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 several officers on a trout opening detail. Fishing was very good, in fact too good for some who didn’t stop when they reached their limit. Officers took enforcement action with several ATV riders who were unlawfully riding on snowmobile trails. Some anglers were not very happy with the fact that the ATV riders tore up trails leading into lakes leaving big rocks exposed to ride over. It is important to remember that snowmobile trails open Dec. 1 and that ATV riders must stay off those trails. Expired snowmobile registrations, extra lines and unattended lines left overnight were also dealt with. Ice conditions on the big trout lakes should be checked and measured before venturing out.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked trout opener with several other officers. Enforcement action was taken for live minnows on a designated trout lake, failure to display snowmobile registration, improper ATV registration and failure to display owner information on portable fish houses. Manning also patrolled snowmobile trails; riders are reminded to not hug the inside of every left turn corner, particularly where curves prevent seeing other sleds coming right at you. Also a reminder that unplowed forest roads do have enough snow to allow a driver to get really mired in a seasonal snowmobile trail, as one driver learned the hard way this past week.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) monitored anglers, ATVs and snowmobilers this past week. The officer checked trout anglers around the Gunflint Trail during the trout opener with area officers. Overall, anglers were happy with the warm weather and some nice trout on the ice. Enforcement action was taken for snowmobile, ATV and angling violations.
CO Phil Seefeldt (Moorhead) assisted the Sheriff ’s Department and USFWS officers execute a search warrant on a storage garage with a strange odor. Approximately 30 dead ball python snakes were found.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) observed several fish houses going down on different lakes and hopes anglers monitor their shelters before they get wet.
CO Angela Londgren (Onamia) was doing a routine check of anglers in a house, and when asked who had the extra line, the anglers looked at each other and said there is no extra line. Londgren then leaned down to a drilled hole and pulled out a line that had been burned off in a quick hurry. Unfortunately for the angler, it got hung up on the ice on the way down the hole. A citation was issued for extra lines.
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) received a call from a concerned party who had found a bear cub while logging. The cub was a newborn and had narrowly escaped being run over by logging equipment. The location of the sow was unknown. Heaton was able to retrieve the cub from the logger. It was about the size of a 12-ounce pop can and had an umbilical cord still attached. The bear cub was taken to the Garrison Animal Hospital where it will be cared for until it can either be placed with another sow in the wild or other arrangements are made.
CO Craig Miska (Ortonville) was lucky enough to watch a 3-year-old catch her first fish. The ensuing dance and screaming was followed up by several high fives!
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