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) spent time armoring issued M4 patrol rifles. The officer attended a meeting with the Sheriff ’s Office and Border Patrol. A complaint was worked in the BWCAW and ice houses were monitored before the deadline. Wahlstrom also spoke to interested candidates about the career of a conservation officer.
CO Mary Manning (Grand Marais East) checked area trout and pan fish lakes in and around the BWCA. The officer handled equipment maintenance issues preparing for the impending seasonal change. Manning also issued her earliest car-kill bear permit and followed up on reports of litter around a fish house and power augers in the BWCA.
CO Steve Chihak (Wheaton) handled miscellaneous animal calls, including a report of a deer with a coffee can stuck over its head. Upon locating the deer, Officer Chihak could see the coffee can was instead a paint can which obstructed the deer’s vision. The officer made numerous attempts to remove the paint can by snagging the handle with a boat hook. As luck would have it, on the final attempt with the boat hook, instead of the deer running off a short distance as it had done on previous attempts, the deer ran straight into the officer who tackled the deer and held it down until he could remove the paint can. The deer was released unharmed.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake), along with other officers, responded to a complaint from a homeowner that a deer was stuck in her basement. The homeowner was feeding deer near a basement window and the deer, for some reason, crashed through the window and ended up in the basement. The deer, as one can imagine, didn’t have much regard for the furniture, carpet, and personal effects of the homeowner. The officers eventually were able to gain control of the deer with a variety of containment devices, after an attempt to coax and herd the deer outside was unsuccessful, and it was released to the nearby woods.
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