March 2, 2007 - TOP 5 STORIES
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Sharpshooters cull deer in NW MN
No change for Mille Lacs walleye slot in 2007
Sawyer man convicted of timber theft
Deadlines are coming up for getting ice houses off Minnesota lakes
Rainy Lake offers older ice anglers an unbeatable setup
Sharpshooters cull deer in NW MN
Six sharpshooters began killing deer last week to curb bovine TB spread
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. (AP) – Sharpshooters are culling deer in northwestern Minnesota to try to stop the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
Six sharpshooters with the U.S. Department of Agriculture began killing deer on Feb. 20 at 56 baited sites in an area east of Thief River Falls, and more shooters are expected to arrive this week.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wildlife health program coordinator Michelle Powell said the culling likely will continue through March. She estimates that hundreds of deer will be shot.
The deer are being killed in an area where an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis has infected both cattle and wild deer. DNR aerial surveys indicate there are about 1,000 deer in the area.
“It’s extremely critical,” Powell said. “The risk of not stopping it basically means an ongoing transmission potential between deer and cattle.”
The outbreak in cattle began in July 2005. Seven infected herds have been destroyed and the state has lost its official status as TB-free. Without the designation, it costs ranchers about $10 for additional testing for every animal they ship out of state.
Minnesota can’t apply for accreditation as TB free until two years after its last infected herd is eliminated. Before the current outbreak was detected in July 2005, the state had been free of the cattle disease since 1971.
Bovine TB is a lung bacteria, spread by infected cattle coughing, bellowing and snorting as well as through contaminated feces and milk. Meat inspections and milk pasteurization have nearly eliminated transmission to people.
The culling operation has upset some local residents. Last week, about 300 people met in a Wannaska school for a public meeting on the cull. Officials explained why the drastic action was necessary and took questions.
“We didn’t change everyone’s mind, but we explained the program and why we are doing it,” Powell said.
Officials hope by killing the deer, they’ll stop the disease from spreading. The Minnesota DNR also plans to offer liberal bag limits for hunters in that area, to further thin the herd.
“Whether there’s no limit, or a high limit, we don’t know yet,” said Lou Cornicelli, DNR big game coordinator.
Powell said she hoped the deer killed in the cull won’t be wasted. After it’s tested for bovine TB, the venison will be given to those who want it, and already more than 100 people have signed up to get some.
No change for Mille Lacs walleye slot in 2007
DNR News
Anglers who fish Lake Mille Lacs this year will again have ample opportunity to harvest walleye under a slot limit unchanged since 2004, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
The season will open May 12 with a regulation that will allow anglers to keep four walleye up to 20 inches, which may include one trophy over 28 inches. Anglers must release all walleye from 20 to 28 inches. Starting July 15, anglers will be allowed to keep walleye up to 22 inches with one trophy over 28 inches in the four fish limit. All walleye from 22 to 28 inches must be released. The slot will revert to four walleye up to 20 inches with one over 28 inches in the four fish limit on Dec. 1.
“This regulation is designed to allow anglers to use most of the 449,000 pounds of walleye (including hooking mortality) allotted to the state,” said Dave Schad, DNR director of fish and wildlife.
Eight bands of Minnesota and Wisconsin Ojibwe may take 100,000 pounds of walleye.
The slot limit will continue to protect future fishing opportunities. “The majority of our spawning stock biomass – large, mature fish – continues to be protected under this regulation and remains in good shape,” said Ron Payer, DNR fisheries chief.
He added the strong 2002 and 2003 year classes of walleye, now mostly 14-20 inches, will once again provide for a good catch of eating sized walleyes for anglers to keep. Smaller fish in the 11-14 inch range are less numerous.
“Anglers can still keep deeply hooked small fish to take home and fry up,” Payer said. “However, we encourage anglers to release these smaller fish that are likely to survive.”
The two youngest year classes of walleye, from 2005 and 2006, are abundant and should provide continued good fishing in the near future.
Last year, anglers caught 1.5 million pounds of walleye and harvested 480,000 pounds under the same slot limit and a walleye allocation of 500,000 pounds. Many of the walleye were nice sized fish from the 2002 and 2003 year classes.
This year’s regulation is similar to special walleye regulations on other popular walleye lakes such as Rainy, Leech, Big Sand and Winnibigoshish.
“This new regulation protects the long-term health of the fishery, allows excellent opportunity for anglers and safeguards economic interests,” Payer said. “The decision to maintain the same regulation was made based on the best biological data, with input from anglers and resort owners.”
Sawyer man convicted of timber theft
A timber theft case from 2006 has resulted in a felony conviction, fines and restitution of nearly $15,000, and year in jail for a Sawyer, Minn. man.
According to the criminal complaint, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Conservation Officer Jeff Humphrey of Cloquet received a report that Fredrick Barney Olesiak, 48, had sold stolen timber from state land. After both a ground and air search of the complaint area by state conservation officers, wood debris was observed in Olesiak’s driveway running into nearby state land. Aerial photos of the area by Conservation Officer/Pilot Al Buchert later identified a large impact area based on the differences in tree canopy cover shown in the photos.
A visit to the Olesiak residence by conservation officers and DNR Forestry Division personnel found several fresh cut Aspen logs neatly placed in the driveway. There was also a large number of bundled boughs and tops stacked in a hay wagon. A nearby trail led to a logged out area with stumps and wood slash and debris present. Olesiak had no permit for the wood and was ordered to immediately stop working at the site. A later check of mill tickets showed Olesiak had been paid $3,000 for a series of deliveries between Jan. 27, 2006, and Feb. 15, 2006.
A secondary investigation began Feb. 20, 2006, when boughs and tops were located on Olesiak’s property. Forensic testing by DNR Forestry’s Craig Sterle and Curt Cogan tied the tops at Olesiak’s house to state samples. It was also alleged that Olesiak could be involved in the sale of unlawfully obtained decorative boughs and tops since he had not submitted any paperwork or consent forms to Forestry officials.
Further investigation revealed that Olesiak had been issued nine checks totaling $3,267 for the sale of boughs and tops to a local wreath making business between Oct. 14, 2005, and Nov. 25, 2005.
Humphrey said timber theft is an attractive crime due to high timber prices.
“It is highly profitable for thieves and difficult to catch and convict them,” Humphrey said. “There has also been little publicity about the crime itself. As a result, many private landowners do not realize that timber theft is a severe problem which could affect their landholdings.”
The case was handled by the Minnesota DNR and the Carlton County Attorney’s Office.
Deadlines are coming up for getting ice houses off Minnesota lakes
Many anglers have already removed their ice houses because of deteriorating ice conditions.
Ice fishing houses must be off lakes by Feb. 28 in the southern two-thirds of the state and by March 15 in the north.
Dark houses, fish houses, and shelters must be off the ice no later than midnight for each of the dates given in the following categories:
For inland waters south of the line - February 28
For inland waters north of the line - March 15
Border Waters
• Minnesota - Iowa February 20
• Minnesota - Wisconsin March 1
• Minnesota - North and South Dakota March 5
• Minnesota - Canada March 31
Inland Minnesota waters are divided into two zones, north and south, defined by: a line starting at the Minnesota-North Dakota border formed by U.S. Highway 10, east along Highway 34 to Minnesota Highway 200, east along Highway 200 to U.S. Highway 2, and east along Highway 2 to the Minnesota-Wisconsin border.
License Bureau indicates about 130,000 fish house licenses sold each year.
Anglers who leave their houses on lakes past the deadline face fines of $120 initially and $280 if the house is there five days later. They also could have their houses and contents confiscated by the DNR.
Rainy Lake offers older ice anglers an unbeatable setup
By Doug Smith
Star Tribune of Minneapolis
INTERNATIONAL FALLS, Minn. (AP) – For 72-year-old Orville Larson and his son, Rollie, 45, the ice fishing action on Rainy Lake wasn’t fast and furious. But that really didn’t matter.
Father and son spent the morning alone in the toasty ice fishing house, chatting, jigging minnows and peering out the windows at the frozen, white world outside.
“We even fried up some polish sausage for lunch,” Orville said.
The house looked like any of dozens of shacks nearby. But it’s the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club’s senior citizen ice fishing house – a communal fishing shack that senior citizens can use for free.
The 10-foot-by-18-foot house is heated, carpeted and has 10 ice fishing holes, a chemical toilet, two-burner hot plate, card table and even a tackle box and bait.
“Rattle reels,” reels of line that rattle when a fish hits, are rigged at each hole – meaning visitors really only need to bring a desire to fish – everything else is provided.
Solar panels on the roof generate electricity to power the lights, so anglers can fish at night, too.
And fish they do.
“It’s used every day,” said Scott Skifstrom, club president, who gave me a tour recently. “A couple of winters ago we kept track and we had 1,200 people use it.”
Sometimes groups of seniors gather at the house.
“If there’s enough of us, we get a card game going,” Orville said. “It’s just wonderful.”
Call it a community center on ice.
“You get out there with a couple of old timers and fishing becomes secondary,” Skifstrom said. “They’ll be a lot of card playing and catching up. But there’s been some nice fish caught over the years. A 40-inch northern is the biggest we’ve heard.”
A senior citizen ice fishing house makes sense at International Falls, with its long, cold winters. The 600-member club built it about a dozen years ago, and it has been a big hit.
“We built it for people who can’t get out on their own,” Skifstrom said. “There are older guys who just love to fish, and they weren’t doing it because they didn’t have the setup.”
Now they do.
The house makes ice fishing easy. There is no heavy house to tow, no portable house to set up and no holes to drill.
“We leave the heat on at 70 degrees to keep the holes from freezing,” Skifstrom said. A local company donates a tank of propane to keep the house warm.
When the ice is thick enough, the club tows it onto Sand Bay, just east of International Falls. Roads are regularly plowed on the lake, so seniors can drive right to the house.
The gray-sided house is kept locked. Anglers sign up for a time slot and check out the keys at the nearby Loon’s Nest Bait Store.
“We use the honor system, and it works out pretty well,” Skifstrom said.
Visitors also keep a journal in the house, reporting what they catch – or don’t catch.
Soon after the Larsons collected their fishing gear and headed for home, Jesse Laakkonen, 67, of International Falls, stopped in to wet a line. Outside, a brisk northwest wind blew, portending a coming plunge in temperature.
“It’s so nice coming in here,” he said. “I have a portable (fishing shack), but you can’t beat this.”
Laakkonen, a retired railroad man and a member of the Rainy Lake Sportfishing Club, said he fishes in the house a couple times a week.
“I like fishing in the winter better than the summer,” he added. “In the winter, you just come and fish; you don’t have to worry about rough water or launching a boat.”
As the sun slipped below the horizon and dusk fell, Skifstrom flicked on the solar-powered lights and the little house glowed. Laakkonen sat contentedly in a corner, jigging a minnow. He soon hooked a small northern, which he released.
“I was hoping it was a walleye,” he said.
We chatted about fishing. About Rainy Lake. About the senior ice house.
Laakkonen caught a few small walleyes before calling it a day, satisfied with a few bites.
“As long as I have some action, I’m happy,” he said, heading out the door into the dark.
For Skifstrom, there was satisfaction in seeing another happy visitor to the club’s ice fishing house.
“We’re pretty proud of it,” he said.
© 2007 Outdoors Weekly Corporation