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 angling activity on area trout lakes. People were enjoying the warm weather with little success for trout. The officer gave a presentation at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center to a group of naturalists about some of the complex issues the North Shore area is facing. No sleds were out as the warm weather has annihilated the snowmobile trails. Theofficerinvestigated a litter case and completed equipment maintenance on his ATV.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors)
worked on equipment-related items as the seasons seem to be changing quickly on the North Shore. Rain fell for much of the past week, shrinking the snow and blowing the ice out of the rivers. Shore anglers were checked along Lake Superior where numerous kamloops and cohos were taken.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais)
attended a moose committee meeting with state and tribal biologists in Duluth. He did a wilderness patrol in the Boundary Waters. The designated lakes are picking up a little, but with the lack of snow, are hard to get to.
CO Brad Schultz (Cook)
responded when a deer broke through the ice of Lake Vermilion and got stuck. Schultz got within about 3 feet of the deer with a snare pole when the deer got up and ran away.
reports the ice is deteriorating fast. Two machines went through the ice on Sunday within several feet of each other. Broughten assisted an individual with removing his three-wheeler from the water and Cass County deputies removed the four-wheeler. Anglers are advised to check ice depths before attempting to drive on the ice.
CO Randy Hanzal (Duluth)
worked a couple of big game violations over the week. In one case a person shot a deer with a pellet gun when he discovered it damaging his shrubs. The second case involved a person who was reportedly shooting deer out of season for food, possibly due to financial difficulties.
CO Brent Speldrich (McGregor),
while investigating a case of over-limit of fish, saw the anglers attempt to hide the fish out in the woods under a pile of snow. What the anglers didn’t know is that they had been under surveillance prior to the visit. A surprised look was observed on the defendants’ faces as the officer walked down the trail to where the fish were hiding. The anglers were fined and the fish were seized.
CO Robert Haberman (Little Falls)
stopped a vehicle for hitting a turkey on a road near Little Falls. The vehicle did not attempt to slow down or avoid hitting the turkey. The driver stated he did not try to hit the turkey and was sorry for the accident. Haberman instructed the driver to slow down when approaching wildlife in the road right-of-way to avoid possible accidents and injuries.
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