CO Thomas Wahlstrom (Tofte) checked trappers and ATV riders, and responded to wildlife calls. Anglers are excited and venturing out on the ice for the early season bite.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) continued to follow up on firearms deer season issues and worked opening weekend of the muzzleloader deer season. She also checked fisher and pine marten sets as that short season opened. A few bear bait stations were also found to have stands still in place and some hunters will be receiving “reminders” by mail.
CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth East) and COC Leah Kampa responded to a call of a deer in a person’s basement. Duncan and Kampa were able to wrestle the deer and safely get her upstairs and outside without hurting the deer or anyone inside the residence.
CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) stopped a hunter for having a loaded firearm in his ATV. When the hunter was asked for his deer license he replied that he didn’t have one. The hunter told Frericks he thought it was okay because he and his father were hunting together and he was hunting under his father’s license.
NR Pilot Brad Maas (Brainerd) completed the annual trout stream surveys for the Duluth Fisheries office, flying 80 miles of streams in the northeast and recording beaver dams. Beaver dams allow water to warm significantly, which is detrimental to native brook trout. A USDA trapper will come in to remove the animals and remove the dams.
CO Tim Collette (Brainerd) took calls of hunter trespass and deer baiting, as well as a call of an entire lake that was lowered by blowing a beaver dam with explosives.
CO Anthony Bermel (Babbitt) worked primarily marten trapping and some deer season follow-up. A trapping group called after catching a lynx in a foothold trap that escaped with the trap still on its foot. The group, including one individual from Australia who was along for the experience, along with Bermel, was able to push the lynx into heavy cover where the chain got caught. While Bermel held a shield, the trapper successfully released the lynx unharmed.
CO Luke Gutzwiller (White Bear Lake) gave assistance to Lino Lakes Police Department with two mature bucks whose antlers were locked together. One buck was found deceased. Officers were able to free the other mature buck from the deceased buck. A wildlife possession permit was issued for the deceased buck to the resident who had found the deer in his back yard.
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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