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) reports an extremely slow week due to the very low temperatures and heavy wind.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked anglers and patrolled state and GIA snowmobile trails. She also worked with DNR Wildlife on a deer feeding dispute between neighbors and checked ski passes at Pincushion Mountain ski trails.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked anglers on area trout lakes and patrolled snowmobile trails with area officers. He attended training at Camp Ripley. Enforcement action was taken for snowmobile violations.
CO Matt Miller (Lake Superior Marine Unit) checked snowmobiles and ice anglers as Lake Superior finally saw some fishable ice along the North Shore. Depending on location, anglers had success with lake trout, coho salmon, herring, burbot and rainbow trout. Ice conditions are constantly changing, so people who choose to go out must take safety gear, be prepared to self-rescue, and stay on high alert for bad ice.
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) reports that two anglers who were caught using three lines apiece stated they didn’t expect a game warden to be out in the extreme cold weather.
CO Trent Seamans (Big Lake) responded to a call involving a disorderly swan lying in the middle of the road. The swan, which appeared to have ingested a few too many lead pellets, refused to “come quietly.” After a brief foot pursuit, the swan was taken into custody and transported to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, where a date with a certified veterinarian was scheduled.
CO Shane Zavodnik (International Falls) reports that the most common violation encountered was excessive speed. There were a couple occasions where snowmobile operators were pulled over less than a minute apart due to speeding violations. When asked why they thought they were pulled over, all operators quickly admitted to knowing that they were going too fast.
CO Rick Reller (Buffalo) reports the week started out with subzero temps and high winds, which kept anglers off the lakes. By week’s end the area was buzzing with activity, especially at the 44th annual fishing derby held on Maple Lake. It was the largest crowd of anglers Reller has seen at the annual event. Anglers caught about 300 pike, which was a large number considering the new protected slot.
Leave a Reply