Sting Operation on Lake of the Woods

[logon648]

Wish the print was a little clearer. I would like to see where these folks are from

[vman11]

I believe the difference some are forgetting are the two forms of investigations.

The "saturation" situations are when a large number of CO's from across the state blitz the lake for a day or two, literally checking every boat/house possible. Most of the infractions include the same thing the newspaper clip above does - extra lines, no license, drug paraphernalia, etc.

I don't think we're talking about a saturation situation regarding these recent allegations. This was a sting operation, where officers were on boats or in houses as customers. They've been investigating infractions for a while, not a weekend.

We all have to wait to see what materializes but I personally would be surprised if all that came out of this was extra lines, no licenses, etc. If that was the case we would have already heard about the severity of the offenses. Since it's tight lipped its easy to assume its something more severe.

[fiskyknut]

The LOTW and the Rainy r. get saturated by large contingents of wardens fairly regularily. I do think they call it saturation patrols or saturation weekends and we get wardens from all over the state out there on the water and/or ice. This particular "sting' or whatever she ends up being sounds like it's a whole other kinda operation. Info/facts will come out soon enough as a matter of public record.

Yepper V your post sounds good to me.

The star trib piece mentioned the investigations began last summer, not seeing any confusion over that.

Ladyofthewoods.. Alls good eh, just don't try an sneak that extra line down anymore! j/k!

[BuckSutherland]

Any news to report yet??

[lichen fox]

Without naming names, this is the case I believe was the one refered to as the illegal "bear hunting" part of the deal...these charges were all against one individual.

Offense date 8/14/2013 Mn Department of Natural Resources

1 97A.331.3 Game and Fish-Hunting-Transport Illegal Big Game Gross Misdemeanor

2 97A.331.3 Game and Fish-Hunting-Transport Illegal Big Game Gross Misdemeanor

3 97B.431(a) Hunting - No Bear Hunting Outfitters/Guide License Misdemeanor

4 97A.415.2 Fish and Game - Unlawfully Borrow Bear License Misdemeanor

5 97B.425 Hunting-Fail to Register Bear Bait Station Misdemeanor

6 97B.411 Fish and Game - Hunt w/in 100 yards of Unregistered Bear bait station Misdemeanor

7 97B.401( Hunting - Place bear bait without a license Misdemeanor

8 97A.501.1 Fish and Game - Illegally possess Car Kill Deer Misdemeanor

9 97A.501.1 Fish and Game - Illegally possess overlimit Black Bear Misdemeanor

10 97A.501.1 Fish and Game - Illegally possess overlimit Black Bear Misdemeanor

11 97A.501.1 Fish and Game - Illegally possess Deer Misdemeanor

12 97A.501.1 Fish and Game - Illegally possess Deer Misdemeanor

13 97A.501.1 Fish and Game - Illegally possess Deer Misdemeanor

14 97A.535.1 Fish and Game - Untagged Big Game Animal Misdemeanor

15 97A.535.2 Fish and Game - Failure to register Black Bear Misdemeanor

[kfk]

Do you have the complete list of all the offenders?

[harvey lee]

I would think the fact's will come out when the investagation is complete and all have been charged and went through the court system.

One can assume all they want until the facts come out.

I have no issues with checking anyone on the lake or land and if they break they law, then pay the fine.

I do not get the we could all be charged for something illeagel per ladyofthewoods. I have never had any issues with a CO coming in and checking everything and I have never worried about it in advance or while they were checking it all out. Don't walk the fine line and u will be fine.

Last year during the ice fishing, I was checked probably 6-7 times and I usually talked quite awhile with the CO, he is just doing his job to protect our resources.

[ParaPro]

I saw a few Sleepy Eye people on the news atricle, close to my old stomping grounds,, now gotta see if i know anyone lol

[eyesonly]

.

"I do not get the we could all be charged for something illeagel per ladyofthewoods."

I think she probably regrets saying that now as a couple of hundered sportsmen and women groaned when they read that . I know I did.

[lichen fox]

The information I posted was from the "current" Lake of the Woods county court calendar...I noticed that the majority,(all but 2 or 3), in the news paper "court" report, under the "dnr" charges, were from central and southern Minnesota...only 3 people that would be considered as being from the immediate lake of the woods area....if you look at the "offense" dates also, you'll notice that the latest on these was before the sting and most of them just pled guilty on the spot and paid the fine...if you really want to know all the details, the only way would be to monitor the lake of the woods county court calendar once a week, and even then it will probably take 6 months to a year before any that did not just pay a fine to be scheduled for a court date...

[Bandit]

For what it's worth, 3 r 4 years ago I was checked by a C.O. on a Sat. afternoon. He was riding a new cat 4 stroke, never knew he was there till he looked in the window. My cousin and I invited him in, and we chatted for quite a while, during that time 5 more pulled up and parked. It turns out they had checked every house on the south shore. We were the last house on the last road at Z.B., so I am assuming they had split up and started on the East and West sides, and met in the middle. The C.O. said they were heading up to the north shore yet that day and would be checking everyone up there also starting the next morning.

I have no idea how many tickets were issued, but according to the C.O. there are always a few people that don't like their visits.

Anyway, I would not call my experience a saturation, or a sting, but more of an.....awareness deal maybe? They can't be everywhere, but they want us to know that that could be anywhere. Maybe this experience is irrevelent to this

story, but thought I would share.

[DTro]

Um if they were working undercover then yes I would classify it as a sting.

[jerkbait]

They are around. There were 4 or 5 out and about saturday. One stop by our house and 2 stopped by my stepson's house. When he looked in the bucket to see the fish he picked my pole up off the bucket, as soon as he did that a fish bit. He didn't catch it though.

[lotg63]

I was at LOW last weekend,I inquired about the Sting. A reliable source (a resort owner that I trust) told me that the DNR wrote about $2,500.00 worth of tickets. Time to do some "MATH PEOPLE" if they made the sting with 40 officers for a 2-3 day period (not counting the investigation) lets give them the benefit of the doubt 2 day x 40 officers =640 hrs x(guess on cost of a state job with bennies) $85.00 per hr =$54,400 lets add in (a guess) $15,000.00 to gather enough evidence to warrant this sting. So maybe a total of $69,400.00 ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE. Now if you think that that math works out you would have to be a F#*^//*@ing one-who-thinks-I-am-silly.

I think "we the people" need to get active and start getting this OUT OF CONTROL organization back in line.I have had my battles with the DNR and have seen first hand how they will spend 10's of thousands of "OUR" dollars to regulate wet land violations with out any fines. Maybe I have a hard-on about that because in the documents on my case, they referred to me as the "LAND OCCUPIER" not landowner but that is a whole different story "sorry" and don't even get me started on the deer heard management in Minnesota either LOL.

What we need is someone with some smarts (and motivation)to start a organization to deal with this. I would like to help get it going "wish I had the education to make it happen" I am willing to help anyone that has some ideas of how to get this going. Maybe a fund raiser?

I am a law consciousnesses person and have never had a game violation

(I have hunted and fished about everything that the US has to offer),and want our resource to continue.

[Donger]

One of them checked me also! I saw two others with him!

[Guest]

You can't put logical Math to a Gov't job. They are being paid no matter what, do you want them sitting in their Offices or Vehicles all day or going out on a "sting" every once in a while to keep these violators in check? No different than randomly setting up check points on roads to catch Drunk Drivers IMO. Good for them to get it organized and catch some of these scumbags who are doing things illegally while the rest of us follow the rules.

[Ballyhoo]

The same thing happened in 1991 when they did that sting. Most resorts made more from the DNR than they were fined for.

I said this earlier in the thread, don't be quick to judge until you hear what the actual charges are as the press release usually makes it out to be worse than it really is.

The good news about this is that things aren't as bad as the DNR thinks they are. They spent all the money and time on a big undercover operation and got nothing. I think that says alot about the resorts and how well most of them follow the law.

[Cast A Way]

If "We" the people realized what your state and federal tax dollars are spent on(much of which you wouldn't agree on) this would be a mute question.

The State of Minn. has approx 125 Conservation officers to cover all that goes on in fishing, hunting, trapping, boating, trails, snowmobiling - etc.

Even though I sometimes don't agree with all the expenditures - ie. your estimate on this sting or the many thousands of dollars spent on investigating deer baiting(with very few convictions) - "I" expect the COs to uphold the law and find violaters. We the people can't afford to look the other way - the future of our priviledges needs to be protected.

[kfk]

lotg63,

I think the DNR does a fine job in Minnesota.

Do you honestly think the officers involved in this operation were trying to make money for the DNR? You evidently don't get it and don't understand the role of the DNR.

Do I agree with everything the DNR does? No, but I don't have to nor does anyone else. That's not how it works. The personnel in the DNR have the expertise to make most management and enforcement decisions on their own and that's why we've hired them. I'll back their decisions whether I agree with them or not.

Your rant is uncalled for.

Take your personal attack on the DNR someplace else.

[walleye34]

I agree with some posts above, I dont think the idea of the sting is to generate revenue? Just showing their massive presence and that they are watching will stop many from breaking the law in the future and that's what it is about. Maybe that was a massive show of force and hopefully it got the bad guys attention that "hey I could get caught" and if that is the case it worked!!! Like my last drive to red lake, hit the straight away just after keliher and got all excited to get there next thing you know I am going 70mph in a 55. here comes Mr Trooper and he hit his lights. he never turned around I just got the lights and a finger point as he went by but guess what I will be watching my speed on that road from now on!! no ticket needed to get the result he wanted, for me to slow down now and in the future. Maybe this was the DNR's way of sending a mesage to all the resorts we know what you do and we dont like it and here is your 1 chance before we come get you and when your resort name ends up in the paper you will be ruined just like Andy Meyers Lodge in Canada. Now Jon Gillespie a.k.a. the hollering fishermen has to find another place to shoot his TV shows at.

[birchbranch]

I hope you don't clean fish in your fishhouse outside of what you plan to eat at that moment or you would be one of the law breaking scumbags. I was checked today and the CO was very pleasant. I was totally legal except I had a bag of filets, but saved the carcasses in an unfrozen state. He let me know that fish on the lake needed to be kept in the round on slot lakes so they can be measured. He was nice, but got his point across. It was an extremely polite verbal warning, which was well-taken. Be careful about pointing fingers.

[low277]

In response to the post about changing how the DNR works. It may be possible to get the government to change, but people need to try and go about it in the right way. I myself got involved in local government in my small town for this very reason. Most governing bodies do not put much faith in coffee shop talk.

Go to a meeting, get what concerns you on the agenda, be clear and concise in what you want and bring others with you. If people show up at meetings and hearings and follow up with their elected officials, things can change.

[maxpower17]

Dear Mr. lotg63 (law abiding angler, model citizen),

I too feel the DNR has been wasteful on this sting. The cost certainly outweighs the benefit in dollars spent. This really opened my eyes to how the DNR is spending my money. Maybe they could start writing speeding tickets, parking tickets, DUI patrols to start pulling their weight, so to speak. It's time to crack down on these criminals and hit the where it hurts. In the pocketbook.

I think you are on the right path here. We need to get the word out on the open forums and convince as many people as possible to join our fight. Hopefully someday, someone will step up and do something about it.

P.S. We should get together and talk about how to fix Mille Lacs.

Yours truly,

Maxpower

[DTro]

This has nothing to do with making money it’s about making a statement to those that continue to break the laws.   For those that did the math, you forgot one big factor.  The majority of the fines are county/city/court/ fees.   Very little of that money goes back to the DNR.  For example, a $120 extra line ticket,  its something like 30 dollars of that is the actual fine.   So if you think its about the money gained you might want to rerun that equation

[gwiff100]

I find this absolutely hysterical. Those of you who are trying to justify the sting and ranting about the total expense of it are ridiculous. The main goal of this whole operation/sting has been stated many times above. The DNR, MN STATE PATROL, LOCAL POLICE don't go out writing citations to help fund their payroll and create more money for themselves. Whether they sit in their vehicle at the launch or drive in a boat they are paid the same. What do you think your license fees, state taxes, even mn state lottery fund?

My some people need to find a firm grip on reality and start realizing their way of think just might not be the right way.

[Kettle]

This has nothing to do with making money it’s about making a statement to those that continue to break the laws. 

This is it, they are here to enforce laws. If you break the law you should be punished. Like others have stated, what little is made in fines is not to cover their costs. That's why we have taxes and license fees. I however would like to see stiffer penalties not so much in cost but in pulling fishing and hunting opportunities of people. This forum is full of people looking out for the best interest in the future of our outdoor experiences.

Kettle

[kingr]

I guess I don't understand why this is such a big deal. The DNR, like the law enforcement, is supposed to protect and serve. Lake of the woods is the largest fishery in the state therefore should demand the most resources to protect the fishery and serve in educating the people of obeying the laws.

People are complaining about the quality of fish that are being caught both numbers and size. Then the same people complain when the DNR sets up a sting to send a message to the resorts and weekend fisherman who are not obeying the laws that protect LOW from over harvesting and etc...

With the exception of a few, the local CO's are good guys unless they think you're pushing the boundaries. My question is What do you want them to do? You complain that the fish are small and then you complain that the DNR spending too much $$ to enforce the law to ensure the quality of fishing in the future. We have been going up to ice fish there for 13 yrs and the fishing isn't "like the olden days" to say the least.

We clean our own fish and when we go in to the cleaning shacks the majority of guys there are from out of the area and all have a bucket full of 12-13"ers. The resorting business is big $$ up there and the resorts will do what it takes to make sure their guests are happy. It turns out some go outside the lines of the law. In my opinion the DNR fines the resorts so it hurts to send the message without publishing them in a newspaper article. Make the press and citizens go through the public records to find out who it is and then decide if they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

[harvey lee]

I was at LOW last weekend,I inquired about the Sting. A reliable source (a resort owner that I trust) told me that the DNR wrote about $2,500.00 worth of tickets. Time to do some "MATH PEOPLE" if they made the sting with 40 officers for a 2-3 day period (not counting the investigation) lets give them the benefit of the doubt 2 day x 40 officers =640 hrs x(guess on cost of a state job with bennies) $85.00 per hr =$54,400 lets add in (a guess) $15,000.00 to gather enough evidence to warrant this sting. So maybe a total of $69,400.00 ON THE CONSERVATIVE SIDE. Now if you think that that math works out you would have to be a F#*^//*@ing one-who-thinks-I-am-silly.

I think "we the people" need to get active and start getting this OUT OF CONTROL organization back in line.I have had my battles with the DNR and have seen first hand how they will spend 10's of thousands of "OUR" dollars to regulate wet land violations with out any fines. Maybe I have a hard-on about that because in the documents on my case, they referred to me as the "LAND OCCUPIER" not landowner but that is a whole different story "sorry" and don't even get me started on the deer heard management in Minnesota either LOL.

What we need is someone with some smarts (and motivation)to start a organization to deal with this. I would like to help get it going "wish I had the education to make it happen" I am willing to help anyone that has some ideas of how to get this going. Maybe a fund raiser?

I am a law consciousnesses person and have never had a game violation

(I have hunted and fished about everything that the US has to offer),and want our resource to continue.

GLad you are not running the DNR with your math. I do not believe you even understand how the DNR or any Gov agency works.

They are at work no matter what. I am sure they could never write enough tickets to cover the cost of thier job to the taxpayers and it is not in thier job description to do that.

If you believe the DNR can only do a investagation only if they will write enough tickets to cover the total costs of that investagation, they will never be allowed to do so. The idea is not to see if we can make some money from this but rather to catch the people breaking the laws.

Far as I am concerned, we need more CO's as they are stretched so thin but noone wants thier tax's to go up as that would cost much more in regards to costs for the DNR. Heck they beg for money from our elected officials now.

I do not always agree with the decisions of the DNR but I am sure they do a much better job than many in this forum would as they do not have an education to even try to do the job and this is not a job that's goal is to make money, they are there to protect our resourses, least that is what I thought.

I see no way for the CO's to generate enough revenue to cover thier cost as an employee, thats not thier job, it is to protect our resourses, not that hard to understand.

Man, one day people say get more CO's as there are too many breaking the laws and then when they try to bust some people, wait, did they cover the cost. That's almost laughable to say the least.

Are firefighters suppose to make money also as they are a cost to society also.

[kfk]

Well said Harvey.

[uffdapete]

Am guessing you also do the math to determine the cost per lb. of game and fish you harvest? Just wondering.