CO Mary Manning (Grand Marais 2) took an abundance of nuisance bear complaints, including one which resulted in the closure of a BWCAW campsite. The officer also assisted Cook County emergency responders with a boating accident in which the boater was thrown out of the boat, which was then making the “circle of death” on the lake. The gentleman was very lucky to be alive and unhurt, but was later seen operating a different boat and he still did not feel the need to wear either a life jacket or the motor cutoff lanyard. The lanyard would have saved responders several hours of response time had he been wearing one earlier in the first boat. Manning also responded to a report of a boater refusing inspection at an area access and checked anglers and grouse hunters.
CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Grand Marais 3) spent the week checking small game hunters, archery hunters, and bear hunters. Time was also spent checking anglers along the North Shore streams, responding to nuisance animal calls, and follow-up on complaints.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) was on patrol mid-week when dispatch reported that two individuals were observed burglarizing a cabin. The burglars ended up running into the woods as officers arrived on scene. State Patrol, county, tribal and DNR officers were able to surround the wooded area. One suspect attempted to hide in an enclosed deer stand while the other tried to sneak his way through the woods. Both were apprehended.
CO Trent Seamans (Rochester) worked an ATV trespass complaint area and encountered a suspicious truck covered in mud. The juveniles in the truck trespassed onto private property without receiving permission to go “mudding.” The truck sustained heavy damage to a wheel and needed to be towed from the area. The land manager felt that the juveniles learned a valuable lesson and cut them a break by not pressing charges.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) received a call from the Virginia PD which led to a young lady being cited for angling without a license. The angler said she thought she didn’t need a license because she was just “practice angling.”
CO Mitch Lawler (Alexandria) encountered one youth hunter who was bored and not having any luck, so he decided to shoot a seagull passing by.
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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