had a significant decrease going into the weekend. Additional time was spent on fishing and ATV violations that were encountered. Enforcement action was taken.

CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked deer, pheasant, and waterfowl hunters. Deer-hunting related calls and complaints were received and handled throughout the week. Fishing activity has increased with the nice weather.

CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week checking deer hunters, waterfowl hunters, and anglers. With the cool weather, many ducks made it into the area. People willing to duck hunt had success. Various deer-hunting related complaints were handled in the station.

CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) spent the busy week and weekend checking deer hunters and responding to multiple calls for service. There were lots of happy hunters in Todd and Douglas counties. She assisted the Minnesota State Patrol and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office on an active investigation and encountered several big-game violations. Various enforcement action was taken throughout the week.

CO Curt Jepson (Wheaton) spent the week checking waterfowl and pheasant hunters. Area deer hunters reported a slow week, with little movement. He received various complaints of shooting from the road and trespass throughout the week. Enforcement action was taken for some of those violations.

CO Emily Douvier (Morris) spent time monitoring deer-, waterfowl-, and pheasant-hunting activity. Enforcement action was taken for various license violations. Douvier also helped in the search and rescue of a lost hunter in Lac qui Parle County.

CO Andrew Ladzinski (Glenwood) spent his time patrolling for big-game and waterfowl-hunting activity. He investigated multiple trespassing complaints and hunter-harassment complaints. Enforcement action was taken for trespass, burning prohibited materials, failing to register deer, and various big-game-tagging violations.

District 4 – Walker area

Last updated: 2025-11-17

CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked big-game and small-game hunters and followed up on open cases. Assistance was given to local agencies and multiple calls for service were answered. Enforcement action was taken for multiple big-game violations.

CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the local area for big-game activity. He assisted with finding the hunter who legally took a buck, and the buck was found by another hunter. Baum took various enforcement action for big-game violations.

CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) checked a good number of hunters during the week of the deer season, with a fair number of deer being harvested. He received several calls of people dumping deer carcasses on WMAs and state forest land. Hunters are reminded that it is littering, and a citation will be issued if caught illegally dumping deer. Enforcement action was taken for hunting over bait and other violations related to hunting big game.

CO Patrick McGowan (Cass Lake) and COC Kaitlyn Istvanovich patrolled Winnibigoshish and Leech lakes for anglers and waterfowl hunters. Time was also spent patrolling for deer hunters. Enforcement action was taken for numerous violations.

CO Corey Sura (Remer) patrolled the Remer station through the second weekend of the deer season. Several tagging violations were addressed. Sura assisted area COs with a work detail. An individual was arrested for driving while his license is canceled inimical to public safety and possessing a loaded pistol in the motor vehicle.

CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) checked deer-hunting activity. She investigated multiple hunting related concerns. She also responded to a report of an accidentally taken fisher.

CO Levi Brown (Staples) saw a busy last week of deer season with many hunters filling their tags. Brown responded to various big-game-related calls throughout the week. Some were unfounded while others were obvious violations.

Walker – vacant.

ATV rec officer – vacant.