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) checked anglers by snowmobile patrol during the week.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked anglers and patrolled snowmobile trails and forest roads. She also handled equipment maintenance issues and took a report of a collared white-tailed deer.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked angling and snowmobile activity during the week. Area trails are still not groomed due to lack of snow but lake riding is starting to pick up. There’s also some riding in areas farther north where there is more snow. Murray took nuisance-animal calls and responded to a wolf-depredation complaint in the Finland area.
CO Dustie Speldrich (Willow River) assisted with the release of a wolf that was caught in a snare. She also received information from a smallgame hunter that his hunting dog was caught in a snare on public property. He was able to release the dog without injury.
CO Arnaud Kpachavi (Mound) focused on angling and big-game activity. Thanks to a call from Hennepin County Water Patrol deputies patrolling the lake, he encountered two anglers on Lake Minnetonka late at night who were in possession of 161 crappies, which is 141 over their limit. The fish were confiscated and enforcement action was taken.
CO Alexander Birdsall (Waconia) assisted another officer in an investigation of a squirrel hunter who reportedly decided to take a white-tailed deer with his .22-caliber rifle. Enforcement action was taken for fishing without a license, no license in possession, and ATV violations. Birdsall also responded to an in-progress shining complaint of a vehicle driving around using a spotlight to search fields. It was later determined the person was actually looking for a lost dog.
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