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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 James Fogarty (Prior Lake) checked ice anglers. Good numbers of anglers were observed enjoying the above-zero weather. Fogarty also patrolled snowmobile trails. He responded to a snowmobile on fire near Highway 41 and the Minnesota River. The driver of the snowmobile was unharmed. Other trail-goers stopped and assisted in putting the fire out. The snowmobile appeared to be a total loss.
CO Clint Fitzgerald (Rochester #2) checked a pair of anglers at Silver Creek Reservoir and noticed one of the anglers wouldn’t make eye contact with him. Fitzgerald later determined the angler had borrowed a fishing license from a family member. The angler ran into a snag when she couldn’t recall the birth year of the license holder. It also didn’t help that she was about 30 years older than person she was trying to impersonate. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports fishing activity slowing and anglers beginning to remove shelters. Vinton tracked down one angler who left their vehicle parked at their shelter for more than a week. Property owners on the lake became concerned for the wellbeing of the angler when there was no activity at the fish house. Vinton located the owner with the assistance of the Rice Police Department and learned the vehicle wouldn’t start, so the owner left it there for the week. The angler was appreciative that Vinton checked on their safety. Enforcement action was taken for no shelter license, failure to mark shelters and no license in possession.
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) spent the majority of the past week checking ice anglers. Additional time was spent on snowmobile patrol, training, and responding to a medical emergency. Enforcement activity for the week included fishing without a license, no license in possession, unregistered and expired registration on ATVs and snowmobiles, and failure to transfer ownership on ATVs and snowmobiles. As a reminder, Hubbard County is under a deer feeding and attractant ban.
CO John Slatinski IV (Ray) reports illegal exhaust on a snowmobile is still a common occurrence being encountered and addressed. Any modification to the snowmobile’s exhaust that increases noise levels produced is not allowed. Just because an aftermarket exhaust is called a “trail can” does not make legal for use on trails in Minnesota. The local clubs and various agencies have put extensive time and energy into establishing trails, often with the use of easements through private property. Excessive noise can generate complaints and threats of revoking easements, which would cause trails to be closed in some instances. Other violations encountered included a juvenile operating a snowmobile on the roadway at night without a working tail light, snowmobile speed, expired snowmobile registration, failure to display registration, and fishing license violations.
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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