Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few that run afoul of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officers. Periodically, the DNR provides a report of some of the miscreants the Conservation Officers (CO) have encountered. The News-Herald shares these stories as a reminder to all to be safe and to follow the rules!
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports that fishing started to pick up toward the end of the week. Nice catches of walleye were seen in the live wells. The water temps on inland lakes are still cold for this time of the year. Many people were encountered paddling canoes over big water with no life jackets on. One person almost swamped a canoe digging out buried life jackets for the CO’s inspection. The CO and his daughter were out fishing during the week when a moose cow came out along the shore with a new born calf. The moose spent a lot of time along the shore and in the water. The calf was still a little clumsy, but it made for a few nice pictures.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) attended computer training at Camp Ripley and inspected anglers coming into Minnesota from Canada. Anglers are reminded to review both Minnesota and Canadian laws and to have their angling licenses with them when importing fish into the U.S. Officer Manning also checked campgrounds and boat accesses, checked anglers and located and assisted Cook County in the recovery of a stolen vehicle.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) worked angling and boating activity on Vermilion Lake and investigated two cases involving deer fawns. One healthy fawn was seized after it had been purposely taken from a doe. Gross misdemeanor charges will be sought. A fawn and its mother were killed after they were hit by a car driven by an unlicensed driver. The remains were deposited in a residential area near a home and a business. They had no car kill permit.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) assisted a young barred owl that had fallen from its nest in getting back to its parent. Frericks assisted with removing a supposedly orphaned deer fawn from a person who took it in.
CO Sarah Sindelir (Grand Rapids) took a report of an injured loon. It appeared the loon attempted to land on hard ground after a significant rainfall.
CO Todd Langevin (Center City) reports receiving many calls about carp being dumped in area ditches. One witness actually talked to a suspect and the suspect said, “This is where we are supposed to leave them.” The witness called Langevin with the information and explained that people have been dumping the carp across from his home for a few weeks. Anglers are reminded that speared, arrowed or dead rough fish are not to be released back into water or dumped into ditches. The proper disposal of the carcass is required.
CO Brett Oberg (Hutchinson) followed up on TIP calls and animal complaints this week. A TIP call was taken where an individual had taken snapping turtles out of season. Oberg found the turtles alive and released them back into a lake. The individual was cited for taking snapping turtles out of season.
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