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 Mary Manning (Hovland)
answered many questions about the Horseshoe Bay dock, which is still under construction and officially closed. Manning patrolled area lakes, rivers, and campgrounds. Boaters are reminded that canoes and kayaks over 9 feet in length must be registered. Theofficeralso answered questions at U.S. Customs, worked on legislative updates, and issued road kill deer and nuisance beaver permits.
CO Mike Martin (St Cloud)
fielded several unusual calls during the past week. In one phone conversation a person stated that he had just witnessed a bald eagle take his neighbor’s cat. The person went on to say that he was worried about his small dog and wanted to know if he could kill the eagle if it “attacked” his dog.
During another call, Martin was being told about how “The DNR” had lost the registration for the caller’s boat and he was mad because he hadn’t got a registration renewal notice but had been issued a summons for operating his watercraft with 2009 registration. The caller was upset but became quiet when Martin looked up the registration and found the watercraft was registered to the caller’s brother-in-law. The caller explained that he had bought the boat with his brotherin law but had forgotten who registered it.
CO Jackie Glaser (Mound)
reports that aftera boat full of musicians was stopped for having riders on the transom, the officer found several other safety equipment violations. While she was writing out a citation, the musicians started singing her a song titled “the Ticket Writing Song.” The song lasted for five minutes with lyrics pleading for a warning. Unfortunately there were too many violations and a citation was issued.
CO Robert Haberman (Little Falls)
observed a woman fishing over the weekend with friends on a local lake. As Haberman approached the watercraft, she handed the fishing rod to another individual. When the CO asked to see her fishing license she replied, “I’m just sun tanning.” Haberman explained to her that using binoculars he noticed she had been fishing for several minutes with the rest of the group. She was silent after he told her that, and a citation was issued for angling without a license.
CO Mark Fredin (Aurora)
watched an individual fish from a pontoon with 2007 registration for about an hour and met him at his cabin dock when he pulled in. When asked how fishing was and to see his fishing license the person looked him straight in the eyes and said, “I wasn’t fishing, just taking a boat ride around the lake.” He later apologized and said he didn’t think he needed a license because the lake didn’t have a public access and was surrounded by private landowners.
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