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 week checking ATV riders, anglers and boaters. He attended a Glock armorers training in the metro.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) attended an Honor Guard meeting and helped again with scenarios at the DNR Academy at Camp Ripley. She checked bear bait stations for early setup and baiting. She also answered general baiting questions. Manning followed up on a noise and target-shooting complaint in a state forest campground. The group had left the campground but not before one member left a pile of human waste and toilet paper in the campsite, which is directly across from the outhouse.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports an excellent bite on Lake Superior with nice fish of various species being seen in live wells. Be sure to brush up on fish identification before you head out as some anglers kept the incorrect species of fish. One angler coming off of the lake was cited for an overlimit of rainbow trout from an inland trout lake after Hill located a frozen bag of fish in a cooler in their truck. Nuisance-bear complaints are still coming in, along with questions regarding the upcoming bear season. A couple of ATV riders were spoken to about headlight usage and properly displaying their registration. Hill responded to an illegal target-practicing complaint at a state forest campground.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the past week working sport fishing and assisting Becker County with a drowning on Little Detroit Lake. Swedberg took enforcement action on two anglers with an overlimit of sunfish on an area lake. The men were both in possession of two limits of sunfish and claimed their wives had left the previous night and forgotten their fish. Swedberg called both wives. Neither had any clue about fishing and their husbands admitted to the overlimit.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the past week monitoring angling and boat and water safety in the Pelican Rapids and Detroit Lakes stations. Time was spent assisting Becker County with a drowning over the weekend. CO Swedberg and Landmark also responded to a report of a man in the water after his boat capsized. Fortunately, he was located holding onto his life jacket and he was able to be rescued from the water by two outstanding citizens and a Becker County deputy. These events over the weekend highlight the importance of wearing a life jacket when you are on the water. Calls from the public included questions about water access and a report of wolf depredation on cattle. Enforcement action was taken for no navigation lights, PWC operation after hours, no PWC rules sticker, failure to display registration numbers, and no Type IV throwable device.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Cook) spent time working boating safety and angling enforcement over the past week. Overall, safety compliance was much higher than seen in previous weeks. He also responded to a call regarding someone burning trash in the middle of town. Upon contact, Zavodnik observed multiple fans blowing on a fire that consisted of garbage and a large tree stump. The individual initially denied that he had anything to do with it or that there was a fire burning right in front of him. After a more in-depth conversation, the suspect admitted to the violation and appropriate action was taken. Zavodnik assisted multiple agencies with the apprehension of an individual who at first fled on a motorcycle and then on foot. Enforcement action taken included boating safety, registration, and angling license violations. Zavodnik is also investigating possible aquatic plant management violations that occurred over the week.
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) spent the past week patrolling the BWCA with officers from across the state on their first wilderness patrol. He also assisted the St. Louis County Rescue Squad with a search for a person who had become lost after they had mistakenly travelled down the wrong waterway inside the BWCA. The lost boater was found several miles from any paddling route. Williams, the Rescue Squad and U.S. Border Patrol assisted them in walking out of the wilderness.
CO Matt Miller (Lake Superior Marine Unit) checked wild rice stands and responded to bear complaints. Reports of steelhead being kept were worked in Grand Marais and Taconite Harbor. Low water levels and dry conditions persist. Enforcement action was taken for angling violations.
CO Chad Thesing (Albany) spent time working anglers and boaters. Thesing was a guest on a local radio show talking about boating safety, ATV information and other topics that the public called in. A call was handled involving a family keeping a fawn deer in their home.
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