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) checked anglers in the BWCAW and area lakes. He worked with officers Oberg and Schottenbauer during a detail in the BWCAW. Enforcement action was taken for fishing in a closed area, lack of navigation lights, illegal-length fish and PFD violations.

CO Hudson Ledeen (Grand Marais #2) reports that beautiful weather over Memorial Day weekend gave ample opportunities for people to enjoy the outdoors. ATV riders, anglers, hikers, boaters, campers and bears running about has summer in full swing. Ledeen helped teach a firearms safety class and field day for students from Cook County Middle School. A detail was worked over the weekend at the Pigeon River Point of Entry with other conservation officers, checking anglers coming back into the U.S. from Ontario. Enforcement action was taken for drain plugs left in boats, overlimits of fish, and uncountable/unidentifiable fish fillets.

CO Kylan Hill (Tofte) reports seeing an abundance of bugs and people utilizing the recreational opportunities in Cook County throughout the week. Hill took part in a fish and game check at the Pigeon River Port of Entry. A few hundred vehicles were contacted, with nice numbers of fish and bears harvested in Ontario. Violations included possession of fish overlimits, transporting uncountable fish, and failure to remove the drain plug prior to transporting. Fishing has picked up a bit with reports of walleyes and bass dominating the bag. Hill monitored ATV activity along county roads and made a few stops for illegal operation. Nuisance-bear calls were taken and one person was cited for burning garbage in their yard. The highlight of the week was certifying roughly 40 excited kiddos in firearms safety.

CO Pilot Jason Jensen (Brainerd) reports flying in support of an ATV detail and checking anglers via seaplane over the busy weekend. Some potential public water impacts were documented. Assistance was given to Grand Rapids police with a missing person search and a helicopter training flight was completed. Enforcement contacts included no angling license in possession and no sound device on watercraft.

CO Trent Seamans (Big Lake) spent an extremely busy Memorial Day weekend patrolling for anglers, boaters, and ATV operators. Additional time was spent patrolling the Sand Dunes State Forest following up on various camping and off-roading complaints. Unfortunately, violation rates were exceedingly high during patrols. Fishing related violations encountered included fishing without a license, fishing after revocation for failing to pay a fine, possessing protected-slot smallmouth bass, and fishing with an extra line. Violations encountered in the state forest included operating off-road, violating a domestic abuse no-contact order, driving with a suspended license, and occupying a dispersed campsite for too long. Boating violations encountered included operating a watercraft without enough life jackets, operating over the capacity limit, operating without registration, operating with a wake in a no-wake zone, and failing to remove a drain plug.

CO Shane Zavodnik (Virginia) reports a busy Memorial Day weekend. Time was spent responding to a fire that had gotten out of control and spread into the woods. When Zavodnik arrived at the scene, the fire starter admitted to throwing a box spring on the fire, throwing embers into the pine straw which was next to an electrical box and propane tank. He also responded to a reported ATV crash involving a juvenile. During the investigation, the juvenile was found to be going out for “one last ride” and without a helmet on. It was found that the juvenile had rolled the ATV over on a dirt road due to excessive speed. Multiple ATV, angling, boating safety, and fire violations were addressed. He and neighboring CO Johnson also investigated a trespass case over the weekend.

CO Vinny Brown (Northome) spent the week checking anglers and focusing on boat safety checks. Brown encountered two anglers as they finished their day of fishing on an area lake. The anglers had their two-person limit of walleyes in their boat but were also found to be in possession of 12 walleyes over the limit. Their fish were seized and both anglers received citations for walleye overlimits. Enforcement action was also taken this week for fishing without a license, possession of slot fish, blocking a public access, transporting aquatic macrophytes, and expired watercraft registrations.