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)
spent time checking anglers and area lakes; mixed success was reported on the ice. Manning patrolled grant-in-aid snowmobile trails. Warm weather has led to loss of snow cover on some trails, especially in the corners, where drivers often ride the same spot on the trail regardless of which direction they are going. Manning also attended a snowmobile safety instructor class.
CO Robert Gorecki (Baudette)
noticed that he uncovered a fresh walleye buried in the snow when he drove over it with his snowmobile. When he asked the anglers if they had any walleye, they showed him one small walleye in a bucket. Gorecki asked them about the walleye buried in the snow, and they stated that they “forgot about that one.” The walleye was of an illegal size to keep. A subsequent search of the area produced another illegal length walleye. The angler was cited, and the fish were seized.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning)
assisted the Ottertail County Sheriff ’s Department with fish house break-in investigations. Deputies captured the suspects and much of the stolen property recovered. A dive team was scheduled to recover fishing rods that were disposed of by throwing them down a hole in the ice.
CO Paul Kuske (Pierz),
while using radar, locked in a snowmobiler traveling at 87 mph. Shortly after the driver was stopped, the rest of the group caught up to their leader. As Kuske was gathering information from the speeder, the second guy in line walked up and said, “Man, I can’t keep up to you.” Playing follow-the-leader with a speeder is the cause of many trail accidents.
CO David Schottenbauer (Princeton)
assisted the sheriff ’s department with a complaint of predator hunters trespassing and shooting out of their vehicles. After enforcement action was taken, one of the suspects was overheard talking with someone in his party saying “Geez, do they expect us to get permission from all these land owners before we hunt their fields?” Yes, is CO Schottenbauer’s answer.
CO Brad Johnson (Maplewood)
assisted staff from TheWildlife Science Center with the search and capture of a Mexican gray wolf. The wolf had been released by vandals earlier in the week.
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