Conservation Officer Tales

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) patrolled area trails and lakes. Wet, heavy snow has helped with trail conditions, but winds also brought down a number of trees. Trout anglers had decent catches, but soft snow and slush made travel difficult for some. Manning and CO Humphrey represented the DNR Honor Guard for the celebration of life for retired CO Jerry Engelbrecht.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports working a heavy weekend of snowmobile enforcement during one of the last, if not the last, snowmobile weekend of the year. There were a surprising number of missing registration sticker violations, and the “this is our last hoorah” excuse was the common response. Please get your registrations in order before next season. Hill also took enforcement action on numerous exhaust violations. Fishing activity was minimal in the station. The first ATV violation of the year was documented after Hill stopped an operator driving down the wrong lane of travel with a pair of helmetless kids.

CO David Schottenbauer (Silver Bay) spent the week checking last-chance trout anglers and snowmobile riders. Several of the latter were found to have been modifying their exhaust systems to make them louder, placing them in violation of state rules. Due to this being CO Schottenbauer’s No. 1 complaint from locals, enforcement action was taken.

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked late ice panfish fishing activity with the ice conditions still holding out fairly well. Enforcement action was taken for angling without a license and expired ATV registration. A timber theft case was also worked where birch trees were illegally cut down on private property in order to be sold as a decorative product.

CO Ben Huener (Roseau) responded to a call about an injured bear. Upon Huener’s arrival, the bear was found to have been flooded out of its den, which was a culvert under a road. The bear was quite groggy but was completely healthy and moved on after waking up and getting its “bearings.” A calf depredation was investigated, and it was found to have been killed by wolves. Anglers were checked on Lake of the Woods. Enforcement action was taken for unregistered vehicles.

CO Nicholas Prachar (Blackduck North) reports that weather conditions have made recreation difficult recently. With that being said, anglers have still been able to access Lake of the Woods for both northern pike and walleyes. Prachar worked with local officers on Lake of the Woods and took enforcement action for using an illegal device while fishing, possession of fillets on special regulation waters and expired ATV registration. A business owner failed to remove fish houses from Upper Red Lake prior to the removal deadline. Because they waited too long, they had numerous issues removing them with the water and slush that formed on top of the ice. A resolution is still forthcoming.

CO Keith Olson (Lake Superior Marine Unit) investigated the report of a partially submerged tugboat in the Duluth harbor. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified and was on scene immediately with a response plan. Reports of spring coming in with sightings of skunks and bears coming to life, along with the corresponding calls reporting such activity. The North Shore rivers are still ice-covered and will be awhile before they are open and flowing.

CO Dan Starr (Onamia) checked areas where the snow has melted for litter concerns and looked for late-season pike anglers. A work detail on the North Shore found snowmobile traffic to be high. Violations for loud exhaust, no registration, no non-resident trail permit, speed, and lacking safety training were found. Starr is currently working on cub bear that is struggling to survive in the wild and has found a resort-type area to hang out.

CO Kevin Prodzinski (Wabasha) reports fishing and boating enforcement this week on both open water and the last of the ice on the backwaters of the Mississippi River. Fishing was good early in the week but the rain, ice melt and cold has caused river temperatures to drop and water levels to rise and fishing success has suffered. An airboat-rescue situation occurred on North Lake after an ice angler went through the ice. Several boat and water enforcement details resulted in enforcement action. Finally, assistance was provided to the county attorney’s office regarding a gross misdemeanor deer case.