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 Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte)
checked the remaining walleye anglers trying their luck before the season closed. Snowmobilers were out enjoying the warm weather. The trails are deteriorating along the shore, while the state trail remains in good condition. Theofficer also spent time armoring 11-87 shotguns at Camp Ripley.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland)
participated in a joint patrol with the U.S. Forest Service in the BWCAW by dog team. Manning also dealt with computer issues, took a call on dogs chasing deer, and began preparing for minnow dealer checks to highlight concerns about VHS in bait.
CO Alex Gutierrez (Forest Lake)
issued a litter citation at the Fishapalooza event to an individual who thought he would be funny in front of his children and placed an empty beer can on the CO’s patrol truck as he walked by it. After being caught and a bit embarrassed, dad told his kids he used poor judgment. Not only did the CO agree, but he explained that it was an expensive way to discard an empty can which should have been recycled.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais)
checked anglers in the BWCAW. Fishing remains slow in the designated lakes. He also checked snowmobile activity and attended a meeting in St. Paul.
CO Chad Thesing (Albany)
spoke with a group of snowmobilers who were stopped for speeding. The leader of the group was asked how fast he thought he was going. The man replied that at the speed they travel it is unsafe to look down at the speedometer; they have to keep their eyes on the trail. OfficerThesing explained that if he was traveling the speed limit of 50 mph, it is safe to look down at your speed a few times. The man replied that with the trails being nice and smooth, 50 seems too slow. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Adam Block (Prior Lake)
along with CO Thor Nelson and a Scott County deputy located and assisted a motorist when the driver of the vehicle thought a snowmobile trail was a road for vehicle traffic, causing her vehicle to become stuck. Thedriver said she was not from Minnesota and did not realize there were such things as snowmobile trails.
Several violations of speed were detected on local snowmobile trails. One snowmobiler who was stopped for traveling 90 miles per hour stated he did not know how fast he was going because he never looks at his speedometer. The snowmobiler was also refreshed on youth operating laws after it was determined that the snowmobiler’s son, age 12 without safety training, was trying to keep up to dad.
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