Outdoor News Archive

SO, WHAT ARE YOU REALLY DOING?

Conservation officer (CO) Tricia Plautz (Osage) received a call of a poached deer on the White Earth Indian Reservation. The complainant came across a car with a trunk open late one evening. When asked what she was doing, she indicated she was using the outdoor facilities. They also found a deer lying just off the road in the ditch. The case was turned over to tribal wardens.

SWAN DIVE

CO Greg Oldakowski of Wadena responded to a call from a landowner about a trumpeter swan that was caught in some goose decoys. Oldakowski and the landowner observed the swan was tangled in the weight from the decoy. Instead of putting on waders, the landowner dove into the water and removed the weight. The swan was uninjured and later flew away.

CALL RAISES SUSPICIONS, LEADS TO CONFESSION

CO Don Bozovsky (Hibbing) reported an individual killed two deer with a car within three minutes of each other and requested a car-kill permit from a conservation officer. When the officer arrived the deer were gone. After investigating, Bozovsky obtained a confession and seized deer meat from two residences. Further investigation revealed the four people involved littered and killed a protected bird.

BATTLING BUCKS

CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) responded to a report of two bucks locked together from battle. A 12-point and 13-point buck were locked together and the 12-point was dead due to the brow tine of the 13-point penetrating the skull of the 12-point. The 13-point deer was dispatched due to a broken leg, possibly from a car accident a week prior.

BEARS CHEWING POWER POLES

The local power company contacted CO Brian Buria from Bigfork to report 20 power poles may need to be replaced after several bears nearly chewed them down. Speculation ranges from the current making the poles buzz and fooling bears looking for honeybees, to the arsenic treatment somehow stimulating and enraging the bears. The cost to replace the poles was estimated at $60,000.

CAUGHT ON TAPE

CO Joyce Kuske (Little Falls) investigated a complaint that seven antelope heads had fallen out of a truck at a car wash. Fortunately the video surveillance camera showed it on tape and the owner of the antelope heads was located with litter charges pending.

TELL THE TRUTH

CO Todd Kanieski (Osseo) worked a deer poaching case in Brooklyn Park where the suspect had a difficult time with the truth, even though he had taught ethics as a high school teacher. He initially denied shooting a deer, but when trace amounts of blood were found in his garage he admitted he shot a buck illegally. The suspect continued to lie throughout the investigation. During the investigation, Kanieski had swam in the Mississippi River with water patrol deputies, searched dumpsters and fields with DNR wildlife detector dogs in order to locate evidence in the case. Charges are pending for gross misdemeanor transport of illegally taken big game, taking deer over bait, untagged deer and wanton waste.

I HEARD IT ON THE RADIO

While on patrol CO Pat Znajda (Roseau) monitored portable radio traffic between two hunters using radios to hunt deer. It became apparent they were close by as indicated on the radio when the game warden drove by. One of the hunters was found hunting over bait. As the one hunter was interviewed, he called the other to come to his location. Znajda, knowing where the other hunter was, fully expected him to walk to the location, but instead the hunter chose to drive with a loaded and uncased firearm next to him in his car. Enforcement action was taken on both hunters and the portable radios were seized.

TO TELL THE TRUTH

CO Pat Znajda (Roseau) stopped a hunter operating an ATV on a public roadway and operating with an expired registration. Even though there was fresh blood on the ATV, the hunter denied shooting a deer. When the hunter provided his hunting license, the site tag was detached, bloody, and the date had been notched. As Znajda and the hunter proceeded to the hunting camp, the hunter stopped his ATV and confessed he had shot a large buck earlier in the day. The hunter said he had removed the tag so he could go out and try to shoot another one.

SETTING THE WRONG EXAMPLE

On opening morning of the firearms season, CO Mark Fredin (Aurora) followed an ATV path and located a 13- and 14-year-old hunting together in the same stand. A pile of oats (bait) was in front of their stand. Although required by law, An adult, no adult accompanied the 13-year-old. Fredin followed the ATV path and came upon a 17-year-old also hunting over bait. At the end of the path, an adult was located and he, too, was hunting over oats. The adult admitted to placing all the bait.

HE’ S TOO YOUNG, DAD

CO Jim Guida (Brainerd) found a 10-year-old in the field with a shotgun and slugs. His father was reminded his son can't hunt big game with his own firearm until he reaches the age of 12 and has completed a firearms safety course. The son was allowed and encouraged to observe, but not aid in the taking of the big game animal.

BUCK FEVER

CO Chad Sherack (Pequot Lakes) found a hunter attempting to shoot a six-point buck crossing an open field but missed and hit the neighbor's horse corralled next to the house. The suspect told Sherack he had "buck fever" and made a poor decision to shoot. Sherack reminded the hunter to avoid tunnel vision and always know your target and what's beyond it.

LEFT THEIR GUNS IN THE STAND

While checking four hunters coming out of a state forest, CO Greg Verkuilen (Garrison) noticed they only had one gun between them. The unarmed hunters stated they had left their guns in the stands because they were coming back the next day. Conservation officers highly recommend removing your property, especially firearms, from public property whenever you are not attending it. Firearm owners can be criminally liable if the gun is found and misused.

NO ONE IS BEYOND THE LAW

CO Paul Kuske (Pierz) reported only one trespass complaint was handled over opening weekend. It involved an off-duty police officer who felt posted "No Trespassing" signs didn't apply to him.

OFFICER INGENUITY SAVES EAGLE

CO Bret Grundmeier (Mora) responded to a report of an adult bald eagle caught in a tree. When Grundmeier arrived, the eagle was hanging upside down with its talon caught in a leg-hold trap. The trap was in branches 40 feet off the ground. After unsuccessfully contacting local tree service companies with boom trucks, and debating over possible results of cutting the tree down with the eagle in it, Grundmeier severed a branch with a few shotgun slugs and the eagle glided down to the ground with trap and branch in tow. The eagle was wrapped in a blanket, put in a box, and transported to a rehabilitation center.

LOOK ON DAD’S FACE? PRICELESS!

CO Joe Frear (Waseca) encountered a father and son hunting, with dad doing some questionable things. The officers questioned dad about it. The son stated, "I asked him the same question." The look on dad's face was priceless!

RESPECT

CO Dean Olson (Rochester) reported trespass continues to be a problem. One 11-year- old son with his dad asked, "Why don't those people go to firearms safety class and learn to be respectful?" Quite an observation by a young man thinking about becoming a hunter.

BARREL EMBEDDED IN STOMACH OF SHOOTER

CO Bob Marts (Wheaton) observed a vehicle run a stop sign and proceed at speeds upward of 70 mph. When Marts stopped the vehicle, the driver said he had a serious problem. A shotgun barrel had blown up, shredding about 15 inches of the barrel. Part of the barrel embedded in the stomach of the shooter. After Marts administered basic first-aid, the group departed for the hospital.

SHOOTING IN THE DARK

CO Tim Collette (Cass Lake) watched a person shoot a doe in the headlights of the truck 15 minutes after legal shooting time. When stopped, there was another untagged deer in the back of the truck. Charges are pending.

INVESTIGATION BEARS POACHER

Officer Jeff Halverson (Staples) reported a deer hunter shot a bear after it looked into his deer stand. The bear was about five-feet away, scaring the hunter. He then shot his rifle. The bear ran away stopping about 50 yards before turning around as if to return. The hunter shot seven more times killing the bear. The hunter then called in that he had shot a bear. When Halverson arrived at the scene he found corn and pumpkins placed for bait for deer five yards away from the dead bear. The hunter was cited for deer hunting over bait and the bear was salvaged.

DON’T LIE TO THE GAME WARDEN

CO Darrin Kittelson (International Falls) took a complaint of a dead deer along a highway in the ditch with its antlers cut off. Upon arrival at the scene, an individual was frantically trying to put a site tag on the deer. During questioning, he first stated he shot the deer and when he went back to get help, someone cut the antlers off. Further questioning and a closer look at the deer revealed that he did not shoot the deer; a vehicle hit it, and the antlers were already cut off before he found it. A car-kill permit was not issued, but the individual was allowed to put his site tag on the deer and take the deer. The next day, Kittelson stopped by a local convenience store where a big buck contest was being held. The owner asked about a deer with its antlers cut off that was entered in the contest. CO Kittelson told the owner a vehicle, not a bullet, killed the deer; his name was removed from the contest. The deer weighed 220 pounds without the antlers, which would have placed him first or second. Moral of the story: Don't lie to the game warden. The officer did find the antlers, but that's another story.

CELL PHONE CALL HELPS NAB POACHERS

CO Eugene Wynn (Hinckley) took a complaint of vehicle occupants shooting at a deer off a local county road. Unfortunately for the suspects, the complainant followed them. It just so happened that the complainant had a cell phone with and was speaking with patrol dispatch. The complainant relayed the location of the suspects to dispatch who then led the CO and other officers to the location of the suspects where a high-speed pursuit ensued. The officers caught up with the suspects when they decided to pull off of the Munger Bike Trail and drive into a picked cornfield. The suspects face charges of felony fleeing, shooting at big game animals off the road and operating a motor vehicle on a state trail among other charges.

MALL CALL

CO Todd Kanieski (Osseo) responded to a call for help from the Brooklyn Center Police Department after a free mall concert turned chaotic when fans rushed the stage. The crowd was estimated at more than 2,000 people. More than 70 officers from various agencies were needed to disperse the crowd and regain control.