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 there is still plenty of snowmobile season left in the Arrowhead. Trout anglers were checked on the last weekend of the season and some people were caught off guard that the fishing license expiration date changed this year back to the way it used to be. The consensus is that the license should be good through the end of the winter trout season. Most people saw some pretty good fishing throughout the whole season. He did hear a couple of complaints from people who got sunburned while ice fishing the last weekend. Only in Minnesota.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled snowmobile trails and checked anglers. Lake conditions are quite varied and slush is deep in some locations. Manning assisted CO Stage in the Ely area patrolling BWCAW lakes. The officer took calls on roadkilled deer and one call from a party concerned that nefarious means (such as baiting) were used by a photographer to capture a nice eagle picture posted online.
CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) reports that a wolf that had made it through the winter died this spring with injuries from a snare and a trap, while a young moose was killed by a motor vehicle.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) dispatched car-injured deer and took calls regarding deer wiping out almost an entire crop of corn that was left standing. Bald eagles harassing cows during calving time was an issue as well.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) investigated reports of dogs chasing and wounding a deer. The deer died of its wounds before the CO could destroy it. Frericks was able to follow the tracks of the dogs for a short distance but high winds wiped out the remaining tracks. The only dog owner who lived in the direction where the tracks were headed refused to believe that her dogs could kill a deer.
Frericks also said that the TIP Wall of Shame at the Virginia Home Show brought in a vast array of people to speak to, notably people who had complaints. One such individual was convinced that loons were killing all the ducklings, and that was the primary reason behind the declining duck population in Minnesota. This person wanted the DNR to do something about it. Another individual was upset because the DNR wouldn’t buy deer feed for him to feed deer on his private property.
CO Thor Nelson (New Ulm) spoke with one lucky angler who said she and her boyfriend “weren’t really there to fish.” She held up her hand and showed Nelson her engagement ring. Her boyfriend had sent her back to the truck to get a “forgotten” item. He tied the engagement ring to her hook in her absence. He was thankful a northern didn’t take the ring before she discovered it at the end of her line!
Contact local DNR Conservation Officers to report violations or ask questions:
Thomas Wahlstrom
218-370-0244
Darin Fagerman
218-387-9751
Mary Manning
218-475-0121
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