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) patrolled county and forest roads, checking ATV and OHM operators. She also checked state parks, campgrounds, and boat accesses. She followed up on complaints of stored boats and boats blocking boat ramps. Manning also assisted Cook County with traffic control at an accident scene involving a semi-truck.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports contacting anglers on Lake Superior during the week. It was a bit windy and a few salmon were seen in the bag. Hill took bear-related calls and completed departmental training.
CO Ben Karon (Pine City) spent time this past week checking anglers and boaters. Information was given to people about aquatic invasive species. A report was taken about an angry boater who placed a note on another person’s vehicle stating he was going to “slash his tires” if he doesn’t park well again. Please keep in mind this would be illegal and ill-advised. Time was also spent on ATV patrol.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls East) worked angling, invasive species and ATV enforcement this past week. Elwell received a call about a dead bear cub found in the caller’s backyard. After further investigation, it was determined the bear cub was neither dead, nor a real bear cub. In fact, it was a stuffed animal belonging to a neighbor. Violations encountered included ATV and invasive species violations.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) conducted an investigation regarding the possible accidental shooting of a lake sturgeon with archery equipment on the Red Lake River in Thief River Falls. Through interviews, he learned a lake sturgeon was indeed inadvertently shot with an arrow while a person was bow fishing for rough fish. Enforcement action was taken for taking a lake sturgeon in an illegal manner.
CO Tom Hutchins (Crookston) reports checking anglers this past week. Time was also spent taking various wildlife-related complaints. Two orphaned bear cubs were caught and transported to a rehabilitation center.
CO Nathan Benkofske (Milaca) reports enforcing ATV and angling laws and regulations. Numerous nuisance-bear calls were looked into. An injured dog was rescued that had jumped off a trailer onto Highway 169 near Princeton. Owner info was barely made out on the collar and Benkofske placed the dog in his squad and returned it to the thankful owners. The owners had someone come pick up the trailer prior and that individual did not know the dog had climbed onto the trailer. The dog will survive and be well after some treatment at the vet clinic.
CO Garrett Thomas (Eagan) spent time checking both shore and boat anglers at local lakes and rivers. Enforcement action was taken for a variety of things including extra lines, license violations, drug and paraphernalia issues, and illegally using gamefish (live perch) as bait. Various wildlife-related calls and questions were also handled.
CO Chris Tetrault (Maplewood) fielded calls on a variety of law-related topics. He responded to a call of a boat that was potentially unoccupied; the angler was found sleeping in the bottom of the boat from the night before. A trespassing complaint was taken and it was found that the property was public land.
CO Annette Kyllo (Rochester #1) received a call requesting a possession permit for a young buck that had died after running into a backyard fence. The deer had hit the fence with such force that it had dented the wire mesh, cracked off the wood post the fence was attached to, and broke its own neck. Time was also spent following up on a complaint of an illegal gill net that had been placed in the Zumbro River and checking anglers.
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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