CO stories

[wayne123]

Source - http://www.startribune.com/sports/outdoors/70000277.html?page=1&c=y

Here are some CO stories for you:

A collection of vignettes from Minnesota conservation officers from opening weekend:

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) investigated a truck that was accidentally shot in the engine area and disabled by a first time youth hunter as he shot his first deer.

CO Bob Mlynar (Aitkin) found a hunter lying on the ground that had taken a fall. However it proved to be a young hunter who was too tired to stay awake an hour into legal shooting time.

CO Randy Posner (Brainerd) checked one hunter who was from Alaska who had complained that he had not seen any deer. CO Posner talked to the rest of his hunting party who explained that their friend did not see an 8-point buck that had walked by him because he was sleeping.

CO Lloyd Steen (Ray/Kabetogama) checked deer at a registration station and talked with Twin Cities hunters who wanted to register their deer first, before asking where the nearest hospital was. Inspection of the back of their vehicle revealed a prone hunter with multiple breaks to his leg, but a very good splint job done with rope and large balsam branches!

CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) was at a local store on deer opener when a person drove in behind Fredin’s squad truck and parked. Fredin was out talking to another party who was registering a deer and when walking by the truck behind his squad, saw a rifle in the passenger side barrel pointed down and in an unzipped case where the stock was fully exposed.

Fredin asked the driver if he could check the rifle to make sure it was unloaded and was told “sure.” The driver reached in and took hold of the rifle to pull it out and Fredin told him to just open the bolt to show it was empty. He then pushed the rifle back into the case and BOOM it goes off sending a 300 WIN MAG thru the passenger floor out towards the wheel. After getting his feet back on the ground, Fredin ordered him to the back of the truck and Fredin took the rifle and unloaded 2 rounds from the magazine and the spent round. Fortunately no one was hurt and the man informed Fredin he had not used the gun since last fall’s hunting season. He was verbally reprimanded and issued a citation for transporting a loaded firearm. Reports coming in of deer being shot from the roadway and the local deer processors reporting more deer than last year at this time being brought in.

CO Marty Stage (Ely) worked on deer bait violations. One camp in particular had a bunch of stands surrounding the cabin where the deer feed was piled. When Stage began contacting the hunters and seizing all their firearms, he quickly found that the Illinois hunters hadn’t bought any deer licenses. Their rationalization was that they were just party hunting off the cabin owner’s license. Got bait? Lose your guns, and in this case, lose your hunting privileges for three years and pay a hefty fine.

CO Paul Parthun (Lake George) took a complaint during the Deer Firearm’s Opener regarding a man with a compressed air horn. The man was in the woods sounding the horn and harassing hunters.

CO Gary Sommers (Walker) received a complaint that a hunter had shot and wounded a 10-point buck on Saturday, which he was able to locate on Sunday. The hunter left the deer to retrieve tools to process the animal. While he was gone, someone had removed the head and antlers from the deer. The issue remains under investigation.

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) reports a ten-year-old made the claim he will need to see a chiropractor after all the “high fives” and back slaps he received when returning to camp with a trophy 9-point buck

CO Jon Paurus (Hill City) reports a nuisance bear complaint was taken where multiple bear were lingering around a deer camp and were not too eager to leave with fresh venison hanging from the tree.

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) had a chat with a couple of deer hunters on opening day. Part of the conversation included where the CO lived. The next day these two hunters spotted a deer at the end of the CO’s driveway. They pulled their truck over and the passenger got out and shot the deer across both lanes of traffic and towards the CO's driveway. It didn't work out very well. They were quickly located, the deer and the rifle involved were seized and both individuals will be charged with gross misdemeanors. One should not shoot from the roadway anywhere, especially in front of a CO’s driveway.

CO Dan Perron (Onamia) and CO Greg Verkuilen (Garrison) had a hunter stop and shoot the deer decoy (twice) on private agricultural land. When CO Perron pulled up behind the pickup the shooter told Perron that he was shooting at an injured deer. Perron asked where the deer had come from and the shooter pointed and said, “It came from over there.”

The shooter was telling Perron for the 3rd time that he was shooting at an injured deer when Perron pointed at the decoy and the shooter realized what he had shot at. The shooter forfeited his license and firearm and will have to go to court.

[jwmiller33]

haha thats some good stuff right there. i can only imagine the stories these guy see on a daily basis.

[Steve Foss]

Tons of funny and not so funny stories!

My favorite is . . .

Quote:

CO Lloyd Steen (Ray/Kabetogama) checked deer at a registration station and talked with Twin Cities hunters who wanted to register their deer first, before asking where the nearest hospital was. Inspection of the back of their vehicle revealed a prone hunter with multiple breaks to his leg, but a very good splint job done with rope and large balsam branches!

These guys got their priorities straight.

[Chef]

Some of these folks are bound for the 2009 Darwin awards...

[lawdog]

Tyler Quandt Red Wing with the understatement of the decade, "worked a deer poaching case"

[CRAZYEYES]

I should start wearing a bullet proof vest during deer season, It sure brings a handful of dangerous people out!

[Chef]

I should start wearing a bullet proof vest during deer season, It sure brings a handful of dangerous people out!

That, Too, is an understatement! Whoa!

[Deitz Dittrich]

my fave

Quote:

CO Kipp Duncan (Duluth) reports a ten-year-old made the claim he will need to see a chiropractor after all the “high fives” and back slaps he received when returning to camp with a trophy 9-point buck

[mrklean]

haha those are good

[huntnfish]

Here's one from the CO in The Perham area:

"A hunter with a small fork horned buck down had a set of plastic antlers taped to the rack. His party had a smallest buck contest that he didn’t want to win, not sure how long he could fool his fellow hunters."

There are some good reports every year.