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 snowmobile trails and found trail sticker compliance to be exceptional. Snowmobilers, skiers and people on snowshoes could be found everywhere as the weather was nice. The CO did a couple of remote patrols, by snowshoe, in non-motorized areas. The slush has frozen up and the conditions are great.
CO Tom Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked snowmobile activity. Enforcement activity was taken for various snowmobilerelated violations. He checked cross-country skiers and also ice fishermen enjoying the mild weather.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) patrolled snowmobile trails and forestry roads; compliance was very good. The officer assisted Cook County with a pair of incidents including a medical and a car-deer accident. Manning also checked area lakes and anglers. Enforcement action was taken for no license in possession and live minnows on a designated trout lake.
CO Alex Gutierrez (Forest Lake) took a complaint of a masked bird feed burglar. The complainant stated a raccoon was stealing all the bird feed she would put out for the birds and wanted the raccoon removed. Gutierrez explained that the raccoon was not stealing the bird feed and selling it, but likely eating it and would eventually leave when the bird feed was no longer around. Gutierrez also assisted the Washington County Sheriff ‘s Department with a possible car through the ice on Forest Lake. The car broke through the one-inch top layer of ice which was formed from the recent thaw and refreeze. The car and occupants, which did not go through the 22-plus inches of actual base ice, were safely removed.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) investigated a wolf depredation complaint where a large bull (3,000 pounds) was run through two fences about a quarter-mile from its pen and got stuck in a swampy area. The bull eventually died from the incident and it was determined that wolves were the cause.
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) responded to dogs chasing deer complaints as well as dogs running at large. She is investigating a complaint where deer were said to be shot to feed dogs.
CO Mark Mathy (Cass Lake) spent a lot of time enforcing various regulations on Leech Lake. Early in the week a snowmobile race event was held and Mathy investigated the area the next day. The snowmobile race event organizers were found to have illegally placed some of the race route on sensitive wetlands which created a substantial amount of damage. Snowmobile signs and litter were left all over the place as well.
CO Eric Schettler (Fairmont) assisted one angler who found out the hard way that ice is not always safe. His full-size pickup broke through approximately 18 inches of ice into 12 feet of water. Luckily his window was half open and he was able to exit the vehicle without getting wet. He was amazed at how fast it hit the bottom.
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