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 Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais) reports checking anglers and ATV riders and responding to wildlife-related calls. He spent most of the week on ATV checking bear-bait stations.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports attending training at Camp Ripley during the week.

CO Don Murray (Two Harbors) worked bear baiting, fishing, and wild rice harvest activities during the week. Bears have plenty of natural foods this year with a bumper crop of blueberries. Murray also attended the Minnesota State Fair, where he answered a variety of game and fish-related questions and explained the duties of a Minnesota conservation officer.

CO Ben Huener (Roseau) checked anglers on the Roseau River and Lake of the Woods. He provided assistance to the owner of a boat that was found floating down the Warroad River with nobody inside it. Huener read for story hour at the Greenbush Library and showed animal furs to the kids who attended.

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd East) this week patrolled area trails and forests for bear-hunting-related activity. Baiting has begun and complaints of nuisance bears have lessened. The season starts Sept. 1. Guida fielded a call regarding a bag of dumped, partially cleaned, bluegills on the end of a driveway. The caller was disgusted by the waste. A call from a concern citizen who observed individuals cutting a large number of cattails from a property adjacent to public water was fielded. Upon a site inspection, the contractor wasn’t listed on the permit, was observed using an illegal method of cutting, and was exceeding what was originally allowed. A cease-and-desist order was issued along with an accompanying citation.

CO Dan Starr (Onamia) continued to monitor nuisance-bear activity and authorize nuisance-bear permit validations. ATV activity was monitored along with bear-baiting activities. An ATV rider was observed riding at a high speed late at night right up divided Highway 169. The ATV rider was going over 60 miles per hour, passing cars, had a passenger, and was driving very carelessly. Upon stopping the ATV rider, Starr found a 15-year-old operator to be intoxicated and have a felony warrant. DUI charges are pending, and the 14-year-old passenger was safely sent home.

CO Chris Howe (St. Peter) reports spending time answering questions at the DNR building at the State Fair this week. Lots of folks are out in the area, scouting locations for early goose, teal, and mourning dove openers. Howe assisted a waterfowl hunter who was out on the water, scouting. When he returned to the landing, a floating bog was largely blocking the access. Swan Lake is in a drawdown phase, and water is very low. Your favorite access likely has more mud than water, so some pre-season scouting may be in order.

CO Sean Williams (Ely #1) reports bear-baiting activity in the Ely area continued to increase as did the reports of bears visiting sites as wild foods continue to disappear. Angling reports were mixed, with some anglers having great success with smallmouth bass and crappies. Violations included bear-bait sign violations and commercial minnow violations.

CO Thomas Sutherland (Grand Rapids) worked ATV and bear-baiting activities in the area. He noticed that bear baits in the area were being regularly visited by bears even though there is plentiful mast in the woods. Enforcement action was taken for unregistered ATVs and not transferring titles.