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 hunters during the small game and whitetail archery opening weekend. Hunters were having a tough time finding birds with the thick foliage. Follow-up on bear investigations continues. Officers Wahlstrom and Manning presented an ATV law and regulation class to the Cook County Sheriff ’s Dept. Enforcement action was taken for ATV and hunting violations.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) checked small game hunters and anglers over the opening weekend of small game and archery seasons. Because of the foliage, those that walked shot some birds, those that drove around didn’t. Walleyes, splake and brook trout are really starting to bite. An over limit of splake was encountered. Enforcement action was also taken for littering. Bear complaints continue to come in at a record pace.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) followed up on bear hunting issues including lending and borrowing bear license, unregistered bear bait stations, and failure to display ATV registration. Manning also helped CO Wahlstrom with an ATV law class for the local sheriff ’s office. Nuisance bear calls are still coming in and folks are reminded that cleaning up food sources like garbage and apples will help keep bears away. Also, the DNR does not relocate bears as it can be dangerous for bears and people and it can result in a nuisance bear problem in the new location.
Sgt. Keith Olson (Marine Unit) worked Lake Superior in the Two Harbors area. Lake trout made up the largest portions of fish being taken.
CO Gary Forsberg (Pelican Rapids) received a complaint of about 10 golf carts with possibly intoxicated drivers tearing up a new public access on an area lake.
CO Sean Williams (Ely) took part in two separate searches for missing persons over the week. The first was recovery of an angler who had drowned on Fall Lake. His boat was found swamped on the shore of an island across from a portage, but it took several hours and several agencies working together to locate his body. The second search was for a man near Hoyt Lakes who had gone missing on his ATV. He was located by Conservation Officers Williams and Hopkins after a 20-hour search by dozens of searchers. The victim was showing signs of hypothermia but fortunately after being brought to the Aurora hospital was quickly upgraded to good condition.
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) received a report from a resident who had an animal get in his chicken coop and kill 175 chickens. Kuske and a local homeowner helped two guys who were stranded in their broken down boat with no paddles on board on an area lake. When the boat was towed back to shore Kuske checked for enough life jackets to find they were one short with enforcement action taken. Later that week Kuske checked the same two guys heading out in their new kayaks. The kayaks did not have the required registration and neither of them had life jackets. Kuske asked the guys how they could be so lucky as to run into her twice in one week on different lakes.
CO Ed Picht (Montevideo), while checking a shore fisherman at 2 a.m., observed the angler throw the rod next to him into the river. Unfortunately for him he did not throw it far enough. The man did not have a license and said it was his friend’s fishing pole. Enforcement action was taken.
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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