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) worked the opener weekend on area lakes. The weather was great and the fish cooperated with most. The officer worked a TIP complaint and answered wildlife calls. Enforcement action was taken for angling and boating violations, unattended fire and an arrest was made for possession of cocaine.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) checked anglers over the fishing opener. Not many people out and fishing success was fair at best. The CO spent much of the week checking minnow and leech traps of commercial harvesters along with a few private traps. Boats were found cached on public property and enforcement action was taken. Places where these boats are left seem to attract trash and other items. Boats that are left unattended on public property are also subject to seizure. Fagerman also assisted the sheriff ’s department with a search.
CO Mary Manning (Grand Marais East) checked boat accesses and spoke with boaters about preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. The officer worked one of the nicest fishing openers in recent memory; conditions were beautiful and fishing was decent for most. Lack of required safety equipment was the most frequently encountered violation amongst anglers. The officer also provided assistance to a Superior Hiking Trail backpacker who had gotten turned around and ended up about three miles off course and heading in the wrong direction.
CO Bill Landmark (Moorhead) followed up with complaints of a juvenile shooting a rabbit out of season in city limits, turkey hunters trespassing and hunting after sunset, an extremely tame deer, and a juvenile possessing a coot out of season.
CO Tim Collette (Crosslake) received a call from a family concerned that a coyote had taken up residence under their cabin and they were afraid it would attack their dog. It turned out it was a fox with a litter of pups that kept out of sight most of the time.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) assisted with finding an individual on a motorcycle who tried to outrun officers. After dumping the cycle, the individual ran and hid inside a house. A stolen motorcycle and drugs were recovered.
CO Caleb Silgjord (Sauk Centre) spent time during the week monitoring angling activity and, in one case, watched as an angler counted a large amount of fish into a pail and left the area in haste. Upon stopping the angler, he stated that he had “grabbed the wrong bucket.” The angler was very correct, but not for the reason he was hoping and enforcement action was taken for an over limit of crappies
CO Thor Nelson (New Ulm) was impressed with the ingenuity of an angler he encountered. The fisherman salvaged the propeller from a broken trolling motor, bolted it onto some threaded rod enclosed in a PVC pipe, and chucked it into a cordless drill. His homemade, cordless trolling motor seemed to work well.
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