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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) spent time checking deer hunters during the last week of the firearms deer season. He followed up on complaints, monitored whitefish nets and executed a felony arrest. Enforcement action was taken for deer and firearms violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) wrapped up a rather slow firearms deer season. Deer continued to be scarce and by the final day so were hunters. She also checked a few trap sets, took calls about nuisance beavers and followed up on a burn permit issue. Winter is slow in coming this year and property owners are reminded they need 3 inches of actual snow completely covering the ground to legally burn brush without a permit. Burning trash, paper, treated or painted wood, furniture or other toxic items is always illegal.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports the end of the firearms season came quietly in the area as deer harvests were few and far between. A few hunters who passed on small bucks early in the season mentioned they wished they had the chance to do it over. Hill actually saw quite a few small-game hunters taking advantage of the lack of people inland. Good numbers of harvested feather and fur were seen. Surveillance was done on a trapping case. A warning was issued for no deer license in possession.
CO Andy Schmidt (Duluth West) closed out the firearms deer season with baiting violations, shooting from the roadway, overlimit of deer, aiding and abetting, and various license/tag issues. The overall deer season was very slow with many camps reporting a zero for harvest and very few deer seen in general. Schmidt was in one camp and a 7-year-old told his mom that the warden was at the cabin and to not say anything to get them in trouble.
CO Jake Willis (Brookston) patrolled the station during the final week of the firearms deer season. Willis assisted a neighboring officer with a shooting from the road and trespassing case in which two unlawful deer were seized. Enforcement action was taken for shooting from the road right-of-way, agricultural trespass, overlimit of deer, and aiding and abetting a hunting violation. Deer-shining activity was also worked, with two people cited for shining after hours.
CO Tom Hemker (Winona) reports good duck hunting in the area with a strong waterfowl migration. The deer hunters continue to hit the woods, but the harvest has slowed considerably. Hemker observed a duck hunter shoot a green-winged teal that hit the water alive. Two eagles and a dog attempted to get the bird for an extended time, but it was finally retrieved by the hunter in his boat. A duck hunter who has been hunting the river for about 50 years reported he and his partner had three shot ducks taken by eagles. He said it had only happened one other time a few years ago.
NR Pilot Brad Maas (Brainerd) completed a training flight in a helicopter with one pilot and worked on helicopter-maintenance items. He also completed the trout stream beaver dam survey for the Duluth Fisheries Office. This covers 75 miles of trout streams near Two Harbors, recording beaver dams for removal by a U.S. Department of Agriculture trapper. Beaver dams pool the water and allow it to warm. Brook trout and steelhead cannot survive temperatures above 78 degrees.
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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