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) checked area trout lakes and snowmobile trails. The officer taught an armoring class on the Remington 1187 at Camp Ripley with officers Oberg, Robinson, and Schottenbauer. Snowmobile trails remain in good condition with a lot of riders out enjoying them.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked snowmobile trails and lakes, completed computer training, and answered questions about camping in the BWCA and the recently approved Tilbury Trail re-route. Manning participated in a joint BWCA patrol with U.S. Forest Service personnel utilizing sled dogs. The officer also took a report of a goat killed in the owner’s yard by a wolf.
CO Beau Shroyer (Remer) assisted State Patrol with a call of a snowmobile that fell off a trailer on State Highway 6 while being towed at 55 mph. The snowmobile slid approximately 250 feet down the asphalt before stopping, apparently unharmed. The snowmobile owner stopped in Remer (six miles away) to fuel up. He was relieved to return to the scene to find his machine resting safely on the narrow shoulder. Snowmobile owners are reminded to use more than one point of contact when securing their sleds on trailers or the back of a pickup.
CO Troy Ter Meer (Marine Unit) spent most of the week checking anglers fishing the ice on Lake Superior. Still a few people getting wet but not injured, when a crack opens up and then is not fully froze over when they try to walk over. Use caution.
CO Mike Lee (Crosslake) received a report of a bear being shot out of season. Officer Lee located the bear hide which turned out to be a legally shot bear whose hide was placed out to thaw for the completion of a European mount of the skull.
CO Tim Collette (Pequot Lakes) notes that some days are better than others in a CO’s life. While checking anglers on an area lake, the officer found three senior ladies fishing by themselves out of a portable fish house that they had set up. After finding out that they had the licenses needed for the new license year, the officer asked about the expired registration on the ATV that they had pulled out all the gear with. After learning that the registration was indeed expired, the officer didn’t have the heart to issue a ticket after all the work they went through to go fishing. When a warning was handed out instead of a ticket, the officer got a “grandma hug” and a promise to update the registration the next day.
CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) reports that an individual pled guilty in court to charges resulting from an incident this past fall where the adult took a 9-year-old and an 11-yearold deer hunting without valid licenses or safety training, and gave the youths the go-ahead to fire several shots at deer with a high-powered rifle, while there was an occupied residence directly behind the deer in the line of fire and in plain sight of the hunters, resulting in a bullet entering the residence and penetrating several walls.
Contact local DNR Conservation Officers to report violations or ask questions:
Thomas Wahlstrom
218-370-0244
Darin Fagerman
218-387-9751
Mary Manning
218-475-0121
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