DISTRICT 1
CO Josh Boudreaux responded to a hunting camp in Marquette County after the owner arrived for a weekend of hunting, only to find the camp burned to the ground with only the chimney standing. Boudreaux documented the scene, interviewed the property owner and searched the surrounding area for any indications of foul play. Information gathered in the investigation was passed along to the Michigan State Police fire investigator.
COs Josh Boudreaux and John Kamps located the head of what appeared to be an out-of-state buck, which had been transported illegally into Michigan. Due to the unusual tagging method, Boudreaux contacted a Wisconsin DNR warden who after some investigation, determined the buck had not come from their state as suspected. COs contacted the suspect at his residence and learned the buck had been shot in Ohio and transported back to be made into a European mount. The buck head was seized for proper disposal and enforcement action was taken.
CO Jeremy Sergey received information that a logger in Menominee County had cut trees down and made a road on state land to get to an area of private land. Sergey, along with one of the DNR state land managers, went out to the area that was logged and met with the logger. After conducting an interview, the logger stated he knew he wasn’t supposed to cut through state land, but he had been denied permission to cut through state land in the past and didn’t feel like asking again. Enforcement action was taken.
CO John Kamps contacted a group of fishermen that appeared to be fishing with too many lines. The CO also determined that the group of fishermen was in possession of two splake under the legal-size limit. Law enforcement action was taken for fishing with too many lines and possession of undersize splake.
CO Zach Painter finished an investigation into a trophy buck that was shot in the city limits of Ironwood. A suspect was found and interviewed. The subject admitted to hunting without a license and shooting the 10-point buck. The rack was seized, and warrants are being sought with the Gogebic County prosecutor’s office.
DISTRICT 2
COs Chris Lynch and Steve Butzin successfully served an arrest warrant on a subject without incident. The hunter is facing 12 charges, including taking a deer with a firearm during closed season, taking multiple deer without a license, aiding and abeting, loaning a deer license to another, hunting without a license, failure to immediately tag a deer, and violation of the apprentice hunt.
CO Chris Lynch was investigating a hunter suspected of illegally shooting a bear. It turned out the bear was legally shot but during the investigation it was discovered the hunter had shot a 5-point buck without a license. The deer was seized, and the hunter was issued a citation for the illegal deer.
CO Steve Butzin received a complaint of multiple deer in an individual’s garage in Gladstone that did not have tags attached. Butzin went to the residence and was able to confirm the complaint. The individual was processing the deer without registering as a commercial deer processor with the state and there were little to no records being maintained as required by law. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Robert Freeborn checked a local lake for ice fishermen. When checking a group of fishermen, one of them caught a pike as Freeborn was standing at their shack. The fisherman landed the fish and looked at it and asked what the size limit for pike was. Freeborn explained that it was 24-inches. Freeborn then observed a pike lying next to a tip-up just past the shack. Freeborn asked how big that pike was. The fisherman stated if the size limit was 24-inches that it is probably short. Freeborn checked the pike and determined that it was 21-inches. A citation was issued for the short pike.
CO Mark Zitnik checked two anglers coming off the Two Hearted River. The anglers told the CO they had just caught “some really nice cohos.” A quick check revealed they also caught and kept a brook trout. When Zitnik asked the fishermen about the fish, the two said they were unaware the season closed at the end of September. Enforcement action was taken.
DISTRICT 3
Sgt. Michael Mshar, COs Jessie Curtis and Tim Rosochacki responded to an elk harvest where it was alleged that the hunter had wounded a second animal while shooting into a large herd of elk. Rosochacki and Curtis checked the area and did establish that a second elk was in fact wounded. The wounded animal was tracked throughout the day as it continued to stay with the rest of the herd. The hunter advised that he shot nine times but did not think he had hit any other animals. The investigation is ongoing.
CO Jessie Curtis assisted the Alpena County Sheriff’s Department with finding the owner of ice fishing gear that was left at the Long Lake boat launch. It was uncertain where the angler was when the equipment was left. The owner had his last name and first initial on a tip-up. Curtis was able to get a phone number from the information on the tip-up to contact the angler. The angler had run out of gas and had walked home leaving his equipment behind. The angler was unharmed and elated to get his equipment back.
CO Jessie Curtis received a call regarding a vehicle that fell through the ice on Long Lake in Alpena County. The subject had driven out on the ice to go ice fishing. The subject had to hire a diver and a tow service to get the vehicle and a jet sled full of equipment out of the water. The investigation is ongoing.
Sgt. Michael Mshar and CO Sidney Collins came upon an elk hunter and guide in Otsego County who had just shot a collared cow elk on private property that they did not have permission to be on. The property owner was contacted and advised that they had not given anyone permission to hunt. The elk was seized, and the hunter and guide were advised that their hunt was terminated.
Sgt. Michael Mshar, COs Sidney Collins and Paul Fox received numerous complaints during the December elk hunt of hunters and guides using drones to locate elk. Interviews are being conducted and the investigation is ongoing.
CO Paul Fox responded to a complaint of excessive bait in an area frequented by elk and elk hunters in Presque Isle County. Fox and CO Collins investigated the scene and located a very large bait pile. Contact was made with the property owner who admitted to placing the bait. Charges are pending.
DISTRICT 4
CO William Haskin located an early bait site back in early September. On the opener of muzzleloader season, Haskin did a check on the property and located three hunters, one of whom was not wearing hunter orange. Enforcement action was taken on multiple infractions.
COs Rich Stowe and William Kinney responded to a fishing closed waters complaint near Traverse City where two young anglers were contacted. Enforcement action and education followed.
While on patrol, CO Josiah Killingbeck observed fresh ORV tracks on Consumers Energy utility right of way. Killingbeck observed that the No Trespassing signs had been cut from the posts at several road crossings. Killingbeck sat in the area and observed an ORV drive by on the roadway and noticed that the driver was not wearing a helmet or seatbelt. Killingbeck contacted the driver and discovered that the subject had the seatbelt buckled in behind him. The subject said that he did not know he was required to wear a seatbelt or helmet in a side-by-side ORV. While speaking with the subject, Killingbeck observed the tire tracks to be the same as on the power lines. Killingbeck spoke with the subject regarding where he had been driving and the subject denied trespassing but began asking questions about where he could and could not operate. The subject soon confessed to trespassing on utility right of way property. Regulations were explained to the subject and enforcement action was taken.
DISTRICT 5
CO Mike Hearn observed a vehicle turn onto a snow-covered Kalkaska County road and accelerate through the turn, causing the vehicle to fishtail to the opposite side of the road. The vehicle continued fishtailing and eventually turned into a local gravel pit. Hearn followed the vehicle and observed the small Subaru trying to climb one of the large sandhills, unsuccessfully. The driver was contacted and checked. He was determined to be driving on a suspended license. The vehicle was also uninsured. The vehicle was towed and the driver was arrested and lodged in the Kalkaska County Jail.
CO Ethan Gainforth received information that a subject had illegally killed a black bear during the closed season in Roscommon County. With assistance from CO Matt Zultak and Sgt. Brian Olsen, Gainforth began his investigation. Information led Gainforth to a wildlife hunting enclosure where the suspect had allegedly been hunting. Information was obtained that the suspect was hunting from within the enclosure but shooting wildlife, including the black bear, outside of the enclosure on public land. When contact was made with the suspect, he initially denied the allegations. When confronted with evidence of the crime, the suspect confessed. The individual had obtained a bear license for the 2018 season and was not able to fill the tag during the legal season. While sitting in his deer blind after the close of bear season, a black bear wandered into his bait and he decided to shoot the bear. Warrants are being sought through the Roscommon County Prosecutor’s office.
COs Phil Hudson and Craig Neal were conducting a taxidermy inspection when they noticed a bobcat that seemed a little suspicious. The bobcat season had only been open four days and the bobcat that had been dropped off at the taxidermist showed several signs of being dead for a much longer time period. The COs tracked down the trapper that had dropped off the bobcat and began to ask a few questions. It did not take long for the trapper to admit that the bobcat had been harvested illegally. It seems that the trapper had caught the bobcat last year while coyote trapping. Since the trapper did not have any bobcat tags, he put it in his freezer and waited until the following year to get a bobcat tag. Then the bobcat was tagged and taken to the taxidermist. Enforcement action will be sought through the Arenac County Prosecutor’s office.
DISTRICT 6
CO John Byars responded to a call of a body of a person found in the Pine River and assisted the Alma Police Department and Rescue in the recovery. After the body was removed, the CO and local officers took a boat up stream to the Alma Dam and back down to the location to check for evidence. The CO and the Alma officers were unable to find any evidence that would indicate foul play and it appears that it was an accidental death. The investigation continues.
CO Adam Beuthin was on marine patrol on the Saginaw River when he observed a group of four subjects all fishing from the vessel. When the CO contacted them, he asked to check their fishing licenses. One of the anglers told the CO that she did not have her fishing license with her. The CO gathered her information and then asked who owned the vessel. One of the subjects told the CO it was his. The CO then asked him to provide all the required safety equipment. The boat owner was short one PFD. After contacting dispatch in Lansing, it was found the female subject did not have a fishing license for 2018, and was issued a citation for fishing without a license. The owner of the vessel was issued a citation for failing to provide a PFD.
COs Bob Hobkirk and Kyle Bucholtz responded to a hunter orange complaint in Huron County. On scene, the COs located two hunters, one of whom had hunter orange visible from only one side. Upon further inspection, the hunters were found to be hunting over excessive bait, possessing an untagged deer and hunting without a license. Enforcement action was taken.
While conducting a taxidermy inspection, CO Mike Haas located two red foxes that had been harvested by a deer hunter. Haas discovered the hunter had never purchased a fur harvester license and harvested both animals without the proper licenses. It was also discovered that the subject had committed the same violation a couple of years earlier. Charges are pending with the Isabella County Prosecutor’s office.
DISTRICT 7
CO Carter Woodwyk was patrolling Allegan County when he observed two flashlights faintly scanning a field. The CO stopped and contacted the subjects who were both under 16 years old, carrying a loaded firearm, and looking for a deer they shot at. The youth hunters stated they took a 300-yard shot at an antlerless deer approximately six minutes before shooting hours closed. One of the youth hunters was not wearing hunter orange and the young hunters were not accompanied by an adult. Upon further investigation, neither hunter had a valid antlerless deer tag for the deer management unit they were hunting. Woodwyk contacted the hunters’ father and explained all the violations. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Sam Schluckbier received a complaint in Allegan County of a hunter who was not wearing hunter orange and violating the safety zone law. While investigating the suspect, Schluckbier discovered that a 7-point buck was harvested by the subject in Van Buren County, however the proper kill-tag was not used on it. During the interview, the suspect confessed to shooting the deer and placing his nephew’s mentored youth tag on the antlers. The deer was seized, and charges are being filed through the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s office.
CO Sam Schluckbier completed an investigation on a subject who harvested three deer during the firearm deer season. The hunter’s license purchases for 2018, revealed that he only bought a regular deer and an antlerless deer license. A confession was obtained to shooting a 6-point buck on the last day of the season and then tagging it with his father-in-law’s license. Both subjects are being charged through the Kalamazoo County Prosecutor’s office.
CO Richard Cardenas received a call from Barry County Central Dispatch of a woman who had fallen while walking in the Yankee Spring Recreation Area injuring her knee. The woman was carrying a small child at the time and could not stand or walk back to her vehicle. Cardenas responded and provided first aid to the victim by placing a splint on her injured leg and, with the help of other first responders, carried her out to a waiting ambulance.
DISTRICT 8
CO Katie Stawara followed up on an illegal deer found at a processor during regular firearm season. The antlerless deer had been submitted with an unvalidated and expired chronic wasting disease kill tag. Upon arrival at the suspect’s residence, Stawara located corn mixed with molasses in the backyard. An interview was conducted, and a confession obtained. A complaint warrant is being sought for taking a deer without a license and baiting in a restricted county. Stawara is further investigating a second deer shot by the suspect that is believed to have been harvested and a license purchased after the fact.
CO Katie Stawara investigated a baiting complaint in which the suspect had placed bait on the neighbor’s property and created shooting lanes to access it. An interview was conducted, and a confession obtained. Stawara found the suspect shot a 3-point antlered deer the night prior using a crossbow and tagged it with his son’s kill-tag. The tag was not validated. Through conversation, Stawara also discovered the suspect allowed his young son to shoot a deer on public land without a license. A complaint warrant is being submitted for taking a deer over bait in a restricted county.
DISTRICT 9
COs Kris Kiel and Joseph Deppen responded to a RAP complaint of a single gunshot heard at midnight in rural St. Clair County. Early the next morning, the COs pulled into the driveway of the address given in the complaint. A large bait pile was observed in the backyard of the residence from the driveway. The COs contacted the homeowner and asked about the bait pile. In conversation, the subject told the COs that he had shot at a coyote the night before, that was getting into his garbage. The subject walked with the COs back to look at the bait pile. Deppen observed a deer on the ground, in the tall weeds, 15 yards from the bait. When asked about the deer, the subject stated that he had shot at a deer a couple of days prior, but did not think he hit it. The COs told the subject that now would be a good time to tell the truth since his story was not adding up. The subject admitted to shooting the deer at midnight, the night before. The subject showed the COs his hunting chair in the second story of the barn, with a window overlooking the bait. The shotgun and the spent shell were found right by the window. The COs also observed a mercury light in the yard when they exited the barn. Kiel took a laser range finder reading to the closest house and found the subject shot the deer in the safety zone. The subject had not purchased any deer hunting licenses for this year and admitted that he also had taken a doe in the archery season. A report will be submitted to the prosecutor for two illegally taken deer, safety zone, and over baiting.
COs Brad Silorey and Joe Deppen worked on contacting several new taxidermists in Macomb County. While inspecting one of the new taxidermists, Silorey and Deppen discovered that several deer from Ohio were being brought in. A whole deer head was also found from Ohio. The entire head was seized and will be sent to the lab for testing. The investigation continues.
CO Brad Silorey received information of a suspect that possibly shot a deer without a license and posted it to social media. Silorey conducted an investigation, interviewed the suspect at his residence, where he admitted to shooing a 7-point deer without purchasing a deer kill tag. The suspect also admitted to hunting multiple years without ever purchasing a license. Enforcement action was taken.
While on patrol in Macomb County, CO Joseph Deppen stopped an angler fishing along the shoreline. Deppen asked the angler if he had his fishing license and the angler said it was at home on his dresser. A license check revealed the angler had not purchased a fishing license in three years. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Pat Hartsig and PCO Tom Peterson were working the late waterfowl split on Lake St. Clair and contacted a group of four hunters. During routine checks of the hunter’s equipment, they discovered an unplugged shotgun. The hunter was educated, and enforcement action was taken.
CO Pat Hartsig and PCO Tom Peterson responded to a complaint of rabbit hunters trespassing on private property. The COs responded to the scene and found two people actively hunting rabbits in a bean field. The hunters were notified they were on private property and they stated, “there is no more good public land to hunt anymore,” and they have hunted this property for years with no issues. The COs notified the property owners and enforcement action was taken.
The post Michigan Outdoor News Cuffs & Collars – Feb. 1, 2019 appeared first on Outdoornews.
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