Conservation Officer Tales

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) checked anglers, ATV riders and hunters. Time was spent following up on a bear-hunting complaint. Wahlstrom attended training at Camp Ripley and assisted in teaching the firearms safety field day in Grand Marais. Enforcement action was taken for hunting, state park, ATV, juvenile and gross misdemeanor violations.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) took several nuisance bear reports around mid-Trail in and on the edge of the BWCA. Manning again found as many folks out enjoying the fall colors as hunting for birds; they generally were happier with the results of their excursions. Manning attended training at Camp Ripley, investigated a call about illegal roadhunting and checked shore anglers on Lake Superior tributaries.

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) attended training at Camp Ripley during the week.

CO Eric Benjamin (Warroad) assisted the sheriff ’s office in locating a group of hunters that had gotten their vehicle stuck on a trail three miles into the forest off of a main road. The group said that they had been out there for several hours and were very grateful for the help. Cold and hungry, the group asked for directions to town so that they could thaw and get something to eat.

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) handled numerous calls about a nuisance “tame deer” that has been getting aggressive with multiple neighbors and dogs.

CO Eric Sullivan (Pequot Lakes) assisted an archery hunter retrieve his deer due to a black bear guarding it. Loud noises did not scare the bear away, and the hunter requested assistance. When Sullivan and another CO arrived, the bear had moved on and the deer was moved to a safe location for field dressing.

CO James Fogarty (Prior Lake) took a TIP complaint of a trumpeter swan shot on Parley Lake in Carver County. The reporting hunters said they could hear one of the hunters yell “No!” just before a shot took the swan out of the air. A day later Fogarty took a TIP complaint of a double-crested cormorant shot on Jailhouse Marsh. The suspects attempted to hide the cormorant in the woods, thinking there weren’t many witnesses around the same pond. Enforcement and education action were taken.

Contact local DNR Conservation Officers to
report violations or ask questions: