Conservation Officer Tales

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) spent time checking anglers and ATV riders. He attended a meeting at Camp Ripley to prepare for in-service and handled nuisance-animal calls.

CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled state and federal forest routes checking ATV operators. She also checked anglers and boaters and attended a planning meeting for upcoming statewide training for field officers.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports hitting the water again during the week. Anglers are reporting an extremely poor walleye bite, but if you’re on the hunt for small-mouth bass, you won’t go hungry. Transporting fillets without a skin patch and no PFD on board watercraft violations were addressed. Even though you may be a licensed lifeguard, a PFD is required on a paddleboard. Canoe traffic in the BWCA was again monitored with no violations detected. Hill was happy to see campers altering their cooking plans with the fire bans that are currently in place.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked angling and boating activity during the week. Fishing improved this week on Lake Superior with some nice trout being caught. Fire danger remains high in the area and travelers are urged to check on fire restrictions before doing any outdoor burning. Murray also assisted local officers with a fleeing suspect and investigated an illegal-burning complaint

CO Chelsey Best (Pequot Lakes) took enforcement action this week for numerous boating and ATV/OHM violations. On Saturday, Best pulled into a parking area at the Spider Lake ATV trails and watched an adult male on a Class 1 ATV come up out of the gravel pit and proceed to spin donuts in the main travel path of the trail and near where several vehicles were parked along the sides. As Best approached to make contact, the operator did a slow tip and landed the machine on its side right in front of Best’s squad vehicle. After it was determined there were no injuries or damage to the machine, the driver took his citation for careless operation without complaint. There were no other operators in the vicinity of the parking area or gravel pit when Best concluded the contact.

CO Dan Starr (Onamia) continued to follow up on pending cases involving damage to wildlife management area property. ATV traffic was monitored with one operator found to have a revoked driver’s license, no safety certificate, no registration, failing to transfer ownership, and no taillight at night. Concerns were heard about the early teal season, with opposition abounding. A reminder to waterfowl hunters to plan ahead, as lakes may be closed to motorized travel due to the ricing season.

CO Garrett Thomas (Eagan) spent time checking lake and river anglers locally. Thomas also assisted local agencies investigate a vehicle located in a wetland and investigated a complaint about an individual capturing songbirds. Time was also spent assisting with multiple kids fishing events aimed at getting kids involved in the outdoors.

CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) spent the week monitoring angling, boat and water safety, aquatic plant management, and ATV activity in the Pelican Rapids and Moorhead stations. Anglers are still finding cooperative panfish and crappies, but the walleye fishing has slowed down. While working with CO Chihak, an individual was observed removing a large amount of wild rice from in front of his property and a cease-and-desist order was issued for the violation. Property owners are reminded to check the regulations prior to removing aquatic plants. Calls from the public included complaints about loud watercraft, partying at beach locations, leeching about complaints, and public access issues. Enforcement action was taken for angling with extra lines, angling without a license, insufficient PFDs, and ATV-registration violations.

CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) spent the week on the water patrolling for anglers and recreational activity. Lots of hot days led to busy accesses and lakes with most people in good compliance. A few citations were issued for insufficient PFDs, overloaded watercraft and no angling license. A detail on Lake Minnewaska was worked with other COs and several citations were issued for underage consumption of alcohol and multiple arrests were made for BWI. One person required medical attention. She was severely intoxicated and alone on a boat sitting in the sun while her friends partied nearby.

CO Brittany Hauser (Red Wing) spent the week patrolling for area boating and angling activity. Assistance was given to local agencies for various calls of service and a meeting was attended at Camp Ripley. A complaint of an injured great horned owl was also received. Enforcement action was taken for various angling and boating violations.