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) focused on angling and snowmobile activity. Recent snow helped improve the state and local trails. Wahlstrom worked a detail with the Border Patrol.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) hit the ski trails checking ski passes and directing skijors to the correct trails. Anglers and snowmobilers were also checked. Manning is also following up on a report of anglers with unattended lines.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports contacting anglers and snowmobile riders throughout the past week, despite arctic cold temperatures. Snowmobile violations were nonexistent and Hill wants to thank riders for following all snowmobile laws. One angler forgot to purchase their trout stamp and Hill made sure they purchased it on their way back home. Possession permits were issued for road-killed deer. Hill monitored lakes in the BWCA for trout activity and found some decent fish in the bucket. Hill also took enforcement action on people for no state park vehicle permits.
CO Vinny Brown (Northome) patrolled lakes and snowmobile trails but saw fewer people out and about due to colder weather. Most ice anglers report a slow bite for anything other than perch. Brown responded to a residence after an individual reported he accidentally caught a bobcat in a coyote snare. The bobcat was unharmed by the snare and was released by Brown and CO Fairbanks without incident.
CO Jim Guida (Brainerd East) worked big-game investigations this past week. Guida offered court trial witness testimony in a past snowmobile violation case. A big-game investigation was completed where an individual purchased a big-game license and registered a deer six minutes after the purchase. The license was determined to be invalid and the both individuals involved in the lend/borrow violation were subject to enforcement action, including a $500 penalty for restitution.
CO Al Peterson (Osage) worked ongoing cases, snowmobile enforcement, anglers and miscellaneous wildlife-related complaints. One report was received of three different grouse flying into three different windows on the same house only minutes apart. Two of the grouse died as a result.
CO Hanna Wood (Wheaton) focused this past week’s enforcement efforts on angling and recreational vehicle enforcement. Follow up from last week’s mountain lion complaint revealed it was most likely a coyote. Wood continues to work on ongoing investigations.
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) spent time this past week on the snowmobile working area lakes for anglers and recreational riders. Frigid weather kept most people off the ice, but a few stuck it out and enjoyed a quieter time on the ice. Several anglers were cited for possessing illegal drugs and paraphernalia. One angler was cited for fishing without a license after using his employer’s ATV to get out to the shack. After Lawler checked it over, the ATV was not licensed, which led to the owner being contacted and cited for that violation.
CO Jacque Hughes (Longville) checked angling and snowmobile activity. She also responded to a call of an injured wolf.
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) primarily worked trout anglers and snowmobile riders. He also worked a trapping complaint. An accidentally trapped fisher was turned in. That was not the unusual part, however. The fisher – the supposed master of porcupine predators – had about six dozen quills on its face and neck, with one that had nearly blinded it. It survived the porcupine, but not the trap. It was the coldest week of the winter, and Bozovsky asked two snowmobile riders how low the wind chill was for them after they were stopped going 80 miles an hour. The wind chill chart actually doesn’t register that low. Separate trout anglers on a designated lake were found with no trout stamps and using extra lines (one actually using two extra lines). One had a bait violation as well. Excuses abounded for the anglers.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) patrolled area lakes ahead of the cold snap checking anglers and a few dark house fishers. One angler who was trout fishing neglected to purchase a trout stamp. As Frericks was processing the violation, he found there was a felony arrest warrant for the angler. The angler was arrested on the warrant and brought to jail. The next day, Frericks assisted a State Patrol trooper who was following a person who had a warrant out for his arrest. The driver drove onto an area lake in hopes of getting away from the Trooper and a Gilbert police officer. It didn’t work and the subject with the warrant was arrested.
Contact local DNR Conservation Officers toMDANreportadsviolationsto run or ask questions:
Thomas Wahlstrom
218-370-0244
Kylan Hill
218-387-4393
Mary Manning
218-387-5285
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