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 small-game hunters during the busy opening weekend. Every road was crowded with ATVs and vehicles. The hunters who got out of their vehicles, found a quiet trail and walked, found good hunting success. He attended training at Camp Ripley, instructed firearms qualifications in Hibbing and responded to nuisance-bear and ATV-related complaints. Enforcement action was taken for hunting and ATV violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) saw a busy start to the grouse opener. Fall colors also brought out folks and forest roads were packed with ATVs, bicycles and autos. Hunters are reminded that it is THEIR responsibility to know where homes and occupied dwellings are before shooting at a grouse on the road. There are several apps with great aerial images for that! Numerous “No Trespassing” signs should also be a good clue that there is a home within 500 feet. Hunters also need to remember that some forest roads go through private property and those stretches, if posted by the landowner, are not open to hunting without permission. One hunter shot repeatedly at a bird on a roadway so close to several homes that three different homeowners rushed out to the road to confront them, but the hunter had fled the posted area. Enforcement action was taken for no blaze orange, no helmets on juvenile ATV operators and passengers and allowing illegal juvenile ATV operation.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports working a very hot pink salmon bite in the tributaries. A few anglers were spoken to about the legalities behind hook choice and one angler was found to be angling with no license in possession. ATVs were out in force as a detail was worked in the Finland area. Violations encountered included juvenile helmet violations. He found off-highway motorcycle violations, headlight violations, and various registration violations. One operator in particular was cited after Hill determined the machine he was operating did not have registration.
Instead of updating their registration, he instead decided to put his friend’s extra dealer registration plate on his machine. Some riders were in the area looking at the changing of the seasons as the leaves were vibrant. Nuisance-bear complaints are still coming in almost daily.
CO Dustie Speldrich (Willow River) attended firearms qualifications. She also assisted with a detail in Bemidji. A call of a dog caught in a trap on private property was taken. It was also reported that the dog owner then illegally took the traps from the private property. Several questions regarding the upcoming youth deer hunt were answered.
CO Keith Bertram (Long Prairie) received several calls about a fawn that was wandering through the city of Browerville near a busy roadway. Efforts to walk the deer out of town were not successful. Bertram, with help from another former farm kid, were able to catch and “hog tie” the fawn. It was transported and released in a Wildlife Management Area on the edge of town.
CO Tony Elwell (Thief River Falls East) focused on goose, small game and archery deer hunting this past week. Elwell participated in a security detail during the President’s visit to Bemidji. Enforcement action was taken for archery deer hunting with the aid of bait.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked hunting and angling activity. She retrieved a sunken canoe for a person who tipped it over and was unable to get it back to shore. She also wrote a deer-possession tag. Enforcement action was taken on ATV violations.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) received three separate illegally taken deer calls. An investigation into one of the incidents found that a deer was shot with a gun with aid of a light. Charges are pending. The others are still under investigation. A call of a gill net in Leech Lake was found to be an unidentified net and the net was removed from the lake. Mathy also assisted with an injury OHM accident in the Chippewa National Forest. Annual training was attended and a security detail in Bemidji was worked.
Rec Vehicle Coordinator Bruce Lawrence, along with RTO Mueller, reviewed the layout and indexing for the next version to the 2021 Snowmobile Laws and Regulations Booklet. Topics included how to insert updates on laws and improved graphics and images. Lawrence replied to questions on ATV and off-highway motorcycle operations on local roads and trails. Lawrence prepped training curriculum for upcoming winter conservation officer training. Lawrence participated with ATVAM ATV VIP Ride in northern 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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