Conservation Officer Report – District 5

CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports time was spent on Lake of the Woods checking ice fishing activity. A fair number of people were checked. Fishing was fair with everybody reporting small fish in the bag. Ice fishing on Rainy Lake has been minimal with most people getting things ready for spearing. People are advised to use caution when snowmobiling on ice as recent heavy snowfall has changed conditions. Enforcement action was taken for fishing with extra line, overlimit, ATV registration issues, and fishing license violations.

CO Curtis Simonson (International Falls #2) reports working the marten, fisher, bobcat opener this past weekend and checking anglers on area lakes/rivers. Area lakes and rivers have become very slushy with the recent snowfall making travel difficult in some areas. Enforcement action taken this past week consisted of angling with extra lines, operating unregistered ATVs and having an overlimit of saugers. Simonson would also like to remind people of the current feeding ban of white-tailed deer in Koochiching County. If you are going to feed the birds, you must follow the guidelines and take measures to keep the deer from having access to the bird feeders.

CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports the recent snowfall in the northern part of the state has created potentially hazardous conditions for several outdoor activities. The depth of snow has slowed the creation of ice on area waterways, with open water noted on several area trails that cross swamps and ponds. At least one snowmobile was located in the water after the rider attempted to cross a pond along the trail. Slush is also prevalent, creating difficult conditions for anglers and the spearing crowd. Trapping activity is rather slow and areas also are more difficult to access due to trees drooping across trails due to the heavy snow, and snow-covered forest roads accessible only by snowmobile.

CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports heavy snow hit the area. A number of forest roads are not passable due to heavy snow and downed trees/brush. Heavy slush and a foot of heavy, wet snow fell on newly formed ice. Anglers have already began trying to jack up fish houses to prevent water freezing houses in. Deer are now belly deep in snow as movement is limited. Wolf activity is high. A good old-fashioned winter is upon us.

CO Aaron Larson (Tower) worked primarily angling, snowmobile, and trapping enforcement. Anglers had a tough week with the large amount of snowfall that occurred throughout the week causing slush on Lake Vermilion, but snowmobile activity increased with a few trails being groomed around the Tower area. Larson spent time checking traps over the fisher/marten season opener. Larson found several violations including no angling license in possession, no dark house shelter license, failure to display ATV and snowmobile registration, expired snowmobile registration, angling with extra lines, possessing marijuana and paraphernalia, trap-tag violations, and other trapping related violations.

CO Marc Johnson (Hibbing) primarily worked angling, trapping, and snowmobile enforcement. Heavy snowfall had a significant impact on area lakes, leaving many covered in slush and water, which also reduced the quality of the ice. In addition, the snow caused lots of trees/branches to fall onto snowmobile trails, creating dangerous obstructions. Anglers and snowmobilers are encouraged to use extreme caution while out recreating. Investigation continues on multiple ongoing cases.

CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) spent time giving a snowmobile safety ethics talk to a snowmobile safety class. He also assisted with the field-operating portion over the weekend. Approximately eight students attended and successfully completed the training course. Time was also spent on snowmobile patrol, checking the local trails and lakes.

CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring ice fishing, trapping, and snowmobile ring. Few trappers and anglers were encountered in the field. Recent heavy snowfall has created deep slush on area lakes. The Aurora area received up to 24 inches of snow this past week, with some lakes having as few as 5 inches of ice. Anglers and snowmobilers are advised to use caution when checking ice conditions.

Cook vacant.