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 a very quiet week. Administrative tasks were attended to as was the seasonal equipment change. He also prepared for upcoming work details.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked anglers along the North Shore. The tributaries are still very cold and icy but a few anglers were out trying their luck. He attended in-service at Camp Ripley.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) handled nuisance-wildlife calls and checked stream anglers along Lake Superior during the week. Fishing is starting to improve.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) spent much of the week at Camp Ripley for an Honor Guard meeting and annual use of force instructor training. Manning also worked Lake Superior tributaries and river mouths checking anglers.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) worked the fish run along the North Shore rivers. River temperatures are cold and the water levels have been increasing during the week with the melting inland proceeding at a steady pace.
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) had an angler ask if it was legal to use hot dogs as bait. She told the angler that it was legal and how she once encountered a person using breakfast sausage as bait. Kuske later received a photo from the hot dog angler who was holding a nice northern pike on a northern Minnesota lake, and a package of “fun dogs” claiming that his hot dogs caught more fish than his buddy using smelt.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) looked into reports of a sick moose north of Deer River. The moose was checked on and seemed to be OK.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) picked up two dead trumpeter swans that were shot with a rifle in the rural Erhard area. Some evidence was collected with follow-up investigation to continue. Cases of Canada geese being shot were also addressed.
CO Andrew Goodman (Elbow Lake) responded to a call of numerous deceased deer in a concentrated area. It appeared the deer died as a result of the long winter but the case will be turned over to Wildlife to confirm.
CO Nathan Benkofske (Milaca) reports that an investigation of geese being run over with trucks was completed and citations were given.
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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