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 Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled area lakes, boat accesses and campgrounds. Manning participated in a site visit looking at potential wetland and public waters violations; none were found and landowners and public employees will be working cooperatively to improve stream conditions in the area. Manning also assisted Cook County emergency personnel with a medical call in the BWCAW and assisted with flood response in Moose Lake and Jay Cooke State Park.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked anglers on inland lakes around the Finland area. The officer fielded many calls about nuisance bears. Most of the problems were human error, leaving trash and food outside. Wahlstrom spent time on Lake Superior checking anglers and transported biologists out to Gull Island to band peregrine falcons.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) assisted with the flood response along the North Shore as well as in Moose Lake. North Shore streams and rivers are back down to normal levels, but large amounts of debris are present both in the river beds and in Lake Superior. Thomasen worked in Silver Bay over the weekend as an attempt was made to set a world record for the longest ATV parade.
CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) received a call in the middle of the night about a boat that had capsized with several people on board. The operator was going quickly across the lake and pulled the throttle back, and the bow of the boat dove down and took on water, sinking the boat in seconds. Another boat was there to pick up the passengers and get them to shore. There were no injuries and the boat was recovered the next day, however most of the gear was lost.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) responded to a call of a loon that had fishing line wrapped on its body. The loon still had plenty of diving ability, though, and was unable to be captured.
CO Larry Milbridge (Warroad) spent time this week on an escaped game farm deer. The fence was compromised by a fallen tree and the deer escaped. Recovery efforts continue although no sightings have been reported to date.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) received an e-mail from a person who assisted him in releasing a wolf from a snare two months ago. At the time the snare had cut through all of the wolf ’s muscle and was firmly attached to its leg bone. The e-mail advised the CO that the wolf had been seen and it was alive and well and running with its pack, but with a limp.
CO Todd Langevin (Center City) reports receiving several calls of a man sitting by Highway 8 with a fawn deer on a leash. After narrowing the location, Langevin was able to make contact with the man. He had a fawn in a dog pen in the back yard. He stated that the mother was killed by a car and he was giving the deer “basic training” to stay away from the highway before he released it. The man was charged with possession of a live deer. Residents are reminded to leave fawns alone, even if they appear to be abandoned, or they need to contact the DNR in cases such as this.
CO Keith Bertram (Sauk Centre) arrested a subject for BWI, warrants, and possession of marijuana while boating with his 5-year-old daughter. Several times during the BWI process Bertram had to remind himself to be professional and reserve his comments. The suspect’s shirt read “World’s Greatest Dad.”
CO Reller (Buffalo) observed one angler smoking meth in his boat; he was so worried about getting caught that he was spending most of his time watching the area with his binoculars which was a big clue he was doing something illegal. The paranoia caused from the illegal drug use also didn’t help. Enforcement action was taken.
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