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) worked Lake Superior and Agate Bay, providing security for the Tall Ships event and checking boaters and anglers. Manning also spent time patrolling in Grand Marais and assisting Cook County deputies. Numerous reports of bears behaving like bears were received, primarily in the BWCA where campers have left food packs unattended or failed to properly hang them. Like Yogi, bears learn quickly to wait and watch from the woods for a chance to get the goodies. A bear-proof food container is one way to thwart them.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports focusing his time on boating safety and angling enforcement throughout the week. Time was spent amongst the tall ships at the Festival of Sail in Two Harbors. Hill also patrolled the Grand Marais Harbor during Fisherman’s Picnic, contacting anglers and boaters. Limits of lake trout were seen and the violations were few and far between. Hill spoke with WTIP this week about how the nuisance-bear activity in the station has been nonexistent with the abundance of berries, but that statement came back to haunt him as a bear complaint came in the next day. BWCA compliance has also been great as Hill bumped into some people entering and exiting the Wilderness. Hill began patrolling the area for ATV and bear-hunter activity as the bear-baiting opener is fast approaching.

CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) attended a planning meeting for the current CO Academy’s upcoming fishing week. He also attended Babbitt’s National Night Out event. A detail was worked for the Tall Ships event in Two Harbors. Station lakes and ATV trails were patrolled, as were lakes in the Silver Bay station. One angler attempted to use someone else’s fishing license, but it quickly unraveled for her when she forgot it at the cabin and had a hard time answering basic questions like middle name, date of birth, and address. Enforcement action included several instances of fishing without licenses and trout stamps, extra lines, insufficient PFDs, expired watercraft registration, litter, and providing a false name.

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd East) patrolled the station for ATV activity and followed up on aquatic plant management violations. Guida, CO Vang, and CO Verkuilen assisted the local sheriff ’s office in a search for a fleeing fugitive. The individual, who had a history with weapons, had numerous criminal warrants and fled during the warrant service. A drone and K9 were utilized in the search. Numerous law enforcement officers conducted the foot search along shore in the aquatic vegetation in waist-deep water. They located the felon laying in the water near shore mostly concealed in water and by the dense vegetation.

CO Chris Vinton (Perham) reports inspecting a number of sites at the request of the local DNR hydrologist for potential violations. Nuisance-bear calls were handled with advice to remove the sources of the attractants. Vinton, along with several other COs, assisted the Otter Tail County Sheriff’s Office with a missing elderly gentleman who got turned around while bicycling in and around Glendalough State Park. The man was located safe and sound. Vinton presented at a local firearms safety class and spent some time with other conservation officers at the Minnesota Trappers Association convention held this year in Wadena. CO Prep background work continued.

CO Andrew Goodman (Fergus Falls) reports primary enforcement efforts were focused on ATV and angling enforcement. Fishing pressure has moved onto panfish as warmer water and weeds have made larger game fish trickier to find. Complaints of ATV use on state trails and roadways were handled, as were calls about nuisance and injured animals. Goodman assisted with a missing person search in a state park. The individual was later found several miles outside of the park in a nearby town.