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) thought that he’d checked the last snowmobilers of the year, but 14 inches of snow during the past week proved him wrong. Some people would love to ride them year around, but most believe that five months is enough. Some areas of Cook County still have knee-deep snow in the woods. A few guys were out trying for pike on the Canadian border. The fishing was slow, but the fish that cooperated were big. A call of a sick moose was taken from the Saganaga area of the Gunflint Trail.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) helped with a Hunter Education class. The officer checked anglers on Lake Superior’s shore and its tributaries. Fish sanctuaries and state parks were also patrolled. Travelers are reminded that melting snow can result in dangerously cold and fast-moving water on rivers, and in forest roads that can be extremely treacherous and can quickly erode away, stranding vehicles indefinitely.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) responded to TIP calls in the Silver Bay station that resulted in enforcement action. The officer taught the law and ethics section of the Cook County firearms safety class. Wahlstrom checked steelhead anglers along the North Shore tributaries and worked on bear investigations.
CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) took enforcement action on open burning of garbage that started several acres on fire, ruining multiple Easter celebrations. Another fire call had a person burned trying to control it, and despite medical efforts he died at the hospital.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) assisted the Becker County Sheriff ’s Office (BCSO) to assist with a call about four kids in a paddle boat stranded on a lake still mostly ice covered. Vinton arrived and it was discovered that the young men were fishing and not in distress. Citations were issued for no PFDs on the paddle boat and a discussion of the risks they placed themselves in by boating on the frigid water.
CO Brad Schultz (Cook) took a few injured animal calls. Most callers don’t understand that very few injured or sick animals will ever make it back into the wild. Mother Nature can be a very cruel thing, especially in the eyes of someone looking out their living room or kitchen window.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) encountered one specific angler who decided to try his luck for northern pike despite being told by the CO that it was illegal to fish for them during the closed season. The angler’s equipment was seized and he was cited.
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