Wisconsin Cuffs & Collars: Family members commit numerous deer violations – Outdoor News
NORTHERN REGION
Spooner Team/December
Warden Jesse Ashton, of Luck, followed up on a Wisconsin State Patrol report of an OWI arrest where poaching activity also was suspected. Wardens Ashton and Aaron Koshatka, of Amery, spoke with the person in the Polk County jail and ascertained two violations involving a relative who didn’t have a license shooting a buck with a crossbow. Ashton spoke with the relative and found the buck was shot from the window of the truck and that the person in jail used his archery license to register the buck.
Wardens Dylan Belisle, of Chetek, and Rich Maki, of Jim Falls, followed up with a shoot-from-the-road call in southern Barron and northern Dunn counties. The wardens found multiple deer had been shot from the vehicle, off the road, and on private property without permission. This occurred over multiple years.
Warden Dustin Gabrielson, of Webster, found multiple bags of litter left in the Burnett County Forest. Gabrielson found the responsible party and issued multiple citations for littering and fishing without a license.
Warden Gabrielson followed up on a citizen complaint of unattended lines on Middle Mckenzie Lake in Burnett County. Gabrielson found two relatives had placed tip-ups and left them for the night. Multiple tip-ups had caught fish and had not been tended.
Warden Joshua Loining, of Rice Lake, contacted a person fishing on the north end of Prairie Lake in Chetek with three tip-ups and one jig pole.
Spooner Team/January
Wardens Jesse Ashton, of Luck, and Dustin Gabrielson, of Webster, patrolled early morning unattended lines in Polk County. One citation was issued to a person on Big Butternut Lake who left three tip-ups unattended overnight.
Warden Ashton contacted a person fishing on Little Butternut Lake who was in possession of an illegal-sized walleye.
Report of the Week
Green Bay Team
Wardens Logan Woods and Josh Wiedenhoeft received information stating a group of relatives had illegally harvested numerous deer. The wardens found the relatives harvested several deer in Manitowoc and Outagamie counties without having licenses.
The individuals did not buy a license until after the harvests. The group was found to have hunted deer without a license on several occasions, failed to register deer within the set timeframe, harvested antlerless deer in the wrong county, and provided false information to the DNR, among numerous other violations.
Warden Gabrielson followed up on unattended tip-up complaints in Burnett and Polk counties. Enforcement actions were taken in several instances.
Warden Gabrielson investigated an illegal deer case in cooperation with Minnesota DNR. A Minnesota resident had hunted and killed a deer in Burnett County without a hunting license.
Woodruff Team/December
Warden Tim Otto, of Oneida County, contacted a hunter operating a pick-up truck on logging roads during the muzzleloader deer season who had a loaded muzzleloader, including an in-place firing cap, next to him in the front seat.
Warden Tim Price, of Vilas County, investigated a tip of a gunshot heard after 10:30 p.m. While checking the area, Price contacted a local landowner and observed signs of deer harvest in the area. The landowner admitted to harvesting a doe with a firearm and without a license over an illegal bait at 10:39 p.m. and trespassed to retrieve the animal.
Woodruff Team/January
Warden Audrey Royce, of Minocqua, followed up on a tip regarding a person allegedly overbagging on perch on a local chain of lakes. Royce located the person later in the day who initially said one of his fishing companions didn’t have a license. However, Royce eventually found the person was over the possession limit with 66 illegal perch.
Wardens Sam Eagan and Audrey Royce, both of Minocqua, were checking anglers when they observed a person set down his fishing gear upon the wardens’ arrival. The man was initially uncooperative and refused to identify himself. However, the wardens did identify the subject who was fishing without a license while revoked and with an active warrant. The person was taken into custody, with further enforcement actions taken.
Warden Tim Otto, of Rhinelander, followed upon a tip regarding a felon harvesting deer from his residence with a firearm. Wardens Otto and Royce found two loaded firearms in the person’s possession. The person was arrested as a felon in possession of firearms.
Park Falls Team/January
Warden Chad Ziegler assisted with a rescue call of a person trapped under a vehicle. Ziegler was able to assist with securing the vehicle from moving and further injuring the victim. The victim was removed from under the vehicle and transported for medical treatment.
Ashland Team/January
Warden Jack Luessman, of the Ashland marine team, contacted two individuals approaching their vehicle after ice fishing. The pair produced two fishing licenses, but Luessman found one of the individuals decided to use the fishing license of another person as he didn’t want to receive a citation for not carrying a paper copy of his fishing license on Lake Superior.
SOUTH-CENTRAL REGION
Madison Team/January
Wardens Matt Koshollek and Henry Bauman, both of Dane County, contacted a person at his residence in Madison due to an overbagging tip suggesting the man had overbagged on panfish on Lake Monona earlier that day. The man was found to have caught 29 panfish.
Warden Koshollek was on snowmobile patrol after a winter storm dumped more than a foot of snow and trails opened. Citations were issued for operating a snowmobile with modified exhaust and failing to obey trail stop signs.
Warden Koshollek spoke with two Stoughton High School classes about the role of conservation wardens.
Warden Paul Nadolski, of Portage, responded to a two-party snowmobile accident in Portage. Both operators were treated for injuries.
Warden Ryan Caputo, of Dane County, took enforcement action after his investigation found a person failed to check his traps in more than one month.
Warden Caputo took enforcement actions during snowmobile patrols in Dane County. Numerous citations were issued for failing to obey regulatory signs and for not having a trail pass/unregistered snowmobile.
Warden Caputo received a call of a man who shot a buck on private land while hunting on state land. He then trespassed to get the buck off private land.
Caputo found the man had not registered the buck.
Warden Nick Webster, of Fitchburg, joined other DNR wardens and deputies from several counties for snowmobile patrols. The most common issues were lack of proper snowmobile registration and failure to complete snowmobile safety certification. However, most snowmobilers were prepared and were found to be operating respectfully and safely.
Dodgeville Team/January
Wardens Mike Burns, of Iowa County, assisted with a large fire at a propane/farm supply company. Due to large quantities of dangerous chemicals engulfed in the fire, it was determined a perimeter would be established for the immediate area. Burns assisted in rerouting traffic around the incident.
Devil’s Lake Team/January
Warden Mike Williams, of Richland, County investigated a call of illegal hunting involving a group of coyote hunters. Williams found one of the hunters shot at coyotes while standing within 50 feet of the roadway and within 100 yards of a dwelling.
Enforcement action was taken.
Wardens Joe Olson, Derek Hansen, Keith Meverden, Nick Engelhardt, and Ryan Donner, all of Sauk County, patrolled snowmobile trails and had contact with hundreds of operators.
Warden Wade Romberg, of Adams County, issued a citation for timber theft after a person was found to be stealing firewood. Romberg also issued citations in January for transporting loaded rifles in a vehicle, snowmobile and ATV violations, and littering.
SOUTHEAST REGION
Racine/Kenosha Team/January
Warden Michael Hirschboeck, of Racine County, interviewed a hunter who registered a buck after buying an archery license.
The hunter said he didn’t shoot the buck on the date listed and that it was harvested on Nov. 11, 2023. This was one day before the hunter purchased the deer archery license.
Warden Hirschboeck interviewed a person who did not register any of the three turkeys he harvested in 2023. Law enforcement action was taken.
Wardens Brandon Smith, of Twin Lakes, and Brad Wilson, of Walworth County, helped Walworth County law enforcement and rescue agencies locate a missing hunter stranded in a marsh during cold temperatures. The hunter was recovered with an air boat and treated for hypothermia.
Wardens Smith and Hirschboeck contacted two hunters regarding illegal deer hunting in the recent seasons. The wardens found a juvenile hunter harvested a deer without having a license during the archery season and falsified registration information. The wardens also investigated a second person for harvesting a deer during the closed season. Additional violations were found, including failing to register multiple deer, hunting without blaze-colored clothing and falsifying deer registration information.
Wardens Smith and Hirschboeck contacted a vehicle operator at Richard Bong State Recreation Area for no vehicle registration. The driver stated he did not have a driver’s license and was exempt from needing a driver’s license or vehicle registration. Enforcement action was taken for the traffic violations.
Wardens Brandon Smith, Taylor Meinholz, Mike Hirschboeck, Alex Basting, and Jen Burrow-Niemeyer conducted snowmobile enforcement and patrolled trails on multiple occasions in January. Numerous snowmobile stops were conducted for failure to display a trail pass. Night enforcement resulted in several stops for exceeding the 55-mph speed limit. Other violations included improper display of registration, no snowmobile safety certificate and expired registration.
Warden Alex Basting, of Sturtevant, responded to Richard Bong State Recreation Area regarding a complaint of pheasant hunting in a closed area. Basting contacted the person, who admitted to harvesting a rooster near the beach/fishing area at the park. The hunter was informed prior to hunting that this area was closed.
Wardens Basting and Taylor Meinholz, of Union Grove, conducted a traffic stop with two ATVs found operating without headlights on a roadway. The following violations were found: operating without headlights, operating without brake lights, underage operation on a roadway, no safety certificate, expired ATV registration, and no license plate attached.
Wardens Basting and Meinholz conducted a traffic stop involving three snowmobilers missing trail passes. One rider provided a false identification and lied about his date of birth to avoid meeting the requirement to have a snowmobile safety certificate. The individual was warned for obstructing a conservation warden. Enforcement action was taken for operating a snowmobile without a valid safety certificate.
Warden Basting met with staff at an S.C. Johnson property near Wind Point regarding two bucks found dead in a pond. It was concluded that these mature bucks had been sparring when they locked antlers and entered the pond, resulting in them drowning. The two bucks will be mounted and displayed in one of the public buildings on the property.
Wardens Meinholz and Basting conducted snowmobile patrol during the cold week following a major snowstorm. Temperatures were below zero, but many snowmobilers were out due to the recent snow. Wardens patrolled Racine County and Kenosha County trails and issued two citations for no snowmobile safety certificate.
Warden Meinholz followed up with an individual who shot a doe with a gun during what the individual thought was the holiday hunt in Kenosha County. Upon contact, the person stated he hunted during the closed season and harvested a doe with a 12-gauge shotgun.
NORTHEAST REGION
Green Bay Team/January
Last fall warden James Moore, of Kewaunee County, observed numerous piles of burnt items in the C.D. Besadny Fish and Wildlife Area parking lots. In January, Moore located another burn pile and found evidence that led him to a potential suspect. The person admitted to burning personal items and leaving the remnants in the parking lot on several occasions. The person said he opted to burn because he did not have access to a paper shredder.
Warden Marcus Medina and the Green Bay Police Department completed an investigation regarding illegal snowmobile operation. Snowmobile tracks were seen going onto the East River in the city of Green Bay and it was feared a snowmobile could have broken through the ice. Medina and a Green Bay police officer located the operator, who had not gone through the ice. Enforcement action was taken for multiple snowmobile operation violations.
Warden Mike Neal, of Baileys Harbor, assisted with instructing a GPS forensics course for Wisconsin DNR staff and officers from 20 other law enforcement agencies. The new skills will assist the officers with investigating incidents involving recreational vehicle crashes.
