Conservation Officer Darrin Kittelson (International Falls 1) reports another very busy week and weekend monitoring sturgeon fishing on the Rainy River. Fishing, boat and water safety, and invasive species enforcement were the main focuses of the contacts.
Enforcement action for the past week included no angling license in possession, failure to display watercraft registration and failure to validate a sturgeon tag.
CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls 2) reports working the Rainy River throughout the past week checking sturgeon anglers. He also monitored beaver-trapping activity.
Enforcement action was taken for no fishing license in possession and operating a motorized watercraft without any life jackets.
Simonson also reports becoming a part-time photographer this past week. While approaching their boat to check a couple sturgeon anglers, the anglers doubled up on two nice sturgeon. Both fish were landed and some nice photos were taken of both of them before the fish were released.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports monitoring area lakes and local forest roads over the past week. Boating, ATV and angling activities were checked. Equipment work was completed and numerous phone calls were answered.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time following up on cases from the previous week, which led to the arrest of an angler who had a felony warrant. He also responded to a wanton-waste complaint. The individual admitted he was wrong for leaving several rabbits and a grouse lay to waste outside. Aside from the wanton-waste violation, the person was also in violation for taking a doe in a bucks-only zone, failing to validate and attach his deer tag, and failing to register the deer.
Enforcement action was taken in multiple instances, including an ATV DWI arrest over the busy weekend.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the past week monitoring fishing, ATV and trapping activity. Broughten investigated a complaint of people working in public waters without a permit. He also assisted with a firearms safety class.
District 6 — Two Harbors area
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) spent the past week checking steelhead anglers along the North Shore of Lake Superior. He responded to nuisance-animal calls and followed up on past investigations. Time was also spent preparing equipment for the upcoming fishing opener.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) reports checking a good number of ATV operators and a couple off-highway motorcycle riders. Compliance was very good.
Manning also checked anglers on Lake Superior tributaries and took a few angling questions.
Forest road conditions are greatly improved thanks to dry weather. Fire danger is also high and permits are restricted, so property owners should check before making plans to do any spring-cleanup burning.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked sucker spearing, checked anglers, patrolled state parks, and worked burning and ATV enforcement. One individual encountered was angling on a trout lake (closed season) while angling privileges were revoked, resulting in a citation for those violations.
Other enforcement action included chasing a wild animal with a motor vehicle; no burning permit; no helmet on an ATV passenger under 18; expired registration; failure to stop at a road crossing; transporting watercraft with a drain plug in place; snagging fish; using a dip net in a closed season; and an illegal body gripping trap set.
If anyone has information as to the identity of the male who speared a muskie in Tower on April 24, please call Bermel or the Turn In Poachers line. You can remain anonymous.
CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) worked area angling and some boat traffic. ATV trails are still closed in the area, but Silver Bay was still able to host two ATV safety classes.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports anglers are hitting the tributaries hard in search of steelhead. Success has been pretty good with Hill seeing some nice fish being landed. Hens are still full of eggs and he anticipates this success will continue into the future are more fish are showing up to spawn.
One steelhead angler was arrested after Hill contacted them carrying a handgun while the angler’s blood-alcohol concentration was 0.04 or more. A few violations for using treble hooks, having no angling license, and having no trout stamp were also documented throughout the past week.
ATVs are starting to utilize the trails and roadways with a nice stretch of weather upon us. Hill also saw good numbers of ruffed and spruce grouse frequenting the roadways. Hopefully a strong nesting season brings a bountiful fall.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked smelting and Lake Superior stream trout activity. Boating activity has risen as anglers prepare watercraft for the open-water season. A reminder to boaters to check watercraft for all required safety equipment such as personal flotation devices, lights, fire extinguishers, a sound-producing device and current registration.
District 7 — Grand Rapids area
CO Vinny Brown (Northome) monitored angling, trapping, and ATV activity. With dry conditions, several fires have been reported and were responded to. Calls were taken involving orphaned animals and theft of traps. Enforcement action was taken for failure to obtain a burning permit, no fishing licenses in possession, and expired ATV registration. An arrest was made involving an individual operating a side-by-side ATV under the influence of alcohol.
CO Jayson Hansen (Bigfork) patrolled state parks and worked anglers, forestry, small game and ATV riders. Numerous game-and-fish-related questions were answered. He also responded to wildlife-related complaints.
CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) checked anglers, monitored trapping activity and worked aquatic invasive species enforcement. Enforcement action was taken for license issues.
CO Sarah Grell (Grand Rapids) spent time checking anglers and focusing on boating and ATV activity. She also performed equipment maintenance and followed up on a beaver-related complaint. She also worked aquatic invasive species activity. A reminder to boaters and anglers to make sure they have proper boating equipment onboard when utilizing the lakes.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked open-water panfishing activity with the crappie bite heating up. Enforcement action was taken for angling without a license.
Enforcement work was also done surrounding ATV activity in the area.
Enforcement action was taken for operating in a closed or non-motorized area.
Enforcement action was also taken for allowing a minor to illegally operate an off-highway motorcycle.
CO Taylor Hochstein (Hill City) checked anglers who were in search of warm water and crappies that were willing to bite. Fishing success varied from lake to lake, but most people were able to catch some nice fish.
Turkey hunters were also checked, but reported overall low success rates.
District 8 — Duluth area
CO Andy Schmidt (Duluth West) spent the past week working North Shore angling activity, smelting and fish run. Smelting activity has been high, but seems to be at the tail end of the run.
ATV-related complaints of use on closed trails and trespassing continue as the weather improves.
Nuisance/injured animal-related issues are also ramping up. Schmidt assisted Fond Du Lac Wildlife Services with an injured-pelican recovery in the St. Louis River. He also worked invasive species enforcement at Lake Superior accesses, spent time in Jay Cooke State Park and assisted with the State Patrol Academy Water Survival Course.
CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth East) spent time on the North Shore working shore fishing and the spring fish run. Area rivers are still busy with many people attempting to catch steelhead.
ATV and off-road vehicle activity continues to be busy. Several complaints have been worked of ATVs and off-road vehicles operating in unlawful areas. Smelting activity continues with lots of smelters fishing Lake Superior and the river mouths for smelt. Other activities included prepping boats and the ATV for the season.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) assisted with teaching an ATV safety class in Moose Lake. Time was also spent investigating wolf-depredation complaints where cattle and chickens were allegedly being taken by wolves.
K-9 training continues with a new K-9 partner in St Paul.
Lake Superior Marine Unit
CO Keith Olson ( Lake Superior Marine Unit) helped co-instruct the division’s water survival course for the current State Patrol academy and followed up with U.S. Coast Guard crews on upcoming work details on the Duluth-Superior Harbor and St. Louis River. He worked fish and smelt runs along the North Shore tributaries in St. Louis and Lake counties.
Olson also followed up on questions regarding a gated state forest road north of Duluth.
CO Matt Miller (Lake Superior Marine Unit) checked anglers and ATV riders. Equipment maintenance was handled and trespass complaints were monitored. Reports of protected steelhead being kept and ATVs operating in rivers continue to come in. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations.
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