CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked anglers on inland lakes and Lake Superior. The walleye bite has slowed on inland lakes but the bass anglers are having plenty of action. ATV trails were monitored and nuisance animal calls were returned. Enforcement action was taken for boating and angling violations.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) did a wilderness canoe patrol during the week. There were many empty lakes in the BWCAW. Unregistered canoes, kayaks and people without fishing licenses were encountered. Some were in watercrafts with no life jackets at all. One person reported the neighborhood bear wandering down the Devil Track Road with a bag of garbage in its mouth. Obviously it was looking for some shade to enjoy a picnic lunch.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked boaters and anglers at lake accesses and on the water. Boaters are reminded that only emergency response boats are exempt from the state’s AIS rules on boat plug removal: boating on only one lake does not exempt you. The officer also checked ATV riders and followed up on open cases.
CO Bill Landmark (Moorhead) handled multiple wildlife calls including removal of skunks, removal of raccoons, and removal of a snapping turtle underneath a dock. A report of an injured hawk was also addressed and the officer discovered it to be one that had just fallen from the nest. The hawk was placed back into the tree with the assistance of a kind citizen.
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) checked one angler fishing from a pontoon that hurriedly put the pole down when the officer approached. Kuske asked the angler if he had a license and the angler stated he did not have a fishing license and you don’t need a fishing license if you’re fishing with a piece of breakfast sausage as bait.
Two anglers and one youth were checked shore fishing on the Mississippi River who also did not have valid fishing licenses. Kuske watched the two anglers and youth fishing before checking them and sadly when checked the father of the youth attempted to get the youth to lie for him asking the child, “Daddy wasn’t fishing was he?” The second angler ended up arrested on an outstanding warrant.
CO Kyle Quittschreiber (Blackduck) provided assistance to the county with a physical domestic and a driving complaint. The CO was able to locate the vehicle in the complaint and conducted a traffic stop. The driver stated he did not have his driver’s license and appeared overly nervous. The driver gave the officer his name and date of birth but was hesitant. After digging further, Quittschreiber discovered that the name the driver gave the officer was that of his twin brother. The driver was cited for giving a false name, driving while revoked, no insurance and speeding. The following day the officer ran into the same individual riding an unregistered dirt bike through town; more enforcement action was taken.
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!
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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