CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reports going from the land of ice and snow to black flies in about 60 seconds. Boat rides over the 55-degree water are about as cool as the below-average fishing has been. Fagerman assisted with a firearms safety field day and took a complaint about snowmobilers during the week. He also took a call from a person in Illinois who wants to come to northern Minnesota to fish for rusty crayfish. A wildland arson case was also followed up on.
CO Mary Manning (Hovland) cleaned up again after the same “parents behaving badly” as last week—this time in a local WMA. She took reports of bears behaving badly (read: “behaving like bears”) and of a young wolf visiting an area campground. Manning assisted COs Fagerman and Wahlstrom and local volunteers with a firearms safety field day. Anyone interested in becoming a DNR safety training volunteer can contact a local CO for information on the process.
CO Troy Richards (Fergus Falls) responded to a bowfishing boat swamped in the Ottertail River over the weekend. With extra weight in the boat and a pretty fast current, the boat took on water rapidly and submerged. Luckily, the five people on board were not injured.
CO Amber Ladd (McGregor) continued an investigation where a trailer was left on state forest land. The trailer was far from road worthy and full of trash, car parts and tires. She located where the trailer originated and eventually who left it there. The suspect claimed he left it for someone else to have and that he was paying it forward so hopefully some good fortune will come his way. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Eric Sullivan (Pequot Lakes) contacted one angler who said he was holding the rod while trolling and would give the rod to his boat partner when they got a bite because he did not have a fishing license. The person was cited for angling without a license.
CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) handled several nuisance animal calls that included foxes killing chickens and ducks and black bears knocking over garbage cans and tearing down bird feeders. Homeowners had to be reminded that until natural food sources become available, bears will be out searching for the easiest meal they can find and that usually means bird seed, dog food and garbage.
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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