Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen
and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few who 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 Mary Manning (Hovland)
worked snowmobile trails, including the North Shore State Trail and area Grant-In-Aid trails. Conditions were good as was compliance. Manning also checked area lakes and anglers; slush on the lakes continues to be a concern. The officer also took a call on a dead wolf found on the Pincushion trails by cross-country skiers; the wolf was killed by other wolves and not by a person as was initially suspected. Thanks to the skiers who assisted in the recovery of the animal. CO Manning also handled office and maintenance issues.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais)
reports that Old Man Winter and his frigid temperatures have put the Slush Monster back on his leash. There are some deep pockets of slush, but nothing like earlier in the week. Trout fishing has been very good this winter with few lakes being slow. One group of trouters told the CO that they keep coming to the same lake every year and they never catch anything. The CO told them to find a new lake and offered them some suggestions. Enforcement action was taken for unregistered ATV, ATV operating on a snowmobile trail, and for failing to display snowmobile registration.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte)
monitored snowmobile and fishing activity last week. The officer saw a few nice trout caught as well as fishermen fighting with the deep slush on some of the lakes. Snowmobile activity was up with the nice weekend. Snowmobilers are reminded that they need a state trail sticker while operating on Grant-In-Aid and state trail systems.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors)
took a report of a timber wolf that was struck and killed by a vehicle in the vacant Silver Bay station, but the animal went missing before the CO could retrieve the carcass. CO Thomasen could clearly see where the animal had lain and then had been picked up from the roadside by someone who had passed by in a vehicle. Unknown to Thomasen, a roadway maintenance crew had picked the animal up and called DNR Wildlife managers and CO Wahlstrom.
CO Robert Gorecki (Baudette)
monitored fishing activity on Lake of the Woods and Upper Red Lake. While checking anglers on Lake of the Woods, Gorecki received a call from CO Birchem with information that two individuals fishing on the lake were currently revoked; Birchem had previously charged them with a large over limit of walleye and their fishing privileges had been revoked. Gorecki conducted surveillance and made contact with the suspects. The individuals initially denied fishing, but after being confronted with the information, admitted to fishing the past two days. When asked why they were fishing since they knew they were revoked, one suspect stated, “I love fishing, and couldn’t help myself.” Both individuals were cited for fishing after revocation, and all of their fishing equipment was seized.
CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud)
encountered one angler who delayed allowing him into his fish house, but then offered him a freshly brewed cup of coffee. While the angler was pouring coffee, Martin looked into the hole where the angler was sitting and found fishing line floating on the surface of the water. Martin pulled up the line. The line had been burned with a cigarette (pig tailed) and had a jig and wax worm still attached. The line, in addition to two rattle wheels still down, resulted in the angler having too many lines in the water. The angler said he “just wasn’t thinking” and burned the line when the CO knocked. He was cited for angling with an extra line and littering.
CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka)
approached an ice shelter on an area lake and noticed that an underwater camera was sitting on the ice pointing at a tip up. The fisherman told Kahre that he was using the camera to watch the tip up in the dark so he could tell if the flag went up. The only problem was the camera was watching his extra line. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Chris Howe (St. Peter)
reported that his “Catch of the Week” was a pair of snowmobilers riding machines whose most recent registration expired June 30, 2003.
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