THE THRILL OF VICTORY AND THE AGONY OF DEFEAT
While checking a boat, CO Mike Lee (Isle) asked if they had kept any fish. A very excited female party in the back of the boat stated, "Yeah, you gotta see!" Before Lee could advise her that she only needed to open the livewell cover, she reached in and held up a very nice walleye that was flopping and wiggling in her hands. Before her husband or the officer could tell her to put the fish back in the livewell it flopped out of her hands, onto the top of the outboard motor, and, well, you all know where the walleye went from there. At that point, her husband expressed how, let's just say, unhappy he was with the situation.
CO AND SKUNK RETREAT UNHARMED
CO Neil Freborg (Lake George) received several calls about a skunk with its head stuck in a tin can. He located the skunk and debated on how to handle the situation. "With a good 20 mph wind at my back, I got a hand on the can and pulled, dragging the skunk with me, but the can was on much tighter than I thought," Freborg said. "I let go of the can and quickly retreated as the skunk spun around and sprayed the area. I waited about ten minutes and quietly approached the skunk. This time when I took hold of the can I gave it a good quick jerk, a definite "pop" followed freeing the skunk. We both retreated, unharmed."
HUNTER FINDS LOST FIREARM
CO Dan Book (Rushford) spoke to a turkey hunter who told the following story. He and a friend had hunted a parcel of state land without success and left the area in mid-morning. The hunter returned to the area in mid-afternoon to take advantage of the recent law change that allows turkey hunting all day. Upon driving into the empty parking area, he said he couldn't believe his good fortune when he saw a shotgun lying in the gravel. Upon closer examination, he realized it was his own firearm. Apparently he had set the gun down while loading his other gear. While lost in conversation with his friend had forgotten it when he drove away!
HEN MALLARD SHOT IN HER NEST
CO Mike Shelden (Alexandria) handled a call in town about an individual who shot a hen mallard to death as she sat on her nest incubating seven eggs. The individual said he saw the hen mallard cross the road and noticed she had an injured leg. He got his gun and shot the duck on her nest, which was right next to the front step of the neighbor's house. GET OFF THE PHONE
CO Larry Francis (Remer) reported a party couldn't believe he was getting a citation for not having his boat lights on almost an hour after sunset. His excuse was he was talking on a cell phone to his brother.
BAIT SHOP OWNER SAYS 'NO SALE'
CO Brad Schultz (Cook) reported a local bait shop owner refused to sell walleye and northern bait to a few anglers who told him they planned on doing a little "fishing" prior to the legal fishing opener. The bait shop owner knew this activity was illegal and did the right thing.
HE CAN SEE CLEARY NOW
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) reported a man living next to a state park logged off two acres of timber to get better satellite reception and to make the area look better.
FEELING GUILTY ABOUT THEIR ACTIONS
CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) was trying to stop two ATVs in Aurora when both took off at a high rate of speed and a short chase ensued. With help from eyewitnesses, the two juveniles were later identified. They called in a short time later after thinking about their actions and knowing they would be found. Both face felony fleeing charges and both ATVs impounded and subject to forfeiture.
WAKE UP CALL FROM CONSERVATION OFFICER
CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) found an angler had not checked his line on the dock for 12 hours. In the meantime, a 21-inch walleye was caught and eviscerated by turtles. When awakened by the officer, the angler was shown the walleye. The CO seized the rod and cited the man for leaving an unattended line.
A PERFECT MATCH
Upon checking a group of campers and asking them where they had thrown their cleaned walleye entrails, CO Tom Sutherland (Hill City) walked with one individual to the waters edge where he could see many walleye remains floating out in deep water. A boat was used to gather the remains and to Sutherland's surprise there were three walleyes from within the protected slot, including a 23-inch walleye that was cut into three pieces to make it look like it was a smaller fish. The remains were perfectly matched up and presented to the group of campers. The campers admitted to keeping the protected fish and were issued citations.
GRANDSON BUSTS GRANDPA
CO Nikki Shoutz (Pine River) reported a grandpa was "busted" by his young grandson when the boy told Shoutz that grandpa's big fish were "over there" in the nearby weeds. The boy said, "Grandpa said that he could get in trouble if he put them in his bucket since they were largemouth bass." A citation was issued for taking bass in closed season.
YOU'LL REMEMBER NEXT TIME
CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) found an unlicensed angler hiding two preseason walleyes that he had "forgot" about.
DUCKLINGS RESCUED BY TRUE OUTDOORSMEN
CO Alex Gutierrez (Metro Rec Specialist) reported rescuing 10 mallard ducklings with the assistance of the local police and fire departments. The ducklings had fallen into a storm drain and were unable to get out. They were spotted when a true outdoorsman saw the hen mallard not leaving the area of the storm drain and heard the ducklings chirping .
IMPAIRED OPERATOR STOPPED ON OLD WHISKEY ROAD
CO Cary Shoutz (Crosslake) reported a reckless ATV operator was stopped and cited for no valid driver's license. During the stop, alcohol was detected and subsequent testing revealed the operator was just over the legal limit of .08. The ironic thing is the road he was operating on was named Old Whiskey Road.
ANGLER 'BUMMED OUT' TO BE SPENDING SUMMER IN JAIL
CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) arrested one angler for two outstanding warrants and possession of drug paraphernalia. The angler stated he was really "bummed out" because he would be spending his summer in jail. The surprising part was the angler did have a valid fishing license.
NO FEAR
CO Darin Fagerman (Grand Marais) reported a group of anglers reported stopping at an access for lunch and letting their dog run loose. They were startled by a yelp from their dog and noticed the dog running with a timber wolf in hot pursuit. The dog made it to the owners safely and the wolf ran off. The dog was missing a little hair on its hind leg, but was no worse for the wear. The officer also encountered five timber wolves during the week with only two showing any real fear of humans.
WE HAVEN'T HEARD BACK FROM OUR 'FISHING EXPERT'
CO Corey Wiebusch (Mankato) reported a largemouth bass was seized when it was discovered in a bucket while checking a boat that had expired registration. The individuals stated they had a call into the "fishing expert" in the family to see if they could keep it but hadn't heard back from him yet.
FAWN RESCUED
While CO Mike Hruza (Bemidji) was checking anglers, a fisherman pointed toward the shoreline where a dog was carrying a fawn by the neck. The officer and angler were able to get the fawn away from the dog. The bleating fawn was taken to shore and released. After a short time the doe came to the fawn and herded it into the woods. The dog owner could not be located.
GIVE HIM THE BOOT
After seizing a walleye that was clearly under the 15-inch minimum size limit for the St Louis River, CO Randy Hanzal (Brookston) asked the angler what he used to measure the fish. The angler showed the officer his size 14 boot and stated he stepped on the fish and could see walleye sticking out from each end of his boot so he figured it must have been at least 15 inches.
NO, WE'LL CALL FOR A RIDE
While watching shore anglers along the Mississippi River over Memorial Day weekend, CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) saw a couple people drinking beer and throwing their cans in the rocks along the river. This went on for some time. When the anglers packed up to leave, Kuske met them in the parking lot to issue them tickets for littering. To Kuske's complete surprise, the anglers had picked up all their cans and more. Kuske then gave them the option of having someone give them a ride home or a DWI. They immediately called for a ride.
YOU KEPT THE WRONG FISH
CO Mitch Sladek (Big Lake) encountered a person with two smallmouth bass on his stringer. The suspect didn't know it, but Sladek had been watching him for some time. He then approached the individual and said he would need to measure the fish. When Sladek returned with the tape measure there was only one bass on the stringer. The individual was adamant he had only one bass. Sladek then advised the violator he had left the legal fish go and kept the illegal bass. Enforcement action was taken.
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