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) checked for ice-angling activity. He also completed equipment maintenance and followed up on big-game investigations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) continued to wrap up the deer and bear seasons. Snowmobile trails are open and snowcovered to varying degrees. Lake ice thickness is extremely varied and anglers are advised to check frequently when they choose to venture out.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports attending training at Camp Ripley during the past week. Hill also conducted maintenance on station vehicles and began a background investigation on a potential new conservation officer candidate for the upcoming Academy.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) received a call on Thanksgiving morning reporting a dog had found two fresh turkey carcasses that were breasted out in the Moose Lake area. Even though it was Thanksgiving, they were taken out of season, so an investigation is under way.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Cook) the State Patrol, and local law enforcement responded to a call Sunday afternoon involving a snowmobile going through the ice and partially sinking. Zavodnik worked with St. Louis County dispatch to identify where the stranded individual had fallen through and was transported via snowmobile to where EMS was standing by. Despite being wet and a little cold, the individual was found to have no apparent injuries.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) spent much of the past week following up on open deer-season cases. Help is wanted in identifying the hunter(s) responsible for shooting two deer in the same location in McCarthy Beach State Park on the last day of the firearms deer season. The deer were loaded up in a hurry. Please call the TIP line or Bozovsky directly.
CO Annette Kyllo (Rochester) responded to a call from a homeowner who believed someone shot his house. The hunters had been following a wounded buck and found it on a nearby property. They obtained permission from a neighboring landowner to finish off the deer and retrieve it, but failed to ask the complainant’s permission even though his house was less than 250 feet from where some of the shooting occurred. Enforcement action was taken.
Contact local DNR Conservation Officers to report violations or ask questions:
Thomas Wahlstrom
218-370-0244
Kylan Hill
218-387-4393
Mary Manning
218-387-5285
Leave a Reply