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) worked with other COs during the Boundary Water lake trout opener. There was some angling activity on Saturday with some nice fish caught. High winds on Sunday kept most anglers off the ice. Violations included fishing in closed areas, fishing for stream trout when only lake trout was open, cutting green trees at forest service campsites, expired snowmobile registration and snowmobile trail stickers. Ice conditions on the big lakes such as Gunflint and Saganaga are poor at this time. Use extreme caution. Ice on the smaller lakes is averaging about a foot.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) monitored angling and snowmobile activity along the North Shore and in the BWCA. The officer spent time in the back country with area officers for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area lake trout opener. Enforcement action was taken for extra lines, angling on a closed lake and snowmobile violations.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls) responded to a call of two whitetail bucks locked together in battle and found that the larger of the two had already expired and the second was frantically trying to free itself. With few options and keeping safety in mind, Woinarowicz shot the antler off the dead buck with a slug from his patrol shotgun. The antlers flew apart and the live buck bounded away.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked areas lakes and checked anglers. Fresh snow resulted in slush on some lakes. Manning also patrolled the C.J. Ramstad State Snowmobile Trail and GIA trails; conditions ranged from fairly decent to fairly rough. The officer also checked cross country ski passes, patrolled state parks, answered questions about dogs chasing deer, and handled vehicle maintenance issues.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) responded to a trespass complaint and spoke to an individual who claims a deer is stalking him on his property.
CO Troy Ter Meer (Lake Superior Marine Unit) worked the BWCA lake trout opener in the area of the Gunflint Trail. He also worked snowmobile trails while in the area. Snowmobilers were showing up from throughout the state, since it is one of the few areas of the state with minimal snow on the trails. Overall, most had all registrations and trail passes current and displayed.
CO Cary Shoutz (Crosslake) took enforcement action on a trapper who had placed a “chirping chickadee” inside a cubby box to attract bobcat to his trap set. It is illegal to use an unattended electronic device for the purpose of taking small game. An untagged trap was also discovered.
CO Brandon McGaw (Mora) reports that while checking fishermen on one lake with only 5 inches of ice another angler drove his half-ton pick-up on the ice. All the anglers in the area of the truck quickly moved away from the truck as it got close to them. After the driver stopped and drilled a hole he slowly tiptoed back to the truck and the passenger in the truck got out and walked back toward the access. The driver rolled down the windows and slowly drove off the ice. The passenger got back in at the access and they left the area. One angler said, “Do you think the dirty looks scared them away or the thin ice?”
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