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) dealt with a couple more calls on wolves attacking dogs just outside of Grand Marais. One man was able to scare the wolf away with a blast from his pistol. Bull moose are involved heavily in the rut as the fighting arenas in the woods are all torn up and tracks along the roadsides show that the bulls are doing a lot of running. The CO checked a few weekday grouse hunters and found they are seeing a good number of birds.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) assisted St Louis County deputies by responding to a call about a cabin owner who had his window shot out by a juvenile with a BB gun on Ely Island on Lake Vermilion. The cabin owner reported one of the juveniles had fled in a canoe and the other three on foot. The canoe the juvenile fled in was found and Frericks and the deputies began searching through the woods for the juveniles. They eventually located all four in a cabin that they had just broken into. The juveniles face numerous serious felony charges such as burglary, criminal damage to property and theft.
CO Chris Tetrault (Isle) had an interesting week. The officer encountered a party transporting a loaded firearm on an ATV while grouse hunting. The party indicated that he spoke with two friends who were cited a week prior for the same violation, in the same spot, by Officer Tetrault, prior to hunting. In another instance the officer was traveling home late at night and observed a large fire with prohibited materials in it. Nearby was a mobile home being dismantled. When the officer asked the party what he was burning, the party replied, “just some wood, that’s it… and some paper… and insulation… and shingles….the mobile home pretty much.” Enforcement action was taken.
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) handled two separate TIP calls regarding duck hunters out hunting during the waterfowl closed/split season. One hunter was found with a limit of ducks and the second duck hunter who had no ducks tried to bribe CO Kuske with pumpkin bars to get out of getting a ticket for hunting during closed season. Neither hunter had read the waterfowl regulations book to see that the season was closed Oct. 6-10.
CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) checked on a group of hunters who had good luck shooting six pheasants on opener morning, but their luck changed when Kuske checked them. One hunter forgot to buy a small game license and another forgot a pheasant stamp. A duck hunter coming off an area lake after sunset was amazed there was no late shooting. The fact that there were virtually no ducks flying definitely contributed to compliance of the law.
CO Mitch Boyum (Rushford) reports that a hunter shot and killed a gobbler only to have it flop into a river. The hunter then attempted to wade out and retrieve his bird. Upon reaching it he stumbled and fell and went bobbing down the river. The hunter added that the turkey floated and made a good PFD.
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