Although the Cook County
News-Herald knows that the
majority of sportsmen and
women are law-abiding folks,
there are a few who 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 Paul Nelson (Elbow
Lake)
primarily checked pheasant and deer hunters. Many of the cornfields in the area have not been harvested, making for tough hunting. He also investigated complaints of litter, 16 pheasants thrown in a road ditch and followedup on deer season issues.
CO Gary Sommers (Walker)
assisted the Cass Lake CO with covering a TIP call in the Lake George station. As a result of the investigation three individuals were charged with hunting over bait. The public is advised to do their research, as not all products that are sold in a store are legal for use within the state.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom
(Tofte)
followed up on investigations from the firearms deer season. The officer worked muzzleloader hunters and checked traps on the opener.
CO Mary Manning
(Hovland)
reports that during opening weekend she checked trap sets and muzzleloader deer hunters. CO Manning also took calls after the fact on deer baiting, road hunters and trespass, and answered questions on the uncased gun laws. The officer also worked on seasonal maintenance issues and patrolled state parks, WMAs, and SNAs.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand
Marais)
reports a very slow pine marten/fisher season so far. Not many trappers out for the opener. Grouse have come out in a big way, but they are pretty spooky. If you don’t like the crowds, now is the best time to be in the woods. A few ATVers are getting their last rides in before the snow hits.
CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth)
was called out after midnight because people were observed shooting deer from the box of a truck while driving down a road. The individuals involved were not located.
CO Keith Olson (Marine
Unit)
finished up paperwork from firearms season. He worked with the machinist mates from the USCG to winterize and shrink-wrap the Marine Unit’s patrol boat.
CO Greg Verkuilen
(Garrison)
checked muzzleloader hunters and answered several questions during the week regarding new restrictions on harvesting does during muzzleloader season. Verkuilen also answered questions regarding beavers doing what beavers do.
CO Todd Langevin (Center
City)
reports watching two duck hunters hunt past sunset. When the hunters finally came to the access, Officer Langevin asked what was the legal shooting hours for waterfowl. After a long pause, one hunter said, “Half hour before sunset.” When asked when sunset was, the hunter had no idea or a watch. Shooting hours were explained and the hunters were educated.
CO Travis Muyres (Ham
Lake)
worked the firearm and muzzleloader deer seasons. CO Muyres located a trespassing muzzleloader hunter dressed in camo. He observed the hunter remove the scope from his muzzleloader and put on an orange vest. The hunter was subsequently arrested for trespassing, no blaze orange, and muzzleloader hunting with a scope. CO Pilot Don Murray
(Aviation section – Grand
Rapids)
worked the deer muzzleloader opener. Despite the nice weather few hunters were encountered. Murray also attended a meeting for an upcoming wolf survey and prepared the aircraft for the winter flying season.
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