How often do you get checked by law enforcement?

I’ve been fishing in the central MN area for over 20 years and hunting it for deer, pheasants, ducks, and turkeys for just as long and I have NEVER been checked by a game warden or a conservation officer, ever. I fish popular lakes like Mille Lacs and Minnetonka too. I hunt mostly private land so I wouldn’t expect to run into an officer there, but still. I was checked once by the Hennepin County Water Patrol on Minnetonka for safety issues (registration, PFD’s, etc) but they had no interest in checking my angling license or my catch. I get interviewed by surveyors and AIS workers regularly, but never a law enforcement officer. I realize that these officers have a huge area to cover but at some point I feel like I should have encountered one. How often do you run into these officers while you’re in the great outdoors?

I’ve been hunting and fishing in MN for nearly 19 years as an adult, and if memory serves me, I’ve been checked three times. Twice while hunting and only once when fishing. I was checked while grouse hunting with Billy when we were about 18 in northern MN. Then checked again last fall while pheasant hunting with a group of people in southern MN. And the time I was checked while fishing was so long ago I can’t recall if I was in MN or if we were in WI with Billy’s folks.

I have ran into one at an access, wanted to see license and catch and was very nice and and was quick in his process, a few times by sheriff for safety equipment checks, once while turkey hunting beings I was in a area turkey hunting was not allowed (I read the rules and map wrong) he was very nice and realized I made a stupid mistake and left me with a verbal warning, and last week twice by the local police as I was loading my boat at midnight at the local access and they mainly just wanted to know how I did fishing.

I’ve been hunting and fishing for over 30 years. I’d say I average an encounter about once a year…and not a single ticket by the way LOL (I did get a warning a few years back for not having a snowmobile licenses…never new I needed one but I guess it’s based on when you are born).

Mostly on fishing opener at the landings. Deer opener, the local CO would always come by on Sunday, checking for something different every year.

Duck hunting out west MN about every 3rd yr. Those CO’s just start walking. they’ll show up in the middle of private land in a swamp…that’ll scare you!

Mostly always nice. Not CO’s but Sheriff water patrol always seem to be dicks.

Not too often. We use to hunt the public goose blinds in Rochester in the 80’s a dozen times a year and never was checked.
If I do see a CO I usually go talk to them to see how the fishing/hunting action is in the area.

I would say I run into one for a check about once every other year. Usually it’s at boat landings after a duck hunt, but I have been boarded and checked while fishing the river a couple of times. Not once have I ever had a violation or warning for either…I did get a stern talking to about a missing HIP cert once. I had assumed the guy behind the counter automatically added it on like in the past. He let it slide and I went straight to Holiday to get it.

Pretty rare for me as well. Been checked on water twice. Once on Rush Lake near Rush City and once on Eagle Lake in Ontario. No checks while hunting – mainly private land though. Plenty of AIS checks.

I regularly fish VNP and the St. Croix. I’ve been checked 3 times in a single day a few times out on the St. Croix. I get stopped and checked minimally 10, up to 20 times a year.

I think only two or three times in the last decade. Once while fishing at a small pond in Inver Grove, Ice Fishing out of SPortsmans and while fishing of the dock at VNP. All interactions have been fine

I would say I have been checked while fishing once every 2-3 year. I’ve never been checked while hunting.

I once got a ticket for an extra line. Whoops. Learned my lesson there.

Lately it’s been about once a year for me, and all parts of the state. Waconia, Rainy River, Arnesen’s on LOW, P4, Mille Lacs and Minnetonka fishing in the last 5 years, and Wabasha, Pierz, St. Peter and Paul Bunyan State Forest areas hunting in the last 20 years.

Average of once a year for me. I got a warning last year because I had forgotten to put my new boat registration stickers on

I have only been checked 3 times in the last 6 years. last year was twice. Fishing vermilion and once ice fishing mille lacs.

Between pine city, st croix river. And chisago area I see a co or sheriff every few weeks. They check all the time

I only have been check once while hunting and that was on private land. While fishing I get checked 1 to 2 times a year C.O. and all the time by AIS workers. One time I forgot my fishing license and told the C.O. I had a lifetime and gave him my driver license. He looked it up and told me I have to still carry my fishing license with me (I already knew that). While handing back my drivers license he dropped it in the water. Driver license doesn’t float and we watched it sink into the darkness.
I used to get stopped almost every time I went out before I bought my own boat. My brother would let me use his brand new Lund proV and I had a $500 truck. For some reason I guess that didn’t look right.

Been checked once during whitetail rifle season and once during duck season. I cant remember how many times I’ve been checked fishing. Seems to happen ice fishing more than open water. I’ve never gotten a ticket or had a real bad experience so its hard to recall

I get checked every year when I go up to Lake of the Woods for Ice fishing but we always go the last weekend in February when the season ends or new one starts so thats probably why.

Probably once or twice a year on average by a CO.

A few times a year by park rangers, sheriff and Coast Guard.

Monday, Lake Pepin. Just got done cleaning fish the boy was carrying the cooler to the truck. Game warden stopped him asked a few questions looked at the filets. Came
Into the fish cleaning station asked me a few questions told me what I did wrong (no skin tag) my bad. Took my license back to the truck. Gave me a verbal warning and left. No personality at all. No small talk all business. The boy asked what was the matter with him? That was my first run in and hope it’s the last.

I got to ride with a Iowa warden a couple times many years ago. He would watch from a distance. I learned that you may not see them but they may see you. If you are legal, nothing to worry about.

One week on Namakan I was checked 4 times. That lake had a CO that was a stickler, he has since retired I believe. Total over my lifetime probably around 20 times not including water patrol and such. Never a ticket, only once got a warning from water patrol because I forgot my throwable.

In all my life (I’m 29) outdoors in Maine, New York and Minnesota, hunting, fishing or ATVing I have only ever once been checked which was in New York fishing under a bridge. He was nice, probably because I’ve always minded my P’s and Q’s asked how the fishing was and moved on his way. I also believe that mostly they just want to leave you alone, unless you’re being specifically sketchy or someone has dropped a dime on you they just don’t have a reason to bother you.

I don’t hunt in MN much, if at all. Grew up in N.D. and don’t think I ever got checked. In last 10 years of fishing in MN, I average about 3 times a year getting checked while fishing. During a year….At least once ice fishing, at least twice open water fishing. All my interactions have been fine (no tickets etc.), though sometimes amusing.

Shout out to the local guy on here – Nick I think his name is? – who in my mind is a rock star DNR guy. I really appreciate his providing information to those of us fishing in southern MN/his territory. Always super helpful.

munchy wrote:

One week on Namakan I was checked 4 times. That lake had a CO that was a stickler, he has since retired I believe.

That would have been Lloyd Steen. Seems every trip we ever took up there we got checked by Lloyd. Decent enough guy, always talked fishing and really liked my 90 Honda back when they werent too popular up there. Can’t remember ever being checked more than once by him on a single trip, but did have other’s check us there as well. Did have a friend who was checked by him while duck hunting in the exact same spot on Rainy, for three consecutive days LOL.

Been checked on LOTW, Upper Red and Voyageurs very regularly in the last 25 years. Also about every year out on Superior by Coast Guard (equipment and licenses).

Most rediculous was a trip to the Bears Pass area on Rainy. In a 3 day weekend trip I got stopped 5 times between OMNR and Border Patrol boats. Same guys in each of the two boats each time. Border Patrol even had me motor back to the landing where we were parked (stayed at a private cabin on an island) just to make sure that I had not boated across from the US to fish without going thru customs (no RABC back then).

______________ wrote:

I regularly fish VNP and the St. Croix. I’ve been checked 3 times in a single day a few times out on the St. Croix. I get stopped and checked minimally 10, up to 20 times a year.

Try fishing the St Croix (lake area) on opening of the walleye season. Checked 3 times by different CO’s and one more time by the same CO for good measure. LOL! (and I’m not complaining)

Never at night while catfishing.

Excluding the St Croix, I’ve been checked a couple dozen time from Hutchinson to Park Rapids to the can line at the head of lake Pepin.

But I will say I have never had my taxes audited.

We drove 150 miles to fish a lake on a logging road only to find they closed the road for some frost/weather thing-we ignored the sign 2 days in a row and got tagged the second day. Got pulled over for shooting threw a no wake area downtown, didn’t see the sign checked for it on the way back-HUGE sign (was a bit embarassed) no tix though. Most COs have been nice to me.

Mille Lacs in a boat – once in 30+ years. Couple of times ice fishing.

Same experience on the St Croix. Opener or summer weekends, sometime 3-4 times a trip.

Pool 2 – never.

Pool 4 – few times over the last 30 years.

-J.

Side note about the Croix.

It has the busiest confluence in the US (I’m told).
There’s been 9 boating deaths that I can recall in the last 10 years.

There are LEO’s from
WI DNR
MN DNR
Washington County Sheriff
St Croix County Sheriff
Pierce County Sheriff
US Park and Wildlife
WI Park Service
and once in a great while the
US Coast Guard

Patrolling the waters.

Sometimes I wonder how a person can get through without being stopped?

Brian Klawitter wrote:

Side note about the Croix.

It has the busiest confluence in the US (I’m told).
There’s been 9 boating deaths that I can recall in the last 10 years.

There are LEO’s from
WI DNR
MN DNR
Washington County Sheriff
St Croix County Sheriff
Pierce County Sheriff
US Park and Wildlife
WI Park Service
and once in a great while the
US Coast Guard

Patrolling the waters.

Sometimes I wonder how a person can get through without being stopped?

Pretty easy from October through March

^ True dat.