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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) checked firearms deer hunters and a few small-game hunters. Harvest numbers remain low in the Cook County area. He responded to big-game-hunting and trespassing complaints.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) reports another slow week for deer hunters. She took a report of hunter harassment by an area landowner and a person with questions on the legality of food plots that include vegetables. Manning also located a pile of trash and household furniture dumped on an area WMA. Anyone with information is asked to call.
CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports a slow week of deer hunting. Success was very low, especially with the poor weather. Hill was pleased to find no violations throughout the week.
CO Duke Broughten (Aurora) spent the week monitoring deer hunting, trapping and ATV activity. Few deer hunters were observed in the field this week. Deerhunting success is very low. Broughten received a call from an individual who was surprised by a bear while he was picking cranberries. The individual was concerned people might not be aware of this bear activity. The individual was advised it is not uncommon to find bears near berries. Broughten also fielded calls regarding trespass, injured animals, and hunting regulations.
CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls #1) reports the second weekend of the deer season was much like the first: Slow. The first major winter storm of the year could be a contributing factor as people weren’t willing to venture out in the wind and cold. However, some people did, and some continue to not be able to follow the rules. Enforcement action was taken for illegal party hunting, borrowing and lending licenses, hunting over bait, transporting a loaded firearm, operating an ATV during closed hours, shooting a big-game animal from road right-of-way, and allowing illegal juvenile ATV operation.
CO Bill Landmark (Pelican Rapids) began field training Conservation Officer Candidate Brett Fox. Over the past week, time has been spent focusing on deer-hunting activity and violations. Smaller lakes have been freezing over, forcing ducks and geese to either move to larger bodies of water or to head south. There were significantly fewer deer hunters out in the field during the closing weekend of the season than there have been in past years. A successful investigation was carried out this week in conjunction with a North Dakota Fish and Game Warden involving a non-resident shooting a deer in Minnesota without a license. Enforcement action was taken for violations such as transportation of a loaded firearm and failure to register a deer within 48 hours.
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