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 Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) worked with a conservation officer from Ontario along the border lakes. Anglers and snowmobilers were checked. He also attended training at Camp Ripley.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) helped officers with new equipment and handgun qualifications at Camp Ripley. She checked area lakes and Lake Superior tributaries. There’s no shortage of ice. Manning has also been working with volunteer safety instructors to prepare for upcoming ATV and firearms safety/ hunter education classes.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) checked Lake Superior shore fishermen and followed up on littering complaints. Ice conditions continue to be holding on without any signs of spring melting yet. Murray also took a call of an injured deer and attended division training at Camp Ripley.
CO Randy Patten (Northome) handled numerous calls about injured or car killed deer. The animals are feeding heavily on exposed vegetation along the roadway. He also received several calls about a “dead moose” that was actually a Jersey cow.
CO Luke Gutzwiller (Madison) fielded a call involving a cooper’s hawk that was caught in a foothold trap.
CO Chad Davis (Owatonna) encountered someone who burned household furniture in a brush pile and started the fire with oil.
CO Tom Hemker (Winona) reports a large number of birds migrating through the area brought many bird viewers along the river and many injured raptor calls. Hemker checked on a sick deer call that was found to be a tame deer that was illegally raised.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) reports that, with most ice still at least 2 feet thick, open-water fishing seems like a long way out. Grundmeier fielded a handful of calls from livestock owners who were concerned about wolves hanging around the cows during calving season.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls) investigated a complaint of dogs running down and killing a deer that resulted in civil citations to two dog owners.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) spoke with some anglers on the Otter Tail River who were catching under-utilized fish for a research project for North Dakota State University. Richards was impressed with data already collected and some of the ages of native buffalo fish.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) investigated litter complaints. Two different groups of individuals decided to either dump all their household garbage on public land or dump the contents of their vehicle on the side of the roadway. Both individuals were contacted and enforcement action was taken. While speaking to one individual about his littering issue, it was discovered that he had an active warrant. He was arrested and brought to jail.
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