Conservation Officer Tales

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 Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) spent the week checking bear hunters and anglers. The officer saw some nice-sized bear taken in the last few days. Lake Superior was worked with area officers. Enforcement action was taken for extra lines and bear hunting violations.

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports that he dealt with a bear hunter who shot two very small cubs. The round passed through the first one striking the one behind it. When asked how he could mistake a 32-inch cub for an adult bear, he stated that they look a lot bigger when they are standing on the bait pile. The CO responded to two more dog attacks by a wolf in Grand Marais. Enforcement action was taken for shooting a bear cub, bear over limit, riding an ATV after license suspended, unregistered bear bait station and unregistered canoe.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked anglers on Lake Superior and checked bear hunters and bait stations. One hunter told the officer he didn’t think anyone so far up north would notice that he ignored nearly all regulations; the misconception was corrected with a healthy dose of paperwork. Numerous hunters have apparently decided that registering their bait stations is optional or too difficult to do this year despite having paper and online options to do so. The officer also responded to a report of a lost hunter – a compass would have saved him a good bit of walking and stress.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) responded to a call of an injured great blue heron on West Battle Lake. Officers arrived and located the bird with a badly injured wing. The two officers collected old towels from a neighbor and were able to capture the bird and wrap the towels around it. Investigatory skills led the officers to a neighboring landowner who admitted he had shot the bird with a pellet gun. Officers placed the bird with rehabilitation services.

CO Gary Sommers (Walker) received a call from the owner of a bunch of dogsled dogs who was wanting to know all the locker plants in a 60-mile radius that butchered bear as he wanted the bear fat for a food source for his dogs. The officer was unable to help as his work area is not that large and he has no locker plants in his work area.

CO Amber Peterson (McGregor) watched an angler for some time while he was fishing with two lines. Upon contact with the angler he tried to convince officers that his dog must have stepped on the button, allowing the line to drop into the water. Once officers explained they had been watching him the entire morning. He no longer had an excuse.

Contact local DNR Conservation Officers to report violations or ask questions: