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) worked the busy holiday weekend focusing enforcement efforts on boating and angling activity. Lake Superior was calm and people had some nice lakers in the bag. With the water at 38 degrees surface temperature, people still forgot to have life jackets with them while venturing on the big lake. A BWCAW detail was worked with Officer Schottenbauer. The officer attended training in St. Paul. Enforcement action was taken for boating, angling and traffic violations.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports lots of people out over the busy 4th of July holiday weekend. When encountering a man on a small quiet lake, the man asked why the CO was on such a small quiet lake during such a busy weekend. The CO did some explaining, then got to ask his own question as to why the man was on the lake without life jackets in his boat. Many others were way too busy to remember to bring their fishing licenses with them. A nuisance bear call was also taken where the bear went into an occupied cabin and grabbed some goodies before heading back out the window it came in.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled area ATV trails and state park and forest campgrounds. One guest tried to bilk a park by leaving the registration envelope with a fake credit card number in the windshield while visiting the park; a note from the officer mentioning a citation was incentive for the guest to deposit said envelope with proper cash payment at the park office upon departure. Anglers on Lake Superior and on inland waters were checked and the officer contacted anglers leaving public waters about aquatic invasives.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) assisted Fergus Falls PD with a report of a fawn that crashed through a basement window of a residence. The young deer was trapped inside a bathroom before Richards and police officers captured it and released back to the wild.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) reports that one boater who received a citation for insufficient PFDs laughed and told him it was ironic he was getting a ticket for no PFD because he was just in the Eveleth parade and everyone on their parade float was wearing a PFD.
Water Resource Enforcement Officer Mike Scott said he encountered a person who was found to have three illegal length slot walleyes in his possession. He stated that he thought the slot limit meant you had to release them that size and could keep the larger ones. The person is new to the area from another state. Fish were seized and donated to a local person who loves fish but cannot get out any more to fish due to health issues.
CO Hannah Cowden (Warroad) reports the violation rate for ATVs carrying passengers under the age of 18, without helmets, was very high. In one instance, a grandfather who had his two granddaughters, one being under 3 years old, in a Class 2 ATV with no seatbelts, no helmets, and had been consuming alcohol prior to leaving his cabin, was stopped. To top it off, he had an open beer in the cab of the ATV, but did not believe he deserved a ticket or a warning.
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