CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports not many grouse hunters out and not many grouse seen during the small game opener. Many people decided to get that boat out for one more time instead. The CO took an arson team call out to investigate a fire in northwest Minnesota. Enforcement action was taken for young children on an ATV without helmets, taking bears in wrong zone, failure to register bears, bear guide violations and failing to register bear within 48 hours.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) spent a busy weekend checking grouse and bear hunters; birds were hard to come by for most. The officer checked anglers fishing Lake Superior tributaries for salmon. Manning also patrolled state parks and WMAs, answered phone calls, and caught up on paperwork.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) followed up on bear hunting investigations, bear hunters and checked bear bait stations. The officer finished up on a detail working a fire and checked small game hunters.
CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) looked into a wolf depredation complaint that turned into investigation of an undetermined person taking a portion of a calf and then leaving the rest in the owner’s pasture.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) responded to a call about a stray dog in the Glendalough State Park. Plautz retrieved the dog from the park rangers only to find the dog and a small deer had been running together as playmates. One cabin owner described the lab jumping into the lake after some geese and watching the deer jump in the lake after the dog. The owner was located and the dog returned home safely.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) arrested two individuals for trespassing when they were found dressed in camouflaged clothing and running through a yard where they hid a compound bow with arrows tipped with broad heads. A track with K-9 Schody showed that both individuals had been on an agricultural field where they did not have permission to be. This incident is still under investigation.
While investigating another incident, the CO tried to stop an ATV with two individuals on it who immediately fled. Staples ran after the ATV on foot and caught them about a half-mile away across two hay fields trying to hide behind a large hay bale. The driver was taken into custody and the ATV was seized and being held for forfeiture. The passenger and the three live chickens they had with them on the ATV were allowed to leave with no charges being filed against any of them.
CO Greg Abraham (New Ulm) checked an angler who was having trouble locating a current fishing license. In her purse she was able to locate a 1980 Minnesota Deer Cooperator patch and a 1989 Minnesota fishing license. The 2012 fishing license, however, was not to be found.
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