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 ice anglers and the last remaining muzzleloader hunters before the season closed. A few anglers were checked with some nice walleyes in the bag on a U.S.-Canada border lake. Equipment maintenance was completed on trailers, patrol snowmobile and patrol truck.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports that he took nuisance wolf calls during the week as hungry wolves came in amongst a farmer’s cattle while others went up on decks and took suet balls intended for birds. Information was passed on to a hunter from Mozambique who wants to put in for the bear license lottery.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) reports a slow week in the woods, made slower by the rain. The officer checked anglers, followed up on a couple trespass complaints, and tended to equipment issues.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) assisted the Otter Tail County Sheriff ’s Office with two vehicles that went through the ice on the same day. Both drivers got disoriented in heavy fog and drove onto very thin ice. Both drivers were cold and wet but okay. All anglers should use extreme caution while ice fishing and be prepared should they fall through the ice.
CO Jeff Halverson (Staples) stopped a vehicle for shooting off the road and trespassing (shooting into a corn field), and when the hunter was asked what he had shot at he stated, “Four deer were running in the corn field.” Then Halverson asked if any had antlers and the hunter stated, “Let’s say they did but I really don’t think so,” because he did not have an antlerless permit. His honesty was appreciated and enforcement action was taken.
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) checked a woman who was coming out of the woods in blaze orange with no hunting license and no gun. She said she had been waiting for her boyfriend who hadn’t shown up with the gun. Later the boyfriend was questioned because he didn’t have a deer muzzleloader license either. When asked about the gun he was confused and said his girlfriend had it with her. The girlfriend then confessed when the boyfriend was out of ear shot that she hadn’t brought it out with her as she didn’t want to shoot a deer and the gun was still in the house.
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