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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) worked with area officers during the small-game opener. Trails were busy with ATV riders and hunters. Small-game hunters overall had moderate success. He also attended training at Camp Ripley. Enforcement action was taken for hunting and ATV violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) worked a busy smallgame opener. One pair of hunters tried telling Manning that “we just got checked yesterday” as a way to avoid being checked in the field. Both were transporting loaded shotguns on their ATV. A pair of juvenile ATV operators drove past Manning without helmets on but had them on when stopped a couple minutes later and tried to play it off as if they had them on the whole time. She also discovered an unattended and unpermitted burning brush pile on recently cleared parcel of land. The fire was extinguished by the local fire department and the property owner was educated when he returned.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports a great week of outdoor activity in the station. The pink salmon are hitting the rivers hard with anglers reporting multiple fish throughout the day. A reminder to have all licenses and stamps and to use legal tackle. Grouse hunters saw great success as Hill checked multiple groups who were close to a limit. A few hunters were cited for transporting loaded shotguns on ATVs. Two in particular also had juveniles without helmets on. One ATV operator had three juveniles under the age of 10 (one in a car seat) without helmets and seatbelts on. A hunter was spoken to about using an unregistered motorcycle/OHM on the road. Hill continued working on a background investigation.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) instructed the current State Patrol class of new recruits with other members of the Water Survival Team. He checked numerous ATV riders and grouse hunters over the opening weekend. The beautiful weather and decent numbers of ruffed grouse produced many smiles and happy hunters. Anglers on Lake Superior were also enjoying catches of salmon and lake trout throughout the week and weekend. CO Vinny Brown (Northome) continued monitoring bear-hunting/baiting activity and patrolled ATV trails. Brown worked small-game and archery deer-hunting opening weekend and saw smaller numbers of grouse and deer hunters in the area than he anticipated. The remains of a bird of prey were seized from a small-game hunter who said he thought the bird was a grouse. Hunters are reminded to know the species you are hunting before heading to the field.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week patrolling area ATV trails, lakes, and assisting the county. ATV trails were busy throughout the weekend with small-game hunting open and beautiful fall weather for the riders to enjoy. More squirrel hunters were checked than grouse hunters in the area, and all of the groups had squirrels in the bag. Swedberg also assisted Clearwater County with a report of a lost wild rice harvester. When the person was found, he did not want to be rescued and said he was just taking his time harvesting rice.
CO Taylor Hochstein (Hill City) monitored the opening of small-game and archery hunting. Hochstein responded to a large fire that required several aircrafts to assist with containment of the flames. ATV traffic in the area remains high with good compliance rates among riders.
CO Mike Fairbanks (Deer River) worked the smallgame/ archery deer opener, investigated a forest fire, monitored OHV activity and assisted the county with a motor vehicle accident. Fairbanks and his K9 partner Si also assisted in searching for a firearm that was thrown as a suspect evaded law enforcement. Enforcement action was taken for license issues, youth under 18 without helmets on ATVs and insufficient number of PFDs.
CO Mikeena Mattson (Wealthwood) worked ATV/ OHM, sport fishing and small-game, bear, and archery deer enforcement this past week. Many squirrel, grouse, bear, and archery deer hunters were contacted this past weekend. Enforcement action was taken for various violations found when boating and checking hunters, including angling without a license, angling with extra lines, ATV helmet violations, illegal ATV operation, no hunting/fishing license in possession, transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, and no blaze orange on while hunting.
CO Trent Seamans (Big Lake) patrolled for anglers, archery deer hunters, and small-game hunters. Violations encountered this week included hunting deer with the aid of bait, possessing smallmouth bass out of season, and failing to remove a drain plug from a boat. Seamans also assisted in the apprehension of a suspect wanted in an ATV theft investigation. Additional time was spent issuing cease and desist orders and resource protection notifications for wetland violations. Please consult your local soil and water conservation district if you plan to alter a wetland on your property.
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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