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 checking anglers, bear hunters and answering calls about wildlife over the long holiday weekend. Some nice bears were harvested and hunters were happy. Enforcement action was taken for hunting and firearm violations.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) was out on the bear opener. He checked bear baits, hunters and ATVs. Anglers were also checked. Assistance was given to the U.S. Forest Service.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked bear hunting opener, checking hunters and bait stations. She also handled a complaint of bait tampering during the week before season. Manning checked anglers, attended the funeral for CO Kyle Quittschreiber and assisted Cook County with the evacuation of an injured person from Judge C.R. Magney State Park.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) worked inland for the bear opener in the Duluth area and spent time on Lake Superior in the Duluth- Two Harbors area, where lake trout are being caught in deeper water with a few chinook salmon also seen. Olson encountered violations for extra lines and for camping on a public access during the week. Calls about nuisance animal complaints also were fielded.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) received a phone call of an osprey stuck in baling twine in a nest. Fortunately, an experience linesman volunteered to climb the pole and because of his efforts the osprey was released after a ball of twine was removed from his talons.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) picked up a dead bald eagle and got it to the USFWS for disposal. The two met with a landowner where another immature bald eagle was captured and taken to the Raptor Center for rehabilitation. They notified the landowner the eagle was showing symptoms of West Nile Virus.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) reports that an investigation into a deer that was shot and dumped near somebody’s doorstep south of Carlton is still under investigation.
CO Dustie Speldrich (Willow River) reports that an ATV operator was surprised to see a CO standing nearby after he finished spinning donuts on a gravel road. He was educated on the fact that what he did is considered property damage and spent the next 10 minutes fixing the ruts he made.
Contact local DNR Conservation Officers to report violations or ask questions:
Thomas Wahlstrom
218-370-0244
Darin Fagerman
218-370-1717
Mary Manning
218-475-0121
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