CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) checked anglers, canoes, and watercraft during the week. Remote back country lakes were checked along with designated trout lakes. The officer also assisted with a domestic disturbance. Enforcement action was taken for watercraft violations.
CO Mary Manning (Grand Marais East) patrolled forest roads and inland lakes. The officer checked anglers, boaters, and ATV operators. Lack of safety equipment on boats continues to be the most frequent violation encountered and boaters are reminded to review regulations for their specific craft before hitting the water.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked anglers, boaters, and ATV riders. The officer investigated complaints and enforcement action was taken for boating and angling violations.
CO Scott Staples (Carlton) reports that some anglers fishing from shore were surprised when the officer showed up to check their angling licenses while they were smoking marijuana. The drugs and paraphernalia were seized and citations issued for possession of paraphernalia and angling without a license.
CO Dustie Speldrich (Willow River) handled several wildlife calls. One included a fawn brought into the yard by a family dog unharmed. The dog owner was advised to put the fawn back in the area where it likely came from and tie the dog up. Another call was from a young man who thought he was doing the right thing when he located a fledgling great horned owl while kayaking on a local river. He brought the owl back to town in the kayak and turned it over to CO Speldrich. Needless to say, the young kayaker took another trip up and down the river to return the owl to where it was found.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) dealt with an ATV’er who was speeding around a blind corner, in the middle of the road, and almost collided with the CO’s squad. The operator commented that he chose a poor time to see what his new ATV could do. Later the same day while approaching two adult anglers who were fishing from shore and drinking beer at a remote state forest area lake, the two anglers tossed their beer cans in the lake. The two said they panicked because they thought it was illegal to drink beer in the state forest. They were informed having a beer was OK but throwing garbage into the lake was a bit of a problem.
CO Jake Willis (Maplewood) assisted Dakota County with an explosion on a 36-foot boat on the Mississippi River. The boat was a total loss, but nobody was hurt.
CO Kylan Hill (Zumbrota) cited two individuals for fishing without a license after they both admitted they knew they needed a license to fish. CO Hill observed the same two anglers fishing again at a different location roughly an hour after the first contact. When asked, the anglers stated that they still did not buy fishing licenses because they didn’t think we took that law very seriously. The anglers were subsequently cited again.
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!
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