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 bear-bait stations and anglers on remote trout lakes and Lake Superior. ATV complaints were followed up on. Several nuisance-wildlife complaints were handled. Enforcement action was taken for ATV and fishing violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) continued checking bear-bait stations and patrolling area forest roads and trails. Nuisance-bear complaints are down and taking a backseat to nuisance camper and traveler complaints. Visitors are reminded there is no maid service in the outdoors and items such as dirty diapers, toilet paper and used baby wipes don’t just disappear when thrown in the woods.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports gearing up for fall hunting seasons as the questions begin to roll in. Anglers were also checked and, as always, lake trout dominate the live wells coming off the big lake. Bear baits were monitored and a few ATV contacts were made along the way. Hill stopped multiple people for failing to remove their drain plug before transport. Hill took part in a detail in the metro.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) checked on the first bear-baiting activity of the season. Hot weather kept the baiting activity slower than normal but some hunters were still out placing bait in hopes of keeping a bear around for the hunting opener. Bear baiters also had to compete with field corn, which was in prime condition to draw bears. Most farmers in the area reported corn crop losses caused by black bears
CO Chad Thesing (Albany) worked anglers and boaters. A lake homeowner was caught cutting a large section of cattails next to their house. An injured goose was captured and a concerned citizen brought the goose to a rehab vet. Assistance was given to a Cooper’s hawk that flew into the Sam’s Club building. After approximately three hours of trying, the hawk was able to fly out a skylight that was removed from the roof. Enforcement activity included burning without a permit, burning prohibited material, illegal cutting of cattails, and no license in possession.
CO Trent Seamans (Big Lake) spent the past week patrolling for anglers, boaters, and ATV operators. Additional time was spent following up on illegal camping in the Sand Dunes State Forest. Enforcement action was taken for fishing without a license, dispersed camping illegally, and allowing a 12 year old to operate a personal watercraft. Seamans took a report of a camper who decided to run a large/loud generator in the middle of the night. The generator was used to operate a circular saw and cut down a live tree. The camper was cited for destroying vegetation in a campground.
CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls West) patrolled for ATV and bear-baiting activity. He also responded to a call for assistance with a snake that was found in a heated area of a medical machine at a local hospital. Hospital staff had captured the small snake prior to his arrival. He found a northern redbelly snake, which is native to Minnesota and non-venomous. He transported the snake to a new location and released it back to the wild. Enforcement action for the week included open bottle on an ATV, exceeding the passenger limit of an ATV, no ATV safety training and ATV registration violations.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) traveled to Minneapolis for a work detail. He followed up on an open public waters case with the area hydrologist. Slatinski also assisted St. Louis County with a stranded boater on Rainy Lake, who spent a couple hours adrift in the dark. Angling reports have been less than enthusiastic. Bear-hunting preparation is in full swing with activity picking up in forested areas.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) spent the past week working anglers, boaters, ATV riders and state park users. An ATV driver was encountered in town and cited for registration that expired two years prior. Fifty-nine minutes later, the same driver was stopped with the same ATV on a non-motorized bike trail. He was cited again, only this time for OHV trespass. His ATV partner was cited along with him. Enforcement action was taken for illegal-length fish, no angling license in possession, driving after revocation, driving after suspension, operating a motor vehicle on a state trail, OHV trespass, no state park permit and a number of boating and ATV violations.
CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) spent the week concentrating on bear-baiting enforcement. Baits established north of Ely were down greatly from previous years. Williams also assisted Lake and St. Louis counties search and rescue with a recovery after a fatal airplane crash occurred on White Iron Lake.
CO Annette Kyllo (Rochester #1) received a call of an individual who had been confronted by landowners for trespassing on private property. The trespasser also had bread bag full of ginseng shoved down his shirt. The individual admitted he had been digging ginseng before the Sept. 1 season start and enforcement action was taken. Kyllo also met with several other landowners to discuss trespass issues they have had in the past during hunting season.
Standby NR Pilot Jessica Holmes (Grand Rapids) reports completing two days for the northeastern Minnesota wild rice aerial survey. This survey consists documenting wild rice density, percent coverage, and swan usage on 100 shallow lakes. Overall, rice abundance looks good across northeast Minnesota.
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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