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) reports that the grouse disappeared with the leaves. What looked like to be a promising season has changed in the last couple of weekends as grouse have become scarce. The designated trout lakes have been giving up some nice catches. The CO continues to work on a bear guide investigation.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled area forests checking grouse and moose hunters. Manning also checked anglers on inland lakes and rivers, followed up on an illegal fire case from this summer and handled equipment issues. The officer also attended training on response to active shooters. Enforcement action was taken for live minnows on a designated trout lake, angle with an extra line, and no trout stamp.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) spent time checking moose and bear hunters during the last week of the seasons. Overall it was a good season for both. Bear hunters are reminded to remove their signs and clean up their bait stations. The officer continues to work on a fire investigation with the U.S. Forest Service. Wahlstrom attended Active Shooter training at the Silver Bay School with multiple agencies from the area.
CO Sam Hunter (Park Rapids) took a call from a grouse hunter who had shot a timber wolf that was chasing his hunting dog. The dog ran back to the hunter with the wolf on its heels. The hunter shot the wolf at about 8 yards with birdshot as it was coming directly at him/his dog. Proper measures were taken by the hunter to notify the DNR and enforcement action was not necessary. It was a frightening experience during a grouse hunting trip that will not soon be forgotten.
CO Duke Broughten (Longville) received a call reporting turkeys had damaged an individual’s truck. After further investigation it’s believed the turkeys were intimidated by their reflection and attempted to spar with their reflected selves causing substantial damage to the truck’s doors.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) investigated a complaint where a person shot and killed a fisher while it was in the process of attacking his cat. The fisher was seized and will be taken care of so it does not go to waste. The cat did not survive the attack.
CO Todd Langevin (Center City) took a call of two men who shot a deer off the roadway with a crossbow. The landowner was hunting on the other side of his field when the men stopped their vehicle to shoot. The landowner followed the vehicle and got their license plate number. Then, the suspects stopped their vehicle and offered the landowner $500 if he would not turn them in. The suspects were turned in and found that night. The shooter did not have an archery license or a crossbow permit. The driver was issued a citation for assisting in shooting from the roadway. The shooter was charged with taking a deer without a license and charged restitution for the deer. The crossbow was also seized. Both men were given warnings for trespassing.
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