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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) monitored snowmobile trails and checked anglers. Time was spent checking trout lakes along the border. The snowmobile trails are shaping up nicely. The cold arctic blast kept most people inside except for the diehards who were rewarded with some nice trout on the ice. Enforcement action was taken for drug possession and snowmobile and angling violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled area lakes, snowmobile trails and ski trails. She also took questions on angling and small-game hunting and handled equipment issues.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports cold conditions across the Arrowhead throughout the past week. Angling activity was light but snowmobilers hit the trails despite extremely cold weather. Registration was once again phenomenal with no violations seen. The North Shore State Trail was busy on the holiday and multiple groups visiting the area were checked. Hill and CO Wahlstrom assisted multiple agencies with a personal injury snowmobile crash between Lutsen and Tofte. Hill took phone calls regarding winter camping. Please, if you are planning to come to the area to winter camp, be sure to have flexible plans around the weather. Hill spoke with a group who had a member spend the afternoon in the hospital for frostbite.
CO Vinny Brown (Northome) patrolled area lakes and noticing fewer anglers than usual, likely due to the colder weather. Along with a decrease in angling activity, he also saw a decrease in snowmobiling activity. A call concerning a bobcat that suffered from a run-in with a porcupine was taken, and time was spent training.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) found a limited amount of outdoor activity with temperatures down to 30-below-zero throughout the past week. A call was taken about a deer that went through the ice and was unable to climb back out. Prior to officers arriving, the reporting party was able to rescue the deer by utilizing a canoe, roof rake and rope. Credit goes out to the husband and wife who used the canoe to get close to the edge of the ice and then used a roof rake to dangle a rope around the deer. The deer was pulled to shore and ran off.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers and fish houses, as well as ATV and snowmobile riders. Station equipment maintenance was performed. Phone calls about two wild elk south of Brandon were handled.
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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