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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) checked anglers and commercial nets on Lake Superior. The lake trout and salmon were cooperating for most anglers. Bear baits and inland lakes were also worked.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports checking baits during the start of bear-baiting season. So far, so good with baits being in compliance. Hill spent time checking boats on Lake Superior and also at Lake Superior accesses during the week. A pretty good bite is going on with some nice lake trout, pink salmon, and coho salmon seen in the live well. A steelhead bite late in the week has Hill reminding anglers to know what fish you are bringing home to cook. Violations included no trout stamp, no CO detector in sleeping quarters, and no fire extinguisher. Although they were not violating the law, Hill had a scary contact with an angler on Lake Superior. While checking the angler fishing from an 8-foot kayak in large waves, the angler was hesitant to show Hill and CO Wahlstrom the PFD he had behind him in the kayak because he was afraid he would tip the boat. This contact was a great reminder that although you may have a PFD on board your watercraft, it does you no good if you cannot access it. Wear your PFD.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked a variety of enforcement activities. A fire started and quickly spread near Isabella on Sunday afternoon. Assistance was provided with notifications and checking area cabins for occupancy. Many nuisance-bear issues were handled, as well as injured-deer and wolf-depredation calls. Enforcement action included several instances of fishing without a license, youth under 18 without a helmet, operating an ATV on a state highway, and restricted area violations in a state park.
CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked a solid-waste case where a truckload of garbage was dumped on mining company lands. The individual responsible was even given dump tickets to dispose of the trash properly, but instead dumped the trash and kept the dump tickets. The perpetrator was identified, and enforcement action was taken, including having the site cleaned up. Sutherland also worked angling activity in the area with many out-of-state anglers on vacation and concentrating on panfish to fill the frying pan. Action was taken for non-residents angling without a license and not possessing enough life jackets on a watercraft.
CO James Fogarty (Prior Lake) checked boaters and anglers during what seemed like perfect weather to be out and about. Fogarty fielded some complaints of ATV trespass. Extra patrol was given to the area. Fogarty assisted Savage police in removing an owl from a soccer net. The owl was removed and handed over to the Raptor Center for medical attention.
CO Brittany Hauser (Red Wing) spent the week patrolling for area angling and ATV activity. A report was also received regarding a possible road-killed mountain lion. Upon investigation, the suspected mountain lion was found to actually be a large dog. Multiple phone calls were fielded about the upcoming hunting seasons.
CO Jim Guida (Brainerd East) patrolled for all-terrain vehicle activity and illegal burning. He also monitored activity including early bear baiting. Guida assisted the local ATV club in instructing approximately 30 youth in all-terrain vehicle operation at an ATV safety class. Enforcement action was taken on an operator of a Class 2 ATV who stated he was operating his side-by-side 68 miles per hour down the highway. In addition to careless operation, the operator was advised the local road authority ordinance restricts operation to 30 miles or less on that county road.
CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) reports that as bears start to forage more in preparation for the winter months, nuisance-bear complaints have increased. He wants to remind everyone to take down bird feeders and try to keep all food/garbage indoors to help deter bears from coming near their residence. Zavodnik spent the rest of his week focusing on ATV and watercraft patrol. There have been several capsized-watercraft incidents that have taken place over the week. He wants to remind everyone to wear a life jacket, especially in watercrafts that are less stable in the water. Several boating safety and license violations were encountered over the week.
CO Michael Cross (Lake George) worked off-highway vehicle enforcement, checked local anglers, and continued work on an ongoing case. Cross also spoke at the Walker Rotary Club meeting. Finally, Cross gave assistance to local biologists in tracking a collar that had been placed on a small wolf pup. It was eventually found that the collar had broken off the wolf and the pup was no longer in the area.
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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