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 Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais)
checked small game hunters during the opening weekend. Grouse hunters were everywhere. It seems like more and more people are discovering this neck of the woods, making it harder to find trails that haven’t been hunted. The CO saw many birds before the season, but now those young ones have been either shot or pushed off the roadway because there weren’t as many around by Sunday. Many bear hunters checked had passed on several bears waiting for the big bruin. Reports now are that many of the bears are hitting the baits at night. Several canoes were seen paddling overloaded in the high winds during the week — the makings of a very dangerous situation as water surface temps start to fall into the lower 50s.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland)
checked many grouse hunters during the busy opening weekend. Manning worked area rivers during the ongoing salmon run and took a couple reports of individuals snagging fish. Bear bait stations were checked and compliance is good with removal of signs this season. Manning also attended a regional meeting and training.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte)
worked opener of small game and archery deer. Theback roads were very busy with hunters. Theofficer attended Street Survival training in Bloomington. Wahlstrom fielded reports of bear that were left in the woods with a lot of the meat left to rot. Bear hunters are reminded that any usable part of the bear must be used or it is considered wonton waste.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors)
took a call from a concerned party about a poached moose. When the CO arrived at the location where the inedible parts of the animal had been dumped, he discovered that it was not a moose at all, but rather a steer which someone had butchered. Numerous calls about nuisance beaver have been referred to trappers.
CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud)
checked a group on the Mississippi River that had a full box of lead shot in the blind with them. When Martin questioned the hunter who owned the lead he said, “I didn’t know, I bought it at a local retail outlet, that guy should get in trouble ‘cause he sold it to me.”
CO Mark Fredin (Aurora)
investigated an accidental shooting where two people were walking side by side grouse hunting and one accidentally pulled the trigger on his shotgun, sending bird shot into the other’s calf. Fortunately he did not receive the full blast of the gun; an X-ray revealed around nine pellets lodged in the calf.
CO Keith Olson (Marine Unit)
participated with other agencies and CN Railroad in a mock oil spill in Two Harbors. He worked bird hunters and ATV complaints. He also received a call about increased timber wolf activities around a cattle ranch located north of Duluth.
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