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 Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) worked bear hunters, ATV riders and anglers. Time was spent on Lake Superior checking anglers, many of whom had salmon and lake trout in the bag. Training was completed at Camp Ripley. Enforcement action was taken for big-game and angling violations.
CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked bear-hunting and ATV activity during the week. Bear hunters are having mixed success but are reporting bear activity at baits. Murray received a complaint of ATV riders operating in closed areas and investigated a litter complaint on county lands.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) worked Lake Superior in the Duluth-Two Harbors waters during the week. Catches of chinook and some coho salmon are showing up in the creels. AIS was also worked at the public access points along the North Shore.
CO Annette Kyllo (Pierz) reports working fishing enforcement. One individual was contacted who was so convinced he only had 10 crappies that he counted them out for Kyllo. He was convinced he was over limit when he counted to 11.
CO Todd VanderWeyst (Paynesville) spoke with a caller who advised of a nerve-racking ring of his doorbell at 2:30 a.m., saying nothing good comes from a doorbell ring at that time of the night. What he found was a deer that had apparently climbed up 10 steps onto his deck and was licking the doorbell.
CO Andrew Goodman (Elbow Lake) received numerous calls about a sick moose wandering along a highway this past week. DNR Wildlife staff later located its carcass and transferred it to the University of Minnesota for testing.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) received a new variation of reasons for not having a fishing license: It was the spouse’s first time fishing and if she liked fishing, they were going to buy their licenses on Monday. He explained that’s not how it works and they were cited. Another angler was observed using a downrigger, a planer board and a conventional rod and was cited for extra lines.
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