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) reminds people that if you are feeding the birds, you are feeding the bears. Secure your garbage, bird seed and campsites. Fagerman reports that he is finding many anglers without even the most basic knowledge of angling laws. The DNR prints plenty of fishing regulation books each year; please get one for your tackle box, your back pocket and your vehicle.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) utilized poor weather days to handle office paperwork and equipment issues. Manning checked campgrounds, anglers and boaters. The officer took another report of groups camping and littering on MnDOT land along Lake Superior, handled a call regarding landowner liability issues, and spoke with state park staff regarding ongoing trespass issues.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) worked boat and water safety on inland lakes, carried out ATV patrol and responded to complaints in the Silver Bay station. The officer met with the Forest Service incident commander regarding a fire that got out of control. The landowner was interviewed and citations were issued. Wahlstrom also worked on a trapping investigation.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji) assisted the county sheriff ’s department after a large snapping turtle was discovered in the bed of a truck during a traffic stop. The turtle was attempting to escape by crawling over the side of the truck bed. The driver was issued a citation for taking the snapping turtle during the closed season and the turtle was safely released at the local state park.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) was working anglers on a fishing pier and checked an angler who had been observed fishing. The angler first said he wasn’t fishing, then said he was, but left his license at home. The angler was asked to walk to the officer’s squad to look his license status up but fled on foot once near the truck. The officer captured the fleeing suspect and found drug paraphernalia in his possession. The unlicensed angler turned arrestee also had a $2,000 warrant for his arrest. Had he stayed put, all he would have faced was a citation for no angling license and he would have gone home that night.
CO Tim Collette (Pequot Lakes) timed it perfectly, driving by a public boat landing just as two individuals were finishing emptying a pickup load of trash at the landing. While they were picking the trash back up, the officer wrote out litter citations for both.
CO Chris Tetrault (Isle) observed some boaters catching nice walleyes. As the officer approached the boat, one of the passengers was holding an over-length walleye in hand. As the passenger placed it in the water, the officer inquired if there were other fish on the boat; both passengers replied “no.” Shortly after, the cooler on board began to move with the sound of a flopping fish. The officer then seized two illegal length walleyes, measuring 22 and 24 inches. Enforcement action was taken.
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