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 that while some smaller lakes farther up the Gunflint Trail are open, there are a few that will be close. There will be lakes to fish on the opener, but make sure to check with your lodge or outfitter for BWCAW lakes and others. Many of the back roads are still impassable due to snow, so don’t chance it unless you see bare ground.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled area fish sanctuaries and closed areas on local rivers. Manning also checked steelhead anglers and checked a few inland lakes for ice-out. Snow has mostly melted again and adventurers are warned that auto travel on more remote state forest back roads may be hazardous due to frost heaves and culvert washouts. Cell phone service to call for help is mostly unavailable.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) monitored ATV activity in Lake and Cook counties. Anglers were checked along the North Shore streams. He responded to an illegal burning complaint and conducted commercial inspections.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Bemidji) worked with CO Regas on an ongoing gill-netting case in a local river. They were able to track the individual’s activities and determine when the net was being used. The man was very surprised to see officers waiting when he pulled his canoe on shore after pulling the gill net. The gill net contained suckers, walleyes, northern pike and cisco. Charges are pending.
CO Shane Zavodnik (International Falls) had an encounter over the weekend that entailed a sturgeon untagged and hidden in the bottom of a cooler under a pile of rough fish. The illegally possessed fish was seized and, unfortunately, couldn’t be released. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) reports an issue where a person set up camp with four tents, complete with an archery shooting range, Christmas lights and a generator at a public access. The situation is being addressed.
CO Luke Croatt (Wealthwood) patrolled “Area Closed” forest roads and found one party stuck. The sign was illegally removed, which led the party to believe it to be open. Croatt pointed out to the motorist that ruts in the road are a good sign not to travel on them, which led to him donating a large sum of money to an area wrecker service to get him removed.
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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