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) spent the past week checking remote trout lakes and patrolling snowmobile trails. Enforcement action was taken for snowmobile and angling violations.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports checking anglers and snowmobile riders throughout the week. A few small trout were seen in the bag. Overall, anglers were not catching too many fish. A snowmobile event was worked in Cook County. Riders from all over the state and even Canada were contacted, enjoying the tolerable weather. A handful of registration violations were handled. The sunshine made for great visibility, and unfortunately multiple riders were stopped and cited for violating the snowmobile speed limit. Modified exhausts continue to be a problem.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) worked with district officers at the annual sport show at the DECC in Duluth. The TIP display was on hand and officers answered many questions. Assisted CO Murray with a biggame case in the Two Harbors station and followed up on a dumping complaint in Duluth Township. Angler numbers are increasing along the North Shore. They’re in search of the remaining Kamloops rainbow trout in the Duluth-Knife River waters.
CO Mike Krauel (Mora) spent the week checking anglers and patrolling for snowmobile activity. Enforcement action was taken for no angling license, angling with extra lines, possession of marijuana, no snowmobile registration, possession of illegal-length walleyes, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
CO Alexander Birdsall (Waconia) spent most of the past week working angling and snowmobile enforcement. The DNR Pheasant Fest booth was manned one day and almost all the questions had to do with deer hunting and fishing regulations. A trespassing snowmobiler was stopped and found to have registration that had been expired about as long as the driver had been alive.
CO Garrett Thomas (Eagan) primarily spent time checking ice anglers on local lakes. Time was also spent driving to a nearby state to return a rifle seized from a revoked hunter. The rifle was found to have been stolen approximately 30 years ago in a residential burglary and will be returned to the rightful owner. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of things including improperly marked ice shelters, license violations, litter, trespass issues, and illegally discharging a firearm within 500 feet of an occupied dwelling.
CO Aaron Larson (Baudette West) worked angling enforcement with other officers on Lake of the Woods. Violations included no license in possession, possession of an illegal-length walleye, possession of fillets on a special regulation lake, possessing unmeasurable fish carcasses on a special regulation lake, and no permanent shelter license.
CO Andrew Goodman (Elbow Lake) reports attending a district meeting with Fisheries and Wildlife staff in Glenwood. Angling and snowmobile enforcement produced a few violations over the weekend. An unattended ice shelter with no ID or license was discovered. Goodman followed a well-beaten path to a garage where he located the 77-yearold owner working under a vehicle. The gentleman quickly admitted to leaving the shelter out all day and night for the past three weeks, in addition to leaving an unattended line down during that time as well. When Goodman asked for his angling license, he explained that he had been fishing that particular lake his entire life and had never purchased an angling license. The angler noted that he hadn’t caught many fish in the past three weeks. The angler acknowledged that he came out ahead avoiding detection for so many years but agreed it was time to get in compliance with DNR regulations.
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
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