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) did a BWCA patrol by canoe during the week. With the recent rains, he found two different types of campers. The happy campers who had proper tents and the campers with dampened spirits, clothing, and gear. Inland lake activity is down from past years. As surface temps on Lake Superior begin to rise for the summer, salmon were seen surfacing during the week. Enforcement action was taken for fishing and boating violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked Operation Dry Water on Lake Superior and checked anglers and commercial nets while on the big lake. The officer investigated an incident of theft of services at an area state park and is working with officers in another part of the state to locate the suspects. The officer also completed annual trainings, patrolled state forest campgrounds and handled questions regarding boat licenses and problem campers.
CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) ran into a group of parents at a gas station. They joked with the officer, “Don’t come to our lake.” Later Kuske did go to “their” lake and found one of “their” kids illegally operating a jet ski. Enforcement action was taken for allowing illegal juvenile operation and expired registration.
CO Hannah Cowden (Warroad) handled a complaint of a man trading beer for fish at a public access. The man was suspected of having many more fish than allowed in possession.
CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) found seven illegal-length walleyes in one boat and an intoxicated personal watercraft operator. The fish were all released; the personal watercraft operator was not.
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) took a couple different calls from passing motorists of an injured eagle along the side of the road. Kuske checked the bird to find out it was a juvenile bald eagle that couldn’t fly yet. Fortunately the eagle was still being taken care of by its parents as they had dropped it a chicken and a squirrel. A nearby homeowner was also feeding the eagle.
CO Lisa Kruse (White Bear Lake) worked various TIP calls including one that resulted in three individuals with 111 sunfish (51 over limit) and a snapping turtle out of season.
CO Jen Mueller (Hutchinson) took a report of a mallard nest in a road ditch that had been mowed over. Three of the ducklings were rescued along with four eggs. The eggs hatched overnight with the help of a heat lamp. All the ducklings were brought to a rehabilitation facility. The DNR recommends waiting to mow ditch areas until after Aug. 1 to accommodate nesting habitat.
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