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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 in the BWCAW checking anglers on remote trout lakes. He attended a meeting at Camp Ripley to prepare for the firearms training for the upcoming CO Academy. Enforcement action was taken for angling and snowmobile violations.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked area anglers, fish houses and snowmobile operators. She followed up on snowmobile complaints and of a dog off-leash in the state park that was harassing skiers. Dog owners are reminded there is no “free run zone” in the state parks. Dogs must be leashed at all times for the safety of other park visitors, deer, and the dogs themselves.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports hitting the snowmobile trails and lakes throughout the week. High snowmobile traffic was seen on Friday, with the snowstorm slowing things down on Saturday. Hill received numerous reports of loud exhausts and operators cutting corners on the trail. In one instance, Hill had to come to a complete stop on a corner to avoid being hit. The operator was stopped, and enforcement action was taken for careless operation and a few registration issues to boot. Please slow down and stay on your side of the trail. Fishing appears to be so-so, and a few anglers were spoken
to about shelter licenses. Continued work was done on a background investigation.
CO Ben Huener (Roseau) assisted with removing a dead deer from under a Warroad resident’s front porch. The cause of death is unknown but suspected to be from an injury after being struck by a vehicle. Anglers and snowmobile riders were checked on Lake of the Woods and in the Warroad area. Violations included speeding with a snowmobile, expired snowmobile registration, operating a non-snowmobile on a snowmobile trail and possession of marijuana. Fishing on Lake of the Woods has been slow.
CO Ryan Brown (Karlstad) reports working angling, snowmobile riders, and big-game cases from the 2021 season. With the recent warmer weather, more snowmobile riders have been observed using the trails. Enforcement action this week included failure to register a harvested bear, failure to register a harvested deer and allowing a minor to violate a game and fish law.
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