Question about deadheads

[Rick G]

I figure I would post this hear as everybody knows catfisherman are the smartest people on the river

Is it legal to move deadheads out of the main channel on the river. I have been moving moving them out of the channel where boats can hit them upto the banks fo a number of years, and just today was told by a deputy that this is illegal, something about altering the river. Is he right?

[Markula]

That seems very odd!

He should have been thanking you. Could mean one less boat/body recovery they have to deal with.

[bobbymalone]

I wouldn't be surprised if it was quasi grey area illegal sounding enough that you could get a ticket for it.

You found a cop that wanted to tell you can't do something. I really can't imagine a cop writing you a ticket for that, much less it holding up through a casual conversation with the prosecutor.

[NKLCOLT1911]

i say keep doing it, but my question is how do you move full trees that are stuck to the bottom of the river.

[Bobby Bass]

There is a law on the books about removing sunken trees for harvest, I would think that a dead head would fall under that law.

[TruthWalleyes]

I think the deputy is correct. However, it is not likely you will be ticketed. Intent of the law is harvesting as well as altering ecosystem - But, anyone with half a brain knows moving a tree in the MN river isn't going to hurt anything.

[Alagnak]

Yeah no matter the intent (harvest, or safety)- I don't think anyone has any biz removing any of the wood from the channel- it's not your property or wood. It's habitat for many things and keeps some people off the river that are too chicken to deal with the normal/natural river hazards. And if that's the case they should stick to the lake or the couch. Some of us like it that way. Put a reflecter tac on there if you want to remember where it is/see where it is but that's about it.

[Rick G]

I should explain this a little better. When I had this conversation with the deputy, I was not on the river, we were at a local park talking about the conditions of the river, and the subject of things that I have hit over the years came up. I told him that over the years I have moved quite a few heads out from the middle of the river in certain places, he happened to mention that "I could be ticketed for altering the river" if I was ever caught doing this.

Now it not like I'm out there ripping whole trees out from the river bottom, I'm not stupid, these I will put a jug or two on. The heads I'm talking about can be pulled out only by the force I can apply with human strength. and are almost always smaller,round logs with just one end sticking up, not that that makes any difference.