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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 Mary Manning (Hovland) traveled area forest roads and checked lake accesses. Rain earlier in the month is still impacting some road conditions, with washed out areas and large sheets of ice across entire sections of a few roads. She also followed up on reports of wildlife feeding and she spoke with local radio station about safety during outdoor winter activities. Snow to date has been minimal, so now is a good time to take a required safety training rather than wrecking a snowmobile on barely covered trails.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) worked a trapping case through the week. He also completed equipment maintenance. A few grouse hunters were checked in the area, but Hill is getting the sense that most outdoor enthusiasts are waiting for snow and ice.
CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) fielded multiple post-firearms-deer-season calls, ranging from tips on violations to how COs should do their jobs. Local inland lakes are showing good clear ice conditions, ranging from 4 to 7 inches. Ice is never safe, and anyone heading out should always rely on their own observations, field testing and judgement.
CO Ryan Hanna (Milaca) received a TIP complaint of hunting over bait. Hanna spoke with the hunter who thought the rules were the same as another state. He was advised they are not.
CO Vinny Brown (Northome) spent the week investigating TIP complaints, patrolling for spruce top/ balsam harvesting activities, and checking a few anglers taking advantage of some early yet, dangerous ice fishing. A TIP call of people shooting after dark was investigated. Although the original complaint, which was reported days after the fact wasn’t proven, the investigation ended with a citation for lend/borrow after a hunter tagged his deer with a tag belonging to someone who wasn’t with him in the field. A firearm and deer were seized as a result of the investigation.
CO Derek Schneider (Zumbrota) reports an increase in trespass calls this week. One incident involved two hunters who were caught trespassing by a landowner and told to leave. The hunters disregarded the warning and decided to return to the property and hunt that evening. One of the hunters attempted to evade officers by not exiting the woods and was eventually located hours later after walking to a nearby town. Both hunters were charged with trespass.
CO Troy Fondie (Orr) reports ice fishing is in full swing. With little snow cover on area lakes, ice conditions continue to improve. Illegal spruce cutting continues. Muzzleloader deer hunting was nonexistent. Snow continues to melt as above-freezing daytime temperatures continue. Public access sites were checked and equipment work and administrative tasks were completed.
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) completed some cases from the firearms deer season. Complaints were also investigated from the archery and muzzleloader deer seasons. Huener responded to a call of two large bucks south of Badger whose anglers were stuck together. One of the deer had injuries to its head and was almost dead upon arrival. Together with some local individuals, Huener dispatched the injured buck. Its antler was cut off to free the lively buck, which ran away healthy. A bald eagle was also captured and transported to a wildlife rehabber.
CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) worked area hunting and angling activity. Time was spent checking on complaints of illegal angling on trout lakes, and one muzzleloader-hunting issue.
CO Chris Tetrault (Maplewood) had a busy week with a large call load. He contacted several people who had been hunting with the aid of bait. Overall, archery equipment (and a harvested deer) was seized from four people. Several other issues were also present, including feeding wild animals in a banned zone, failing to register deer and transporting deer illegally.
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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