MN DNR Conservation Officer Tales - March 2008

[Dave]

HE DIDN’T TELL ME

While checking anglers on Upper Red Lake, CO Paul Parthun (Blackduck) was invited into a large sleeper house. Three men were inside. One of the two men playing cards said he was not angling. One angler said the house belonged to a friend who gave him instructions on the Upper Red Lake Intensive Management Regulations. This angler proudly told the officer the proper slot length and limit for walleye on the lake. Parthun observed eight baited lines in the water and asked the angler about them. The angler said his friend never told him how many lines he could use. The angler said he saw eight holes and figured he should use them all. Parthun provided the man with a copy of the fishing synopsis and a citation for angling with extra lines.

YOU’RE USING WHAT FOR BAIT?

CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) observed a woman catching more fish using lemonade fruit chews for bait versus her mentor using minnows for bait.

‘HANK’ THE ENTERTAINER

CO Tim Gray (Bagley) checked a fish house that had an unusual visitor. A weasel moved in and was eating table scraps and mice. Several anglers from neighboring houses watched as “Hank” the weasel entertained them.

I WANT TO ‘READ ALL ABOUT IT; IN THE CO WEEKLY REPORT

CO Jim Guida (Nisswa) came across two anglers that had five lines down. When the citation was being issued, one angler asked, “Is this going to be good enough to make the next CO Weekly Report?” If you’re reading this, you made the cut.

DEER DISASTER

CO Greg Salo (Mora) received a report of eight deer that were struck by a vehicle. All eight deer were dead and several car parts were left on the roadway. The driver didn’t file a report.

LAKE MINNETONKA NICE

CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) observed a man drill three holes through the 20-plus inches of lake ice with a hand auger. After the man finished, he cleaned the slush out of them, picked up his tip-up, auger, and scoop, and drove away leaving the freshly drilled holes for someone else.

A STORY FULL OF HOLES

CO Dan McBroom (Rochester) checked an angler that had seven holes drilled with floats in five of them. Turns out four of the holes had artificial weeds and the fifth hole had a camera, but no extra lines.

COYOTE BAIT

CO Tyler Quandt (Red Wing) received report of an individual who had shot two deer illegally during a recent blizzard. The suspect was caught in the act of taking the deer from the scene and faces several gross misdemeanor and misdemeanor charges, loss of hunting privileges and loss of the firearm. The suspect was intended to use the deer for coyote bait.

A LOT OF TIME TO THINK

CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) assisted CO Gary Forsberg (Fergus Falls) locate and rescue a stranded fisherman on Ottertail Lake. A cell phone call to 911 allowed dispatchers to locate the fisherman by satellite GPS coordinates. The fishermen had spent 13 hours in his vehicle before being rescued by the officers.

DANCING ON ICE

CO Jeff Johanson (Osakis) pulled up to an intoxicated angler who was reeling up an extra line. The angler said his friend had left the fish house earlier, had been outside dancing on the ice, and he had just now remembered to reel up the line.

1999

CO Matt Frericks (Virginia) stopped a snowmobiler for operating a snowmobile that hadn’t been registered since 1999. The operator asked Frericks, “You’re not going to give me a ticket are you?” When CO Frericks returned with a citation for operating an unregistered snowmobile, the operator seemed surprised he was cited.

GENERATIONS DEEP AND ONE ASLEEP

CO Brandon McGaw (Babbitt) checked an icehouse that had three generations enjoying the fishing, including a one-week old angler who was sound asleep.

THINGS THAT GO BANG IN THE NIGHT

CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reported a homeowner woke up to loud banging on their deck that may have been two wolves either attacking another wolf or a dog. After the lights were turned on and the homeowner banged on the window, the wolves and what they were attacking ran off. A check in the morning found lots of blood was left behind. There were no reports of any dogs missing in the area.

HARASSING A 13-YEAR-OLD

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) found an individual harassing and intimidating a 13-year-old boy who was lawfully trapping red squirrels on his family’s private property. The violator, who apparently did not like the site of a red squirrel caught in a trap, was charged with trapper harassment, possession of marijuana and driving after suspension.

DEER BEDS DOWN ON FRONT PORCH

CO Dustie Heaton (Willow River) responded to a call of an injured deer that had been bedding down on her neighbor’s front porch. Seems the young buck would leave during the day and come back at night to sleep on the porch rug. Unfortunately, the deer had to be put down due to its poor health.

IT WASN’T US, IT WAS THE DOG, OFFICER!

CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) found a group of anglers with the heads and tails of some rainbow trout removed, which is a violation. The anglers told Grundmeier to issue tickets to the dog that came by and chewed them off.

DRIVING IN CIRCLES

CO Mike Martin (St. Cloud) witnessed a small pickup driving in circles on an area lake for about 30 minutes. Martin approached the truck and escorted it back to the public access where the driver stated he was having trouble finding the access because he didn’t have his glasses on. The man also said he consumed about one-third of a 1.75 liter bottle of whisky and “a couple” of beers while fishing (in four hours). The driver was arrested for DWI after field sobriety tests.

A CITATION AND A RIDE FOR YOUR TROUBLES

CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka) and CO Thor Nelson (Bloomington) were observing a car parked on the lake with the engine running. After about 10 minutes the driver’s side door came open and the driver got out and angrily started throwing garbage onto the ice. When the intoxicated driver was asked why, he stated that he was mad at his girlfriend. The man was given a citation for littering. The local sheriff’s office gave him a ride to jail.

BRIBING WALLEYE DOESN’T WORK

CO Thor Nelson (Bloomington) was standing in a larger, permanent, fish house while the owner of the house was retrieving his angling license from a pocket. A loose quarter came out of the man’s pocket along with the fishing license. The quarter fell and made a perfect roll across the wooden fish house floor into a fishing hole on the other side of the house and sank to the bottom of the lake. No fish responded. This proves the cardinal ice fishing rule and/or Murphy’s Law is still in effect: “Anything dropped in a fish house will invariably fall into a hole,” and it also shows that a 25-cent bribe doesn’t go far with Lake Minnetonka walleyes.

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM FRIENDS

CO Jeremy Woinarowicz (Thief River Falls) recognized a fisherman from a summer contact two years ago on the Red River where the man was charged with an angling violation. Woinarowicz also remembered the violator neglected to pay his fine. A warrant check resulted in not only a warrant for that violation, but also an additional warrant for bad checks. The angler, after borrowing money from four friends, posted bond for the two warrants.

WANTON WASTE OF BIG GAME

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) found a rotten buck deer that had been hanging in an attached garage since last fall. All the doors to the garage had been nailed shut, and the rotten deer had to be carried out through the kitchen and living room of the house. The person possessing the deer faces charges for wanton waste of big game.

ANGLER LINE DOESN’T WORK

CO Bret Grundmeier (Hinckley) cited an angler for using too many lines. The man said one of his poles wasn’t really catching fish; he was just using it to attract crappies. The pole was baited with a hook and minnow.

THE IRONY OF HIS EXCUSE

CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) found a Little Falls man burning railroad ties in his outdoor wood stove. Black smoke and toxic fumes filled the neighborhood. The owner stated that he was burning the ties because, “How else was he supposed to get rid of them, the landfill won’t take them because they are hazardous waste.” The case was referred to MPCA for enforcement.

CAUGHT YOU

CO David Schottenbauer (Princeton) was checking an angler when he noticed another man going to check on his tip-up. When the man noticed the officer, he turned and ran back to his fish house. Schottenbauer caught up to him as he jumped into the house and reeled in his extra line. The man then looked up at the officer and said, “I guess I’m caught?”

DON’T DIG TOO DEEP

An angler asked CO Adam Block (Prior Lake) if he knew the status of his previous hunting violation from last fall, when he was arrested for hunting while intoxicated. Block said he would check into it, the angler said, “Don’t dig too deep.” A quick computer check revealed an arrest warrant was active for the angler regarding the hunting arrest. The angler was transported to the local jail.

IM’NOT FAST ENOUGH

CO Bob Gorecki (Baudette) checked an angler in a house on Red Lake had seven lines down for eight holes drilled. When asked why he had seven lines down and not eight, the angler said he wasn’t fast enough to reel the rest of the lines up.

MEAT FOR MY DOG AND ME

CO Dan Malinowski (Fosston) investigated a complaint of a person on a bicycle carrying a rifle and a deer. The person was predator hunting and said he found the deer, which appeared to have been hit by a train. The person said he felt fortunate to have meat for himself and his dog.

TWO EAGLES SOAR AGAIN

CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) received a call from an individual who stated he caught two bald eagles in traps and needed help removing them. When the officer arrived, he saw a deer carcass in the middle of a field with an eagle on either side, each caught in a leg-hold trap. Both eagles were successfully released from the traps unharmed. The trapper was cited for trapping over bait.

A ONE WAY TICKET

CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) and several other conservation officers were working a snowmobile safety patrol when an obviously intoxicated snowmobiler pulled up to the officers asking for directions. The snowmobiler was arrested.

IT WON’T LET ME OUT

CO Nikki Shoutz (Pine River) handled a call from an 11-year-old who said a deer outside his door charged at him and “wouldn’t let him out of the house.” The sick, crippled deer was dispatched.

HAPPY TO OBLIGE, OFFICER

CO Eric Schettler (Fairmont) came across a small game hunter happy to see him. It turned out it was the first time the 67-year-old man and avid hunter had been checked by a conservation officer.

[Schloogs]

always a good read....

[paceman]

Wow some people are just not very bright....

[polarsusd81]

 Originally Posted By: Dave

A STORY FULL OF HOLES

CO Dan McBroom (Rochester) checked an angler that had seven holes drilled with floats in five of them. Turns out four of the holes had artificial weeds and the fifth hole had a camera, but no extra lines.

Harvey Lee, was this you with some Reel Weeds and a Marcum?

[Sandmannd]

OK, I've said this on about 10 threads in the last couple of weeks. You can't stop Stupid!!!!!

[jwhjr]

Entertaining as usual

[Carp-fisher]

I watched a guy put a 4 wheeler through the back of his own truck cab a few years ago. A group of guys on Mitchell Lake in EP drank a whole bunch beer (as evidenced by the piles of empty beer cans) and zoomed around in circles on a four wheeler while blaring "TNT thats dynamite!" for a good chunk of an evening. When it got close to dark, the leader of the group, evidently the smartest and most sober, hit the ramp leading into his brand spanking new truck bed at about 15 mph. The four wheeler dented the whole back side of the cab and shattered the rear windshield. It was really quite something to see.

[maros91]

Free entertainment.

[river rat316]

HARASSING A 13-YEAR-OLD

CO Karl Hadrits (Crosby) found an individual harassing and intimidating a 13-year-old boy who was lawfully trapping red squirrels on his family’s private property. The violator, who apparently did not like the site of a red squirrel caught in a trap, was charged with trapper harassment, possession of marijuana and driving after suspension.

Glad they got this jack off, I can't stand people like that

[polarsusd81]

River rat, I was kinda thinking the same thing.

[Iambjm]

"HAPPY TO OBLIGE, OFFICER

CO Eric Schettler (Fairmont) came across a small game hunter happy to see him. It turned out it was the first time the 67-year-old man and avid hunter had been checked by a conservation officer."

See there are some people who don't mind being checked. I happen to also be one of them, then I can plead with the CO to tell me where the fish are biting!!1

[tisosy11]

I guess i'm caught!

[fishb4work]

Great thread I'm glad I took the time to read it.

[mr_jman]

I might just have to try some lime fruit snacks next time out! I was also thinking that those Reel Weeds could cause some confusion or misunderstandings!

[white80a]

I WAS THE ONE CHECKED THE THE REEL WEEDS I WAS FISHING SILVER CREEK IN ROCHESTER, HE MADE ME PULL UP THE LINES BECAUSE HE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE

[polarsusd81]

Sweet, knew it had to be someone on FM.

[SomethingFishy*]

 Originally Posted By: white80a

I WAS THE ONE CHECKED THE THE REEL WEEDS I WAS FISHING SILVER CREEK IN ROCHESTER, HE MADE ME PULL UP THE LINES BECAUSE HE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE

Just as an FYI: Typing in all caps on the interenet is considered shouting .

Glad to see you were able to educate a CO on a newer product.

[tisosy11]

aha - I LOVE ALL CAPS!!!

[white80a]

sorry for SHOUTING typed it all before i checked and was to lazy to fix it

[SomethingFishy*]

No problem, many people don't realize it. I'm just a commputer nerd. LOL.