Minnesota Conservation Officer Tales

Gas prices lead to new use for boat - An angler let CO Scott Staples (Carlton) know that he was now fishing from shore because of the high gas prices. The new plan for his boat was to put it in the front yard, fill it with dirt, and plant flowers in it. Click to read many more bizarre outdoor tales...

While checking a group of four fishermen on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer (CO) Robert Gorecki (Baudette) noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the fish house. When questioned about this, two of the men produced marijuana and marijuana pipes...

You never know who might be fishing next to you. CO Todd Langevin (Center City, MN) came across an angler without a license. The angler did not have any identification and the first two names he gave to the officer were false. Once the suspect's real name was given, it turned out he had 2 felony warrants totaling $13,000 in bail. The suspect was arrested and charged accordingly...  16 more wacky tales

Pretend Fishing

CO Aaron Kahre (Minnetonka, Minnesota) was working Lake Minnetonka in the Excelsior area when he approached a portable fish house where a hand auger lying beside the door. Two men inside were sitting on buckets with a fish locator and a jiggle stick in front of them. Kahre asked why they didn’t have any holes to fish through. They got tired after about five inches of drilling with the hand auger and decided to just pretend fish before heading home...  18 more exciting tales from the DNR

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 ... 31 exciting stories

Conservation Officer (CO) Marty Stage (Ely) had an unusual number of moose incidents within a 24-hour period. One involved two cars hitting each other and the moose. In another, a plow truck hit two bulls. The last moose, found by a bulldozer operator, most likely suffered from brain worm. 14 more stories...

DART IN A DUCK

Conservation Officer (CO) Tricia Plautz (Henning) assisted CO Gary Forsberg (Fergus Falls) on a complaint of a duck with a dart in his head. With the help of corn and a landing net, the COs captured the duck, and removed the dart from the side of the drake mallard’s head. The duck was released and is apparently doing ok...

CO Brent Speldrich (McGregor, MN) ventured into the unknown when dealing with five illegal immigrant hunters from Mexico. Upon checking a campsite, Officer Speldrich found a respectable 9-point buck without a site tag located on the animal. The shooter was located after a two-mile walk through hills and swamps. The hunter did not have any ID on him and offered to return to the camp. He produced a Mexican ID and stated that he wasn't a US Citizen. His license, firearm and deer were seized. He was also found to be hunting on a Minnesota Resident Firearms deer license. As his fellow hunters returned to camp, they too were found not to be US Citizens. Immigration officials were contacted. Over 30 more exciting stories...

CO Greg Oldakowski (Wadena) reports receiving a call of two large bucks with locked horns. One of the large bucks, a large 10-pointer, was already dead. A 14-pointer was dragging his dead sparring partner out of a cattail. Because of the strength and agility left in the live deer, the decision was made to attempt to shoot the rack of the dead animal to free the other trophy deer. CO Oldakowski used his handgun to shoot 2 tines off the dead 10-point buck. The 14-pointer freed itself and ran away unharmed except for maybe some ringing ears, but with no broken antler points. 11 more exciting stories...

BEAR HUNTER DEFENDS SELF WITH FRENCH BREAD

Conservation Officer (CO) Brent Speldrich (McGregor, MN) encountered a bear hunter busy checking his bait. After locating the hunter’s firearm, which was near Speldrich and away from the hunter, he let out a soft growl. The wide-eyed hunter, stood up at the speed of light, and started to grasp at anything he could find to defend himself. The only object he found was a loaf of what appeared to be French bread. After the hunter realized it was an officer, not a bear, both had a hearty chuckle...