Although the Cook County News-Herald knows that the majority of sportsmen and women are law-abiding folks, there are a few who 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) reports that the fishing for all species has been very good so far this season. The designated lakes are giving up some nice splake and rainbows. The officerand his daughter were chased by a mother grouse when they were out for an evening walk. Seems they got a little too close to the chicks in the tall grass. She had her feathers puffed out, her beak open, fire in her eyes, and she was hissing like a king cobra. The officer wasn’t waiting around and they took off running. The grouse was fiercer than the mother bear with cubs that the conservation officer ran into earlier in the week.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) checked anglers and boaters in the Arrowhead region. Manning also checked anglers returning from Canada at U.S. Customs. Anglers are reminded that fish must be packaged so that they may be identified and counted. Manning attended training for the upcoming motorcycle run next month. She also took calls about nuisance bears and harassment of anglers by a lakeside cabin owner.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) spoke with two people who were reported lost in the Nemadji Forest. They stated that their vehicle broke down and they were walking for three hours. Further questioning found that they got their vehicle stuck. They are currently under investigation for operating in a prohibited area.
CO Troy Ter Meer (Marine Unit) spent some time patrolling for OHV/ATV violations in St. Louis and Carlton counties. Theofficerlearned it can be an unpleasant experience when a stinging insect flies down your shirt while riding an ATV.
CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud) approached two anglers in a boat. When the anglers saw Martin, they started the motor to go to the other side of the lake. They had a problem getting there, as they had left their anchor down and it was entangled in weeds. Martin approached, spoke with the operator, and after some tests, found that he was intoxicated. The operator gave a breath sample on the Preliminary Breath Test (PBT) of .16 BAC. The legal intoxication level to operate any motorized vehicle in MN is .08 BAC. The operator was concerned about what would happen with his criminal record as he’s going to school to be an airline pilot. Numerous charges were filed.
CO Stage (Ely) worked boats and fishermen in and out of the BWCA. There was a lot of traffic with the usual violations and a lot of night boat usage with no lights or just partial lights. It seems a fair number of boaters are unaware that lights are required at sunset, not as soon as you can’t see any more. Check and fix those boat lights.
CO Dan Thomasen (Two Harbors) seized numerous untagged minnow traps from a popular area pond. A reminder to people who trap minnows for their own use: traps must be tagged with your name and address, driver license number or DNR number so they are identifiable. Angling pressure has been low over the past week when weather turned windy, rainy and cool.
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