District 1 counties of service: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon.
Conservation Officer (CO) Ethen Mapes worked a night shift in Ontonagon County targeting careless operation of snowmobiles as well as alcohol related enforcement. Over 20 snowmobiles were stopped throughout the patrol. Two civil infractions were written for careless operation.
CO Alex VanWagner checked a couple different groups of anglers on a lake in Iron County. While CO VanWagner approached a shanty, he observed six tip-ups around it. He contacted a single subject in the shanty and observed a seventh line in the shack. The subject was asked about the surplus of lines, and stated his buddy went to town to get more minnows. The subject stated he had three tip-ups out and the other four lines were his buddy’s. Shortly after, the second subject came back with the minnows and admitted he had four lines out. CO VanWagner addressed the laws regarding fishing with too many lines and leaving lines unattended. A citation was issued for fishing with too many lines.
CO Alex VanWagner checked two subjects that were leaving a Type A inland trout lake in Iron County, which is currently closed to trout fishing. The subjects stated they had just packed up after fishing there for a couple hours. CO VanWagner asked if they had kept any fish and he said they had five. The driver showed CO VanWagner four brook trout and one rainbow trout. The fish were seized, and fishing laws were discussed with the subjects as they also admitted to using minnows, which is also not legal on a Type A inland trout lake. Citations were issued to each subject for taking/possessing trout during the closed season.
CO Alex VanWagner checked two anglers on a lake in Iron County, and the subjects had three northern pike on the ice. Unfortunately, all three pike were well short of 24 inches. The subjects received citations for the undersized pike.
CO Olivia Haerr checked multiple lakes and trout ponds. Three subjects were located fishing on different lakes who did not have fishing licenses. Tickets were issued to the individuals for the violations. CO Haerr also located a pop-up fishing shack with nobody present and tip-ups set around it. Approximately 15 minutes later, a subject came running back to the shack, stating he and his father had gone to the gas station. The tip-ups also had no name/address on them. A citation was issued.
District 2 counties of service: Alger, Chippewa, Delta, Mackinac, Luce, Schoolcraft.
CO Steve Butzin assisted during a winter storm in Delta County. Overnight approximately a foot of snow, coupled with 50 mile an hour wind gusts, made travel almost impossible for residents of the county. CO Butzin assisted throughout the day with emergency medical services (EMS) calls, digging/pushing motorists out of the snow, locating trees on power lines, and helping change flat tires.
While on patrol in Delta County, CO Matthew Bowser checked an angler who had caught three walleye and a northern pike. The angler said the smallest walleye was close to 15 inches. CO Bowser measured the walleye which indeed was undersized. CO Bowser seized the undersized fish and issued a citation for possessing an undersized walleye.
While on patrol in Delta County, CO Matthew Bowser received a call from dispatch of a pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle. CO Bowser arrived on scene and assessed the pedestrian for injuries. The pedestrian had suffered superficial bleeding and appeared to have possibly suffered a concussion. CO Bowser stayed with the pedestrian to ensure they remained in a stable condition until the ambulance arrived.
COs Brandon Maki and Andrea Dani observed several anglers fishing on an inland lake. One of the subjects denied fishing despite being told both COs watched him from the shoreline with binoculars for several minutes before contacting him. The angler was cited for fishing without a license.
CO Alex French was on patrol near the Manistique lakes when he noticed an angler fishing on a Lake. Upon contact with the angler, CO French noticed he was fishing with two tip-ups as well as two jigging poles totaling four lines. The angler was cited for fishing with too many lines.
While on patrol in Mackinac County, CO Joe Budnick contacted an individual who was ice fishing on Brevort lake. During the contact, basic checks were conducted, and it was observed that the angler was fishing with more than three lines. Enforcement action was taken, and the angler was cited for fishing with more than three lines.
CO Mike Olesen performed multiple snowmobile patrols in an area that has common safety violations in Chippewa County. During these patrols, CO Olesen contacted multiple snowmobiles and observed multiple careless operation violations. Riders were not obeying stop signs at heavily traveled driveways. CO Olesen issued five citations for careless operation and two citations for failing to display a valid snowmobile registration.
District 3 counties of service: Alpena, Antrim, Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet, Montmorency, Otsego, Presque Isle.
CO Sidney LaLonde donated an elk from a double bull kill during the elk season to a charity for children that purchases toys for children who otherwise would not receive one on Christmas. The charity also sends children with terminal illnesses on vacations with their families.
CO Sidney LaLonde contacted a snowmobiler with no trail permit or proper registration on the snowmobile. After the contact was concluded the snowmobiler told CO LaLonde that he was headed to the Mackinaw Bridge and was extremely low on fuel. CO LaLonde pointed out to the operator that he was headed the opposite direction from the bridge. The operator then realized since he had to turn around his fuel problem was even worse. CO LaLonde accompanied the operator to the gas station, ensuring he made it due to him being alone and the weather conditions. CO LaLonde mapped out the rest of the operator’s travels for him.
CO Dan Liestenfeltz was patrolling Montmorency County after dark when he observed a snowmobile traveling down the shoulder of a county roadway at approximately 72 mph. The posted speed limit for motor vehicles on this stretch of roadway is 55 mph. CO Liestenfeltz attempted to catch up to the snowmobile and while doing so, the snowmobile was observed disregarding two stop signs, both at more than 60 mph. CO Liestenfeltz was able to conduct a stop on the snowmobile and issued the operator a ticket for careless operation.
CO Jon Sklba responded to a trespass complaint near Afton during the December elk season. CO Sklba talked to both parties and resolved the situation.
District 4 counties of service: Benzie, Grand Traverse, Lake, Leelanau, Manistee, Mason, Mecosta, Newaygo, Oceana, Wexford.
COs Will Kinney, Josh Wright, Zack Walters, Charlie Jones and Sgt. Amanda Weaver conducted a snowmobile group patrol in Wexford County. The COs contacted hundreds of snowmobilers utilizing the trails throughout the course of the day. Several citations were issued for operators failing to purchase trail stickers. Numerous other warnings were given.
During a winter storm after Christmas, CO Josh Reed assisted the Mecosta County Sheriff’s Department and Road Commission with multiple accidents, trees in the roadway, and down power lines. CO Reed assisted the road commission on a three-mile stretch of road with multiple trees across the roadway. CO Reed used his patrol truck and tow strap to remove trees and directed traffic for the road commission who were cutting and pushing trees out of the road. This went on for most of the day. Multiple power lines were down, and CO Reed assisted the local fire departments with traffic.
While patrolling Mecosta County, CO Josh Reed checked on a truck partially in the roadway with its hazards on. CO Reed contacted the driver who advised that he had run out of gas and was waiting for his dad to bring him more. Through the course of speaking to the driver, CO Reed noticed possible signs of intoxication. The driver exited the truck, and CO Reed checked the driver for any further signs of intoxication. The driver advised he does not drink and does not use any kind of street drugs. Further questions resulted in the driver thinking he was in Dowagiac. CO Reed attempted to convince the driver that he was indeed in Mecosta County. A phone number was located for the driver’s mother, who told CO Reed that her son (the driver) was bi-polar and had multiple medical issues that he took medication for, and she did not believe he had been taking his medication. The mother stated she had no idea that her son was in Mecosta County and believed he was having a mental and medical emergency. CO Reed called an ambulance to check the driver who agreed to be transported to the hospital for a voluntary evaluation. CO Reed arranged for a wrecker to remove the truck which was a road hazard. CO Reed then recontacted the driver’s mother and gave her the information on where to pick up the truck. The driver’s mother and dad met their son at the hospital.
CO Cameron Wright responded to assist the Oceana County Sheriff’s Department with a “shots fired” call. CO Wright was informed that a domestic assault had occurred at a residence. When law enforcement arrived, two gunshots were heard coming from the residence. CO Wright responded along with officers from multiple agencies from nearby counties. CO Wright and an officer from the Fremont Police Department secured a perimeter on the back of the residence for two hours until the counties’ Emergency Response Team arrived. During those two hours, the man inside the residence became increasingly agitated and was not cooperative. He kept hanging up phone calls, shutting off lights and closing blinds in his residence, and threatened to harm law enforcement. Eventually, negotiators were able to get the man on the phone to start calming him down. After a few hours, the man exited his residence and surrendered peacefully.
District 5 counties of service: Alcona, Arenac, Clare, Crawford, Gladwin, Iosco, Kalkaska, Missaukee, Ogemaw, Osceola, Oscoda, Roscommon.
CO Ryan Weakman responded to a possible poaching complaint reported to Clare County Central Dispatch after a trail camera captured a male suspect killing a buck on private property without permission. The video captured a wounded antlered deer on it, followed by the sound of a gunshot, and then the suspect later retrieving the deer and posing for the camera. A follow up investigation indicated that the deer had been taken over bait from a neighboring property. The neighboring landowner stated he gave a relative permission to hunt and that the person had killed a 7-point buck that morning. CO Weakman located and interviewed the suspect, who admitted to shooting the buck and tracking it onto adjacent property without permission. The deer was seized and charges for taking a deer over bait and trespassing are being sought through the prosecutor.
CO Ryan Weakman overheard a report from Clare County Central Dispatch of individuals shooting at turkeys from a vehicle in a subdivision near the City of Harrison. CO Weakman and a deputy initially checked the area but did not locate the suspect vehicle. Surveillance video captured the incident. Later that day, the suspects returned and shot at the turkeys again. A deputy stopped the vehicle and CO Weakman responded. A follow-up investigation led to a confession by the suspect for attempting to shoot the turkeys with an air rifle. An air rifle and a .22 rimfire were seized, and charges are being sought through the Clare County Prosecutor’s Office for attempting to take wild turkeys out of season.
COs Jeremy Cantrell, James Garrett, Josh Jobin, and Sgt. Jon Wood conducted a group patrol on the frozen surface of Houghton Lake and checked numerous anglers, including several with legal limits of walleye and assorted panfish. During one check, a portable shanty was found unattended with set lines still in the water. The COs tracked footprints to a nearby residence but received no answer and monitored the shanty for over an hour while continuing patrol. When contact was later made at the residence, the subject initially claimed he had only been away for 20 minutes but later admitted he had been gone much longer after driving to a local sporting goods store. A citation was issued for leaving lines unattended. Additional tickets and warnings were issued during the patrol for fishing license and ORV registration violations.
CO Kyle Cherry responded with a sheriff’s deputy to a domestic violence complaint in progress in Kalkaska County. During the investigation, a female suspect was detained. The suspect had been released from jail approximately one hour earlier for a prior domestic violence incident and was reported to be experiencing drug withdrawals and had struck a family member. The female was arrested by the Kalkaska County Sheriff’s Department.
CO Tyler Sabuda conducted interviews while following up on information provided by Station 20 regarding potential illegal deer activity. CO Sabuda obtained confessions from both individuals. Charges will be sought through the Iosco County Prosecutor’s Office.
CO Jesse Grzechowski was patrolling state land in southern Alcona County when he observed a vehicle parked a significant distance off a two-track road. CO Grzechowski followed boot tracks in the snow and located a deer hunter wearing hunter orange and sitting on the edge of a field with a rifle. CO Grzechowski advised the hunter that Alcona County was not included in the extended late antlerless firearm deer season and issued a citation for hunting deer during the closed season.
District 6 counties of service: Bay, Gratiot, Huron, Isabella, Midland, Montcalm, Saginaw, Sanilac, Tuscola.
CO Adam Beuthin was on patrol in Bay County when he observed an individual wearing camouflage and a hunters orange vest in a parking lot at Nayanquing Point State Wildlife Area. The CO stopped and contacted the individual who was getting ready to go out deer hunting. Upon walking up to the hunter, the CO observed a firearm laying in the back seat of the vehicle that wasn’t in a case. After checking licenses and talking with the individual, it was determined there was no case for the firearm in the vehicle. The individual told the CO he didn’t know that a firearm needed to be in a case when in a vehicle for hunting purposes. Enforcement action was taken for possessing an uncased firearm in a motor vehicle.
CO Jacob Daniel investigated a case that he discovered the previous week. The CO located a hunter who was tracking a deer on a property where no one was permitted to be. After investigating this complaint, it was discovered that a deer was shot at over bait, after hours, and while trespassing. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Kory Crawley received a complaint about a vehicle that had been burned on state land. CO Crawley was able to contact the owner. The vehicle had been left there after a party in November due to the owner losing the keys. The owner of the vehicle could not afford to have the vehicle towed and was waiting to be contacted by law enforcement. The owner was going to sign the title over to the tow company once they were informed it was towed. The investigation is ongoing.
While on patrol in Saginaw County, CO Nick McNamee received a complaint of a man shooting a buck during the late antlerless season with a firearm. A trail camera photo was given to CO McNamee, and he could clearly see a 6-point buck being pulled by a quad and a firearm laying across the lap of the suspect. During the interview, the suspect confessed to shooting the deer and having an uncased firearm on his ORV. The suspect also did not have a tag attached to the deer. The subject is facing multiple charges from the event.
CO Alex Arndt investigated a trespass complaint in Saginaw County. During the investigation, CO Arndt discovered two antlered deer had been killed over a bait pile with a crossbow. The hunter was also trespassing when he harvested the deer. CO Arndt is still investigating this complaint and gathering evidence.
While working Christmas Eve, CO Mark Siemen received information that an individual was possibly baiting and harvesting deer over bait behind his residence. CO Siemen started an investigation and was able to locate the residence and a deer blind about 25 yards from the house. CO Siemen was able to locate multiple photos on social media of deer killed by the suspect. A check with retail sales systems showed the suspect had purchased eight deer tags total, a deer combo, four antlerless tags, and two antlerless tags for Deer Management Unit (DMU) 487. The suspect’s harvest report showed no deer being reported for the 2025 deer season. With this information, CO Siemen contacted the homeowner at his residence. After speaking briefly, he confessed to killing two bucks and six does over an extremely large bait pile. The suspect stated he had been baiting deer with corn and oats since the beginning of deer season and used mineral lick and salt blocks to bait the deer to his 4-acre parcel of property where he confessed to killing all the deer from his deer blind over the bait pile. When questioned about the antlerless tags for DMU 487, the suspect stated the tags were only five dollars and he used the tags for two of the does he killed in Sanilac County. A report and warrant request will be completed and sent to the Sanilac County prosecutor for review.
CO Mike Eovaldi followed up with a complaint of a hunter that possibly shot two bucks without at least 4-points on one side as required by the restricted deer license. CO Eovaldi conducted an interview and obtained a confession that one of the deer was not properly tagged and the second was killed illegally. The CO will be requesting charges in the appropriate counties.
While patrolling through Isabella County, CO Mike Haas stopped a vehicle that was displaying a license plate that expired in June of 2023. The subject recognized the CO and reminded him that he had cited him in the spring for fishing in a closed trout stream and warned him for his uninsured and unregistered truck that was parked on the roadway, hindering traffic. CO Haas was happy that the subject had now insured his vehicle, but its registration was still expired. A citation was issued.
District 7 counties of service: Allegan, Barry, Berrien, Cass, Kalamazoo, Kent, Muskegon, Ottawa, St Joseph, Van Buren.
CO Carter Woodwyk received a call from the Fennville Farm Unit manager of a subject believed to be hunting in the wildlife refuge at the Fennville Farm Unit in Allegan County. When the CO arrived, there were four subjects who all came out of the refuge, and three of them had harvested at least one antlerless deer while hunting in the refuge. All the deer were recovered and donated to local families and all four hunters received citations for being in a closed wildlife refuge.
CO Casey Varriale received a Report All Poaching complaint from a complainant stating they witnessed a man dragging two antlered deer into the woods after hearing two gunshots during the late antlerless firearm season in Lowell in Kent County. CO Varriale went to the location in question and met with the landowner doing carpentry work. CO Varriale inquired about the hunting on the property and the landowner stated his father may have been hunting back there but stated his father was currently at his residence. CO Varriale went to the father’s residence and discovered he was not there. CO Varriale went to the original residence and witnessed the landowner walking through the field without any flashlight. CO Varriale waited for the landowner to come out of the field and gained permission to check the hunting area. CO Varriale quickly discovered a 1-point buck with a gunshot wound. CO Varriale asked to be taken to the tree stand the father hunts from and the landowner guided him toward the south. CO Varriale noticed sled tracks to the north and decided to follow those instead and located a 3-point buck in a jet sled approximately 50 yards in the woods. This deer also had gunshot wounds in it. The landowner stated his father was at the gas station. CO Varriale advised the landowner to have his father come to the location for an interview. The suspect eventually showed up to the location and confessed to shooting the deer with his .350 Legend. Evidence was gathered by CO Varriale and charges were submitted and approved by the Kent County Prosecutor’s Office.
CO Casey Varriale was forwarded a complaint from CO Anna Cullen regarding two does that were shot in Ravenna in Muskegon County. CO Varriale arrived at the suspect’s home shortly after he received the information and noticed a man and woman butchering a deer in their backyard. CO Varriale contacted the couple and the woman stated she saw a deer limping in her backyard and decided to shoot it. When asked about the second deer that was shot, she stated other neighbors in the area were shooting at the same time and denied any knowledge of the second deer. The suspect admitted to not having any deer tags or any hunting licenses. CO Varriale issued the suspect a citation for possessing a deer without a license.
District 8 counties of service: Branch, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Hillsdale, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Shiawassee.
While on patrol, CO James Rowley was flagged down by an individual. The individual reported that they had a cell phone trail camera taken from the property that they have permission to hunt. The individual said the camera batteries died recently. However, when the individual who took the camera placed it into their vehicle, it warmed enough to let the camera send a photograph. The photograph was of the rear window of a pickup truck. The rear window had a white antlered deer head sticker in the center. The individual stated they saw the same sticker on a truck belonging to another hunter that occasionally frequents the same property, with or without permission. CO Rowley went to the other individual’s residence and saw the truck bearing the same sticker in the back window. When asked about the trail camera, that individual said they found the camera on the ground the day before and were going to seek out the owner. CO Rowley said he would gladly return the camera to the owner, which was accomplished.
CO Marc Mankowski responded to an Eaton County dispatch call for a male who had reportedly shot himself while on the phone with an ex-girlfriend. CO Mankowski and a Michigan State Police trooper entered the residence where the subject was found with a gun-shot wound to the head but had a pulse and was breathing. The officers performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation until EMS arrived and transported the man to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.
CO Olivia Moeller was checking anglers on Lake George, which is on the border of Michigan and Indiana, when she came upon a father and son fishing on the Michigan side of the lake. The duo had caught a bass and kept it. After explaining that the bass season in Michigan had ended and that they had to follow Michigan laws, a citation was issued for taking bass during the closed season.
District 9 counties of service: Genesee, Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair.
CO Zachary Adams issued a citation to a man for feeding deer in his yard. The man who received the citation has been warned three times by our department in the last five months for the same issue without resolving it.
COs Griffin Korican and Zachary Adams conducted an interview for the Calhoun County COs, regarding an individual who harvested an 8-point deer prior to possessing his physical kill tags. Upon contact, the individual stated it was his first time hunting and did not know that he needed to wait for his physical kill tags after purchasing the tags online. The antlers of the deer were seized, and the individual was issued a citation for failing to immediately attach the kill tag.
District 10 counties of service: Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw, Wayne.
CO Ariel Young was waiting at a local launch checking waterfowl hunters during the season split. CO Young observed two kayaks paddling back into the launch and made contact at the boat launch. After checking all their hunting equipment, CO Young checked for marine safety equipment and found that one of the kayakers did not possess a personal flotation device (PFD). When asked about it, the hunter stated that they did not know they needed to have one but did try buying one before coming out. Unfortunately for the hunter, the store was supposedly out of PFDs. The hunter was cited for the missing equipment.
COs Andrew Werth and Joel Hill responded to an address in Huron Township about a possible illegal button buck that was reported online. While the COs were attempting to contact the homeowner, the COs witnessed a large bait pile in the back yard, a dead deer stuffed into a large metal container, deer organs on furniture in the backyard, and a bone saw with blood and deer hair on it. The COs left the residence and came back later to make contact. On the second attempt to make contact, two individuals were witnessed hanging the deer from the metal crate into a tree behind the residence. The two hunters were separated, and both individuals were giving the COs different stories on how, where, who, and when the deer was shot. After interviewing both individuals and having both individuals come clean about the deer, it was found the original suspected individual shot the adult doe over bait that morning and used his friend’s tag to tag the deer. The hunter also admitted to shooting the button buck the previous night over bait, he has shot three other deer this season and neglected to report his harvest online for all three of those other deer. The friend was cited for loaning his tag and charges will be sought through the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office on the other individual for taking multiple deer with the aid of bait, using another’s tag to hunt deer, and failing to register three other deer this season.
CO Andrew Werth conducted a wildlife patrol at Pointe Mouillee SGA. The CO observed one hunter walking just to the south of the Bloody Run Refuge. The CO contacted the hunter who stated he was upland bird hunting and deer hunting from the dike. The hunter tried to eject multiple shells out of his shotgun and the ejected shells were found to be toxic shot which are against game area regulations. The hunter was cited for his infraction and educated about not being able to hunt from a dike.
CO Brandon Vacek was assisted by CO Joel Hill on an interview near the Monroe/Wayne County line for a subject suspected of taking a deer on his neighbor's property without permission. During the interview, it was determined that the subject shot at a deer one evening from a deer blind placed on the complainant's property with an abundant amount of corn and mineral powder in close range. The suspect tracked the deer a few hundred yards in the snow before locating it on the complainant's property. It was then dragged across the entire property and out to the nearby road to load in a vehicle. The suspect also admitted to failing to harvest report the deer. CO Vacek will submit charges to the Monroe County Prosecutor’s Office for recreational trespass and take deer with the aid of bait. The suspect's venison was seized from a local meat processor and promptly donated to a family in need.
Great Lakes Enforcement Unit (GLEU)
Cpl. Pat Hartsig checked ice fishermen on Lake St. Clair. Ice season had just started, and the fishing was slow.
Cpl. Todd Sumbera was patrolling a local deer yard when he observed two individuals stepping out of their truck. When Cpl. Sumbera asked if they had any firearms with them, they stated they did and opened the truck door. Cpl. Sumbera documented a deer rifle sitting uncased on the passenger seat. A citation was issued.
Cpl. Troy VanGelderen has been coordinating with local authorities and EGLE staff in investigating and monitoring the sinking of a commercial fishing vessel in Ludington. This is the second such sinking of a moored and out-of-service vessel in Ludington in the last year.
