Let me ask you, by calling in all these complaints..have people done more good for how non hunters view our sport or more damage?
By them listing all these violations & violators in outdoor publications all across America(read below). Have we not given the anti hunting public a unlimited supply of violations in black and white week after week after week. We help single out the wrong, proving the anti hunting public's point each and every week. People been taught that their doing good by calling in but just read this and tell me how this information does us as hunters any good. We are shooting ourselves in the foot.
What if a football team started calling penalties on themselves? IMO, that's exactly what we are doing. You-Hoo..look over here, he's cheeting...ewww...ewww...he trapped the ball..that was no catch, Etc.
Every call someone makes that makes these reports. Sends a message to the anti hunting community. I just as soon hide the bad in our sport as much as possible. Spend our money on habitat and improving the population of game, instead of so much enforcement action that only continues to want more and more power and regulations.. Make game more plentiful with easier access for all and these acts of desperation will shrink in frequency.
Minnesota Cuffs
Posted: Thursday, November 11, 2010 12:00 pm
District 1 – Baudette area
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) prepared for and worked the opening weekend of firearms deer season in Roseau, Kittson, and Marshall counties. Enforcement action was taken for hunting deer over bait, shooting from the roadway, and leaving a blind on WMA overnight.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls) worked with CO Pilot Murray for the firearms deer season opener. One individual fled from CO Woinarowicz in his vehicle and then ran into the woods after removing his blaze orange jacket. The plane was soon overhead and when the violator heard it circling he realized escape was unlikely and came out of the woods. He was arrested and faces charges for DWI and other violations.
CO Robert Gorecki (Baudette) monitored deer hunting and fishing activity throughout the week. Numerous complaints were handled, including trespassing, hunter harassment, shining, baiting, shooting from roadways, careless driving, and operating ATVs during closed hours.
District 2 – Bemidji area
CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) checked a variety of hunters and anglers. The officer assisted with investigating the theft of PWCs and tribal nets.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports mild weather kept deer hunters on stand most of the opening weekend. A 16-year-old hunter shot himself in the foot during the afternoon of the opening of the firearm deer season. The young hunter was airlifted to the hospital.
CO Phil Seefeldt (Moorhead) reports a successful start to the firearms deer season. A party was attempting to retrieve a deer from a WMA and got three trucks stuck in the hunting area. A 52-year-old male shot himself in the hand when he put his hand over the end of the 20-gauge barrel while getting up from a kneeling position. The hunter admitted to not having the safety on. He was airlifted to the hospital.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) focused enforcement efforts on firearms deer-hunting activity. One hunter abandoned a firearm and clothing in a field. The items can be returned if the hunter comes forward and contacts the officer. Cougar questions were common.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) worked night shining complaints during the week and a busy opening weekend of deer season. Trespass complaints were investigated, and several license issues were addressed. Plautz assisted an area officer with a gross misdemeanor case regarding illegal deer.
CO Daniel Baumbarger (Wheaton) checked deer hunters, fishermen, and waterfowl and pheasant hunters. CO Baumbarger also investigated complaints of trespassing, shooting deer from the road, shining, and chasing deer with motor vehicles.
CO Tony Anderson (Morris) focused enforcement efforts on opening weekend of firearms deer season, pheasant hunters, and waterfowl hunters. Most crops have been harvested in the area, but hunter numbers and the deer take seemed below average. Anderson investigated a couple of different shining complaints.
District 4 – Wadena area
CO Paul Parthun (Lake George) assisted the sheriff’s department with an assault involving two hunters and a suspicious complaint involving threats and gunshots. While checking two hunters, who happened to be state Sen. Mary Olson and her husband, a third hunter approached who was in obvious distress. He stated he had fallen from his treestand. Assistance was provided to him and he was ultimately airlifted to a hospital.
CO Sam Hunter (Park Rapids) received calls about ATVers operating during restricted hours, gun hunters in the state game refuge, and hunting over bait. Officer Hunter also received a complaint, which remains under investigation, that an individual shot a deer the day before the rifle season.
CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) worked trespassers and road hunters during the deer opener. He investigated several baiting complaints.
CO Gary Sommers (Walker) focused on big-game hunting activity. In addition, he answered numerous questions regarding the deer-hunting regulation changes and checked on a complaint from the U.S. Forest Service regarding people illegally cutting pine trees. The complaint was unfounded, as the individuals had the proper authority to cut the trees. He also assisted the Cass County Sheriff’s Department in attempting to locate a burglary suspect.
CO Duke Broughten (Longville) spent the week monitoring waterfowl and deer-hunting activity. CO Broughten also handled several other trespass, hunting, and ATV complaints.
CO Shane Siltala (Water Resource Enforcement Officer) assisted with a wetland violation site in Otter Tail County and monitored hunting activity during the opening weekend of the deer firearms season. While checking one nervous hunter, Officer Siltala asked if he had any luck, and the hunter said he hadn’t seen anything. When the officer asked how the specks of fresh blood got on his coveralls, the truth soon emerged and he admitted he shot a doe but didn’t have a doe permit.
District 5 – Eveleth area
CO Dan Starr (Tower) reports a baiting case was made, in which a deer camp of three hunters faced losing guns and over $2,500 in fines and restitution. Numerous tagging issues were addressed. A father was cited for shooting an antlerless deer and having his youth son tag it. The youth is now restricted to a buck only, which will decrease his odds of getting his first deer. Many fishermen were out during the wee. One boater was found to be intoxicated and was charged accordingly.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) worked balsam bough cutters, a number of baiting complaints prior to and during the deer rifle opener, and the deer rifle opener. An individual involved in a firearms violation was seen again about 2 hours later after he hit a guard rail on a bridge with his car. He was turned over to the sheriff’s department and was arrested for DWI. An individual purposely trapping owls was investigated, and charges are forthcoming.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) would like to remind hunters that just because you have hunted in an area for 30 years does not give you any more right to hunt that land than anyone else. Numerous hunters received citations for hunting deer over bait. Each of the hunters’ firearms was seized. One of the hunters who received a citation for hunting over had received a citation from CO Frericks for the same offense in 2007. Upon conviction, the hunter’s big-game hunting privileges will be revoked for 3 years.
CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) came upon a vehicle in the ditch and the driver was arrested for DUI – the preliminary breath test was more than three times the legal limit. Deer opener started out with hunters calling the sheriff's office and reporting someone was shooting at them while they were in their stands. Deputies, a State Trooper, local police officers, and the CO responded to this “shots fired” call. Both hunters stated they believed shots were fired in their direction and the shots were coming from a residence where loud cartoon music was being played over speakers. A call was placed to the residence and the owner came and met with the CO and stated he did not shoot toward the hunters but in the air to scare the deer away from his home so no one will shoot his home when the deer are there. He also stated he likes cartoon music and feels he can play it however he wants. A search of the home found a loud speaker attached to the garage and pointing out into the woods with deafening music and empty shot gun shell casings nearby. The homeowner was charged with hunter harassment. The award for most unethical activity goes to a man who was with his two kids and was stopped on the road and had his 15-year-old daughter take three shots from the road at a group of deer in a hay field while the landowner watched from his stand.
District 6 – Two Harbors area
CO Marty Stage (Ely) worked the deer opener and arrested several people for baiting violations. All the bait users were aware that it was illegal to use bait, but gambled that they would not be checked or caught. Firearms were seized in all instances, and the time it took to investigate and watch the bait sites took away from the time the officer had to work other activities and complaints in the area.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) reports many hunters were found to be not validating their site tags as well as not placing the tag on their deer as required. Two complaints of shooting deer from the roadway are being investigated.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) issued citations for deer hunting over bait and seized the hunters’ rifles for forfeiture. The CO took calls about stolen traps and trap tampering.
District 7 – Grand Rapids area
CO Randy Patten (Northome) investigated calls about timber theft, ATV trespass, chasing wildlife with a motorized vehicle, early trapping, baiting deer, trespass, car-killed deer, and answered about 30 calls relating to the deer season. Enforcement action was taken for hunting deer over bait.
CO Jeff Koehn (Grand Rapids – OHV specialist) investigated a report about a group of deer hunters operating ATVs in a wetland to access illegal treestands in a DNR wildlife management area.
Water Resource Enforcement Officer Tony Arhart worked angling, duck hunting, trapping, and netting activities. Duck hunting was reported as “the poorest in 30 years.”
District 8 – Cloquet area
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) checked several firearms deer hunters this past weekend. Most hunters were in compliance with the laws. However, enforcement action was taken for insufficient blaze orange. One complaint about a deer in a WMA being shot by a subject on the road is under investigation.
CO Andy Schmidt (Brookston) investigated a complaint about reckless discharge of a firearm. One bullet passed through several walls in the house before lodging in the closet wall. The case was turned over to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Department. Several shining and trespassing complaints were investigated.
Marine Unit
CO Troy Ter Meer (Lake Superior Marine Unit) reports working commercial fishermen and investigating commercial fishing required paperwork and reporting.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) assisted district officers with shining complaints in west of Duluth.
District 9 – Brainerd area
CO Nikki Shoutz (Pine River) reports deer hunters were checked with enforcement action taken for untagged deer, failing to validate site tags, hunter trespass, shooting from the roadway, and hunting big game without a license. One hunter called the TIP line to report that he had accidentally shot a doe and nobody in his hunting party had an antlerless permit. Three grouse hunters called the TIP line when they jumped a doe and heard a single shot from a rifle very close to them the day before the season began. Two men saw the grouse hunters and took off, but the grouse hunters got a license plate, called it in, and enforcement action was taken. On the lighter side, a hunter reported pulling the card on his trail camera and was surprised to see a photo of a cow.
CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) reports a TIP call about late shooting/shining turned out to be a lost hunter who subsequently was found soaked with sweat from nervousness and walking aimlessly through the dark woods and swamp.
CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) reports a young boy killed a bear out of season and without a license. The boy was left in a stand alone in the woods with a rifle while his guardian hunted nearby.
CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) investigated a possible waterfowl hunter harassment case and checked a few other waterfowl hunters who had lead shot and PFD violations. Two hunters who took what they believed to be 9 bluebills were relieved when the officer told them that they had 9 ringneck ducks. A case involving a 10-point buck found shot and left to lie in a hay field is under investigation.
CO Chad Sherack (Pequot Lakes) responded to a wildfire complaint in the Foothills State Forest and arrived to find a deer camp completely burned down due to a negligent fire or possible electrical short. The deer camp lost tents, heaters, guns, computers, coolers, deer, and more due to the fire. Neighboring deer hunters observed the fire and put it out before it spread too far into the forest.
District 10 – Mille Lacs area
CO Mike Lee (Isle) received a call about parties hunting from permanent stands that were too tall, or as the complainant stated, “skyscrapers in the trees.” Officer Lee located the stands on public land with one stand being 26 feet from the ground and the second being nearly 24 feet from the ground. When asked why he was hunting from such a tall stand, one person stated, “I didn’t know there was a height restriction.” In Minnesota, no person may take deer from a constructed platform or other structure that is higher than 16 feet on either public or private lands.
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) worked baiting cases during the opener resulting in several citations for hunting over bait and firearms being seized. Heaton responded to a call about a hunting accident in which one member of a hunting party shot another with a shotgun. The slug from the shotgun grazed the side of the victim’s head, leaving him with a non-life threatening injury.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) spent the opening morning of the firearms deer season dealing with individuals who were hunting over corn-filled deer feeders. In some instances, corn was just piled on the ground and in other cases, tube-style feeders were tied to trees and painted camouflage in an attempt to conceal the bait.
CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) handled TIP complaints and dealt with a hunter harassment case.
District 11 – Albany area
CO Mike Martin (St Cloud) worked the Governor’s Deer Opener in Morrison County during the week. Officer Martin also inspected a public waters basin that has been impacted by a farmer who was digging a drainage ditch for tiling.
CO Chad Thesing (Albany) investigated trespass complaints, hunter harassment, and use of an airplane to chase deer.
CO Keith Bertram (Sauk Centre) assisted the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office with hunters shooting at a deer in a county park closed to hunting.
District 12 – St. Cloud area
CO Rick Reller (Buffalo) reports numerous complaints were investigated and several violations were found with the most common violation being hunting deer over a baited area.
CO Brian Dobbick (Cambridge) reports a busy firearms deer opener. Enforcement was taken for shooting within 500 feet of an occupied building, failure to validate deer tags, illegal dumping of deer carcasses, and allowing the illegal operation of an ATV by a juvenile.
District 13 – West Metro area
CO Steve Walter (Waconia) investigated an incident in which an elk was photographed on a trail camera by a bowhunter. Several trespass complaints were handled.
CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) worked the deer opener with COs Kuske and Haberman on several baiting cases in Morrison County. He also assisted a warden from another state with a license investigation.
CO Vang Lee (ELCOP) checked anglers and small-game hunters in the metro area. He also investigated the taking of trout out of season. Officer Lee also worked the deer opener in southeast Minnesota. Enforcement action was taken for failure to validate deer tags, taking deer without the required number of antler points, and no deer license in possession.
CO Todd Kanieski (Osseo) reports a case was made for transporting three untagged deer hidden underneath gear in the rear of an enclosed truck bed. CO Kevin Neitzke (Ft. Snelling) worked waterfowl and trapping enforcement. He checked fishermen and patrolled Ft. Snelling State Park. CO Neitzke attended a training meeting. He also worked the deer opener with CO Quandt in Goodhue County.
CO Jackie Glaser (Mound) reports several calls were received about dumped deer and waterfowl carcasses.
District 14 – East Metro area
CO Travis Muyres (Ham Lake) investigated a TIP complaint that a person was posting pictures of illegally taken animals on a social networking web site. The investigation led to three people being charged for various hunting violations.
CO Alex Gutierrez (Forest Lake) checked a few groups of goose hunters; one group was issued a citation for using an electronic call while hunting migratory game birds.
CO Tony Salzer (Eagan) and CO Siems investigated some illegal trapping activity and dealt with an illegally taken buck in Dakota County.
District 15 – Marshall area
CO Gary Nordseth (Worthington) took enforcement action on numerous violations during the opening of firearms deer season. These violations included illegal shining with a firearm, trespass, and chasing deer with motor vehicles. The officer also investigated an incident in which a hunting dog was killed in a Conibear trap. The dog’s owner was not familiar with this type of trap. The officer encourages all dog owners to review page 51 of the Minnesota 2010 hunting and trapping regs handbook which explains how to free a dog caught in a body-gripping trap.
CO Craig Miska (Ortonville) was able to make a case against a hunter who shot a deer from the roadway. The violator was located with the assistance of the aviation unit. The deer was seized and restitution was charged.
CO Doug Lage (Marshall) reports that conflicts between landowners and hunters were high; being a mediator for most incidents seemed to be the norm. A report of hunter harassment was taken and is under investigation in Yellow Medicine County. Several trespassing citations were issued. Also, several trapping violations were taken care of, and one 10-point buck was seized from a person who shot it while hunting from a road right of way.
CO Ed Picht (Montevideo) reports two hunting accidents occurred during the opening weekend of the deer season, one of which resulted in a hunter being shot while sitting in a pickup.
District 16 – New Ulm area
CO Angela Graham (Hutchinson) received a call to come look at a deer that a Hutchinson resident had shot in Renville County; the buck had a large rack that hadn't officially been scored but was at minimum a 17-pointer that was still in full velvet. This was the hunter’s first deer in 15 years.
CO Eric Schettler (Fairmont) worked a busy firearms deer season. Insufficient blaze orange was once again a common offense. TIP reports were followed up on for felons in possession of firearms.
District 17 – Mankato area
CO Phil George (Mantorville) worked deer-hunting issues throughout the week. He also took calls regarding harassment, shooting too close to buildings, shooting from the road, and trespass.
CO Chris Howe (St. Peter) worked several shining details, opening of deer season, and checked small-game hunters. He located one group of hunters who had butchered their deer and never tagged or registered their deer. A number of deer were seized, and paperwork was issued for the violations.
CO Julie Siems (Faribault) reports an individual was shot while inside a residence, resulting in minor injuries; a hunter in the area was shooting at a deer.
CO Corey Wiebusch (Mankato) reports an investigation of an eagle that was shot by some duck hunters is under way.
District 18 – Rochester area
CO Mitch Boyum (Rushford) reports shining complaint areas were worked. One subject caught shining stated his dog chases deer and he was looking for a deer to see if the dog would chase it. At that time he was going to use an electronic collar to fix the problem. He was advised to find another alternative.
CO Tom Hemker (Winona) assisted with an incident in which a buffalo was shot in a leg, probably before the deer season.
CO Tyler Quandt (Red Wing) reports that on Saturday, a large black bear was hit and killed by a combine while the operator was picking corn.
CO Dan McBroom (Rochester) reports hunters in Zone 3 are finding it more difficult than they may have thought to follow the new antler point restrictions. Lt. Dean Olson and CO McBroom released a timber wolf from a trap outside of Rochester.
