The 5 most offbeat DNR conservation officer reports from the past week
Every week, the Minnesota DNR publishes a list of reports from the dozens of conservation officers that patrol the state. While most are fairly run-of-the-mill – citations for fishing without a license, for example – some are curious, unusual or downright delightful. Here's a look at some of the stories that stood out from this week's CO reports.
A bald eagle in a kennel???
In Willow River, CO Dustie Speldrich check out a complaint of a bald eagle being held captive in a dog kennel. Fortunately, there's a happy ending: It was actually just a Polish chicken with white plumage on its head and a black body. Its name was Cue Ball.
So no, there wasn't a bald eagle in a dog kennel. Phew.
Owwwwwww, ow ow ow
A bit of salt in the wound here, as CO Tony Elwell in Thief River Falls came upon a fisherman with "a large treble hook from a lure lodged in his hand." Not only did it require an ER visit, but the lure led the CO to an illegal-length northern pike in the angler's bucket.
"A painful experience and a trip to the emergency room with a written warning were punishment enough for this angler," Elwell wrote.
Impatience isn't a good enough reason
A Jeep driver's lateral thinking popped up on the radar of CO Corey Sura in the Baudette area. The driver had taken his Jeep onto a designated ATV trail. Why? Because traffic had been stopped due to a motor vehicle crash up ahead, and the driver said he "had grown impatient of sitting in traffic."
'Don't try this at home'
A humorous note from CO Mary Manning in Hovland, who passed on "a bit of advice from a local tow driver: "Just because it worked in the TV commercial doesn’t mean you should try it yourself. This week’s example involved a car that had to be pulled out of the beach rock with a tracked groomer."
Nice try, McLovin
In Big Lake, CO Trent Seamans stopped a couple ATVs operating on a country road. One of the operators apparently gave a false name, because their driver's license was suspended.
This didn't work out, as Seamans discovered the lie and the operator got stuck with "several" citations, including providing a false name to a peace officer.
