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) dealt with a bear hunter who didn’t have a bear license to hunt the zone he was in. A bear hunting guide and the hunter were both charged with violations and then the bear guide went off to jail on an unrelated warrant. The CO was also called up to the U.S. Port of Entry at Pigeon River for two people who tried to import over limits of fish into the U.S. The fish were seized, citations were issued and the fish were donated to a local senior center. The CO talked to some bear hunters who stated they were defrauded by an unlicensed guide. Make sure the guide you do business with is reputable and is able to legally guide in the state where you hunt.
CO Jeff Johanson (Osakis) monitored AIS activity and in one incident, an Iowa truck pulling a boat was stopped for transporting the boat with the plug in. A subsequent inspection of the boat revealed water in the bilge and two plugged livewells full of water. The driver explained they were on their way to northern Minnesota and that the boat is usually kept on Spirit Lake in Iowa. Spirit Lake was recently found to contain Asian carp; enforcement action was taken, and the boat was ordered to be decontaminated.
CO Paul Parthun (Lake George) continued working on an investigation regarding the alteration of a public water. He took reports of an injured hawk, deer acting suspiciously, and troublesome turkeys.
CO Randy Patten (Northome) handled complaints from bear hunters about other hunters. A new low was reached by a competing hunter when he placed an AM/FM radio turned on low volume about 70 yards from another hunter’s bait, apparently to scare the bears away from the bait. The hunter found the radio and removed it, and also harvested a bear that he said “danced into the bait.”
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) assisted with locating some individuals shooting high powered rifles into a wooded area. What they didn’t know is there were houses on the other side of the woods and several complaints were called in when area residents were hearing high powered rifle rounds going near their houses and over their heads. The individuals were charged with reckless discharge of a firearm by the sheriff.
CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) followed up on a plethora of public waters complaints. She conducted site visits on three different violations. One individual filled below the ordinary high water mark on a local lake. A large group of individuals constructed their own dam to block the outlet of a local lake. A beaver dam had blown out and they claimed the water level of the lake was dropping drastically. The last individual excavated a public water stream to create a “better” wildlife habitat. A DNR hydrologist and other local governmental units are working on the matter.
CO Rick Reller (Buffalo) saw a boat with no registration. Upon further investigation, the operator was found to be in possession of a small amount of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. A passenger in the boat was also cited for fishing without a license.
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