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 Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) worked the firearms deer opener checking hunters. Success was down but hunters seemed to be in good spirits just being out in the woods again. The officer worked a detail with area officers where hunters were found hunting over bait. Firearms were seized and citations were issued. Enforcement action was taken for ATV violations and transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle from the same people who were hunting over bait the previous day.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) checked hunters during the deer hunting opener. Most people checked by the CO didn’t see a deer on the first weekend of the season. Many of those people did report lots of deer sign though. The CO worked with COs Manning and Wahlstrom on a baiting detail. Hunters were found over corn piles, their guns were seized and they were issued costly citations. Unlawful ATV usage also took up much of the COs time during the weekend. Enforcement action was taken for riding on ski trails and other closed areas. A couple of complaints were responded to for operating ATVs outside legal hours for deer hunters and for cutting trails for cross country travel.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked a busy deer opener which included a joint baiting case with CO Wahlstrom, CO Fagerman and USFS Officer Huber. Manning checked other possible baited areas and checked hunters in the field and in deer camps. Manning also investigated a trespass complaint involving several bird hunters who did not realize they were on “candid camera” at the landowner’s food plot. Other activity included checking grouse hunters and trap sets, answering questions about gun transport laws and attending a district meeting.
CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) had one hunter who shot himself in the leg with a handgun. The injured hunter was removed from an elevated stand by a deputy and a farmer with a tractor/ loader. Another hunting incident involved a rifle bullet passing through the back window of a pickup truck. The bullet missed the driver’s head by inches.
CO Joe Stattelman (Detroit Lakes) responded when a citizen reported an eagle caught in a trap. The eagle was located and released unharmed.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) checked multiple trap sets during the week and encountered numerous violations. One hunter reported being rammed by a buck that was missing half his antlers. The hunter was knocked to the ground without injury and the deer was shot by another member of the same hunting party.
CO Sam Hunter (Park Rapids) responded to a call from a nursing home resident who stated that they have a feeder outside their picture window so the residents of the home can watch the deer come in and eat. They stated a hunter had set up a ground blind near the feeder/window and was hunting there. The hunter was escorted off the property by the COs and two police officers.
CO Scott Staples and K-9 Schody (Carlton) took enforcement action when a hunter cut limbs off of trees and cut down trees to make a shooting lane in a wildlife management area.
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) had an eventful firearms deer opener. Hunters were caught hunting over bait and received citations for the offense. Their firearms were seized and will be forfeited. Heaton also stopped a vehicle that was being operated by an individual whose license was canceled inimical to public safety. The individual had a coffee mug filled with whiskey and was on his way home from an Alcoholic Anonymous meeting. The individual went to jail.
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