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 Mary Manning (Hovland)
worked rivers and lakes checking anglers and patrolled forest roads and campgrounds. Manning followed up on an ongoing public waters violation, investigated a possible wetlands violation and followed up on a complaint of dirt bikes operating on county roadways. Manning also helped with Firearms Safety Field Day and prepared for the upcoming ATV safety class.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte)
taught the law portion of the ATV safety class in Silver Bay and helped out with the riding course. Theofficerhelped to instruct the field shoot of gun safety in Grand Marais. Wahlstrom also checked on a snagging complaint along a North Shore river. The officer reminds anglers to have the proper number of PFDs in their watercraft for the fishing season.
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais)
responded to a call of a mangy wolf, with a limp, chasing cars. The wolf limped away before the CO got there. The CO did a remote canoe patrol and checked ATVs.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia)
received a complaint from a lakeshore owner that an eagle washed up on their property. Upon Frericks’ arrival they asked about the eagle and how long it had been deceased. Frericks looked at the severely decomposed bird then informed the lakeshore owner that it likely wasn’t an eagle. When the lakeshore owner asked how the officer could tell, Frericks replied, “Well ma’am, eagles usually don’t have webbed feet.”
CO Robert Haberman (Little Falls)
checked an angler over the weekend who was casting a large spoon lure. When asked what the individual was fishing for, he stated “northern pike.” Haberman told the individual that fishing for a species during the closed season, even if you were not going to keep it, was illegal. Law enforcement action was taken with the suspect.
Haberman also had to scare a black bear out of an individual’s yard which refused to leave his dinner of bird food. The bear was not harmed in the incident, but several bird feeders were damaged.
CO Vang Lee (St. Paul)
responded to a complaint of people shooting squirrels in a back yard on the east side of St. Paul.
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