Email
Print
FeedWisconsin Cuffs & Collars - May 4th, 2012
District 9 — Black River Falls area
Warden Matt Modjeski, of Sparta, recognized the name of a fisherman as being on the Wildlife Violator Compact, with all of his DNR licenses suspended. A check with Monroe County revealed the man had four warrants, including unpaid citations for possession of an illegal-sized fish and fishing without a license. A Sparta police officer arrested and transported the man to the Monroe County jail. Modjeski issued a citation for fishing without valid privileges.
Warden Modjeski assisted in coaching the National Archery in the Schools shooting team at Meadowview Middle School in Sparta. He also accompanied the archers to the state tournament in March.
District 10 — Wautoma area
Warden Mike Young, of Shiocton, wrote numerous citations for ATVer and snowmobiler activities on Lake Winnebago during the sturgeon season in February.
Warden Judi Nigbor, of Montello, investigated a trapping case on private property near Germania Marsh. She found two Conibears that were illegally set for otter. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Ted Dremel, of Waupaca, organized a trapper education class that will take place at Hartman Creek State Park June 9-10.
Warden Jeff Knorr, of Fremont, attended the sentencing of Nick Hermes in Waupaca County Court in February. Hermes was one of three men arrested for running down several deer with snowmobiles in Waupaca County in January 2009. Hermes pleaded no contest and was found guilty of three felonies and three misdemeanor crimes. He was sentenced to 30 months probation, six months in jail, $6,300 in fines, loss of all DNR privileges, and was ordered to write a letter to Waupaca County high schools “outlining the stupidity in taking wildlife in the manner in which he was charged and the consequences of such actions.”
Members of the Wautoma and Oshkosh teams assisted warden Nigbor with simultaneous interviews of people involved in the illegal pursuit and killing of a wolf in Marquette County in 2010. These interviews resulted in information indicating multiple people were involved in the handling of dogs, shooting the wolf, and activities later attempting to conceal the incident.
Warden Bryan Lockman, of New London, contacted two fishermen along the Wolf River who were fishing with six tip-ups. One fisherman was jigging with an extra line. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Lockman contacted an ice fisherman along the Wolf River who caught and kept a short northern pike.
District 11 — Peshtigo area
In early March, wardens Dave Oginski, of Wausaukee, Ryan Volenberg, of Two Rivers, and Robert Stroess, of Mishicot, performed snowmobile enforcement after a big snowstorm and issued several citations for no trail pass and no registration. Two snowmobilers were arrested for OWI.
A Peshtigo police officer saw an ATV being operated through the city. The 700-cc Can Am was being operated by the owner, whose driver’s license was revoked for OWI. Warden Oginski assisted and ran the operator through field sobriety testing. The operator failed the tests (.17 BAC) and was arrested.
Wardens Oginski Volenberg, Neverman (recruit), Joe Paul, of Lakewood, and Treml, of Oconto Falls, worked the fish run on the Peshtigo River in March. Six citations were issued for overbagging and failure to release foul-hooked fish. Six fish were seized, and numerous warnings were given.
Wardens Oginski, Neverman, and Paul worked the fish run and issued citations for overbagging and fishing in the refuge on the Peshtigo River.
Wardens Matt Meade, of Crivitz, and Neverman contacted a taxidermist in Marinette County who had been doing taxidermy work without paperwork and permits. Several violations were found during the routine inspection. Items were seized, and enforcement action was taken.
Wardens Meade and Neverman contacted a subject fishing in Marinette who had taken twice his daily bag limit of walleyes. The man admitted to the violation, and enforcement action was taken.
Wardens Meade and Paul saw a man on the Peshtigo River who was walleye fishing. The man made small talk with Meade, who was fishing in plain clothes. The man mentioned how many warrants he had and how many fish he had kept. The man was met by a warden in uniform as he left the river for the night. The subject had twice his walleye bag limit in his truck and did have a warrant.
While working fish run enforcement in Marinette, warden Meade and deputy warden Sara Pearson saw an angler fighting a large walleye that was hooked with three treble hooks in the back. Upon landing the large walleye, the man took off running for his vehicle with the fish in hand. The wardens were able to catch up to the man on foot at his vehicle as he was leaving.
Wardens Meade and Pearson observed an angler in Marinette keeping walleyes from the Menominee River. As he was leaving, the wardens contacted the man with twice his legal limit at his vehicle.
Warden Paul located a subject fishing for walleyes on a closed trout stream.
Warden Mike Stahl, of Oconto Falls, noted that northern pike began spawning early in 2012, showing up in area ditches, creeks, and rivers on about March 12. In checking notes from retired warden Earl Piper from 1965 to 1983, this was the earliest there was any amount of pike in the spawning areas. The earliest date prior to this was in 1973, when they showed up on March 14.
Warden Mark Schraufnagel, of Shawano, worked with the Gresham Woodland Deerhunters and the Shawano Middle School industrial arts program. Students built 19 wood duck houses, with the materials supplied by the hunting group.
Warden Schraufnagel was working night fish run activity on a creek in Cecil when a father and son attempted to take suckers by hand. Later, more people arrived on the bridge, watching the fish and drinking beer. One man spotted a muskrat in the creek, walked to his car, returned with a .17-caliber rifle, and shot from the bridge at the muskrat. The subject fled the scene, but later was apprehended. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Jim Horne, of Shawano, spent many hours protecting spawning sturgeon and walleyes on the Wolf, Fox, and Embarrass rivers. Warm weather brought in fish runs much earlier than usual.
Warden Horne dealt with several litter issues, including throwing a pail of waste oil in a trout stream, cooking oil in a storm sewer leading to the Wolf River, and an individual who shot a horse that had run away. The animal was left on an island in the Wolf River.
District 12 — Green Bay area and Northeast Operations Marine Unit
Warden David Allen, of Kewaunee, responded to the possible unsafe discharging of firearms. Allen found the suspects with firearms shooting fish in the stream. He issued the appropriate citations.
Warden Darren Kuhn, of Kewaunee, issued a citation to a fisherman on Green Bay for fishing without a license.
Warden Kuhn contacted a boat on the Fox River with three people fishing from it – they had only two wearable PFDs, a throwable PFD, and a life belt that was not U.S. Coast Guard approved. All PFDs were in a locked compartment. They had an expired fire extinguisher and a perch on board during the closed season. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Andy Lundin, of Green Bay, closed a loan/borrow archery case. An Ashwaubenon man legally shot a 10-point buck in October 2010 during the bow season. The man legally shot an 8-pointer during the gun season, but he illegally shot another 10-point buck in January 2011 during the late archery season in Hobart. The hunter called another man to tag the illegal 10-pointer. Enforcement action was taken against both men.
While checking coyote hunters in Door County, warden Chris Kratcha, of Sturgeon Bay, found one hunter to have two outstanding warrants and a revoked driver’s license. The hunter was turned over to deputies. A second hunter was found to have an warrant with a geographic restriction.
Two 19-year-old Door County residents were found guilty in a 2011 gun season nighttime poaching incident in which a 7-point buck was killed. The case was investigated by Door County deputies and wardens Chris Kratcha and Mike Neal. The two men were ordered to pay over $1,600 in forfeitures, and each received 1-year revocation of their licenses. The men also forfeited two scoped rifles and accessories.
Warden Kratcha observed a man and his 11-year-old son fishing in a Little Sturgeon Bay stream. The man had a 25-gallon tank of stream water with aerator in the back of his van. The tank was filled with small perch. The man also had more perch in a 5-gallon pail on the bank. The perch season was closed. A citation was issued for possession of closed-season perch, and warnings were issued for excess bag limit of perch, an undersized bass, closed-season fishing on a Green Bay tributary, and live fish and water transportation violations.
Northeast Operations Marine Unit
No report available.
District 13 — Oshkosh area
Warden Jason Higgins, of Oshkosh, cited four subjects each $263.10 for snagging sturgeon and fishing in a refuge at the Eureka dam.
Warden Higgins cited an angler for fishing with more than three hooks, baits, or lures in the city of Oshkosh. Higgins also issued citations for fishing without a license and for littering.
Warden Michael Disher, of Chilton, contacted multiple anglers in March who were fishing for northern pike during the closed season on the Manitowoc River and inland lakes in Calumet County. One angler didn’t have a license. She also had a warrant for her arrest. Citations were issued for the various fishing violations.
Warden Disher conducted an audit of landowner preference turkey tag winners in Calumet County. Multiple applicants did not meet the requirements for preference. Multiple citations and warnings were issued.
Warden Disher and DNR wildlife biologist Dick Nikolai, of Appleton, and members of the Calumet Sportsmen’s Alliance conducted the annual cleanup of the parking areas on the Brillion and Killsnake state wildlife areas. A large trailer was filled with trash that included a large roll of used carpeting, several large pieces of plywood, and 19 used tires. Many of these tires were pulled from the Manitowoc River.
Warden Kyle Kosin, of Campbellsport, learned about a man who kept a northern pike during the closed season. The man answered the door with slimy hands and large fish scales on his shirt. A large northern pike was found in his kitchen sink, ready to fillet.
Warden Kosin cited two subjects for bowfishing/spearing during the closed season.
Warden Benjamin Nadolski, of Waupun, found people fishing in the Mill Creek fish refuge below the Fox Lake dam. Six citations were issued for fishing in the refuge, and warnings were given for other violations.
Warden Alan Erickson, of Fond du Lac, located separate vehicles being operated off-road (mudding) on state land at the Eldorado Wildlife Area. The operators were issued citations for operating a vehicle in an unauthorized area and damage to natural resources on DNR lands. Erickson issued six citations for this illegal activity.
Warden Ryan Propson, of Appleton, contacted a 12- and 16-year-old who were trapping squirrels and rabbits out of season with no license, or safety course, with untagged traps, and sight-exposed bait. Both boys will be completing a trapping education course.
District 14 — Sheboygan area
No report available.
District 15 — Milwaukee area
No report available.
District 16 — Racine, Kenosha area
Warden Randy Dunkel, of Racine County, worked a stream in the Caledonia area, looking for illegal fishing or netting. Four anglers on the stream at Lake Michigan had four brown trout and were fishing into the lake. While checking the fishermen, Dunkel got a call from a citizen who said fishermen at the mouth of the river were netting all kinds of fish. Dunkel told the caller that he was there and that he watched the anglers catch the fish legally and the fishermen netted a legally caught fish.
Warden Mike Hirschboeck, of Racine County, enrolled in the DNR Leadership Academy and worked on a project to combine and organize firearms training for new recruits. He spent three days at the academy and assisted with instructing at the last week of recertification training at Fort McCoy. During this time, he also responded to a dredging complaint, a spill, and issued citations for trapping and fishing violations.
Warden Mac Hannon worked in Kenosha Harbor and on the tributaries. Hannon found one angler at the harbor who’d caught a nice steelhead, but did not have a Great Lakes stamp. The individual was proud of his first trout. Hannon had the individual buy a stamp at the local gas station and let the angler keep the fish, with a warning.
Warden Kyle Dilley, of Kenosha County, got a call about illegal ATV/off-highway operation on state land south of Brown’s Lake near the White River State Trail. Dilley tracked down the suspects. They were illegally operating through the state land to go to a bar on Hwy. 11. One of the men had a revoked driver’s license for five OWI convictions, thus was using a Gator as his main transportation.
Warden Dilley issued citations to two men for fishing for bass during the closed season on George Lake.
Warden Juan Gomez, of Elkhorn, and deputy warden Mike Katzenberg followed up on a residency fraud case that came from the DNR customer help line. It was found that the individual was a resident of another state and had been buying Wisconsin resident licenses. Enforcement action was taken.
District 17 — Madison area
Warden Eric Grudzinski, of Madison, got a call from Fitchburg police officers about an untagged deer that they found in a garage at a residence while investigating an unrelated complaint. The homeowner was in possession of a car-killed deer that had never been tagged. A citation was issued for illegal possession of a car-killed deer.
Warden Grudzinski, Madison, got a call about possible illegal racoon hunting in Westport. Grudzinski and Dane County deputies contacted four men who were target shooting. Two men were cited for shooting from a motor vehicle after Grudzinski observed them standing in the bed of a truck shooting at targets. A warning was given for untagged traps and shooting too close to a residence.
Warden Grudzinski investigated several fishing complaints in March. He issued citations for fishing in a refuge and several warnings for various closed-season fishing violations.
Warden Henry Bauman, of Madison, and supervisor Jeremy Plautz cited a shore angler for overbagging bluegills and crappies, and issued a citation to another shore angler for fishing without a license on Lake Monona at Monona Bay. Bauman also issued a citation to a shore angler for fishing without a license near the Wingra dam.
Warden Bauman investigated several calls about fishing during the closed season and fishing in a refuge on the Yahara River at Dunkirk dam and the Wingra dam, with several warnings issued to youths. He also investigated calls about fishing during the closed season at shore spots on Mendota and Lake Monona.
Warden Bauman investigated calls of illegal open burning of plastic silage wraps by a farmer in Vienna Township, which was referred to waste management specialists. He also assisted wildlife staff in investigating a suspicious sick deer at a private residence near Verona. The deer was dispatched and was taken for CWD sampling.
Wardens Boyd Richter and Mike Dieckhoff checked a fisherman below the Monterey dam on the Rock River who did not have a fishing license. The subject did have a felony arrest warrant from the Department of Corrections. The subject was arrested, cited for fishing without a license, and turned over to a Janesville police officer.
Wardens Richter and Dieckhoff investigated a call about a subject snagging fish below the Jefferson dam on the Rock River. One subject was observed foul-hooking crappies, white bass, sheepshead, and walleyes. The subject released the walleyes and sheepshead, but kept the crappies and white bass. One citation was issued for failing to release foul-hooked fish. Everyone in the group also was found to be drinking beer on city property. A Jefferson police officer cited one subject for underage drinking and warned the rest for being in possession of beer on city property.
District 18 — Poynette area
No report available.
District 19 — Dodgeville area
Warden Joe Frost, of Dodgeville, issued citations to a logger for failing to file cutting notices on four properties and logging on land with delinquent property taxes. The landowner also was cited for cutting while being tax-delinquent.
Warden Frost registered four otters and picked up a female bobcat hit by a car along the Iowa/Lafayette county line in March.
Warden John Buss, of Sauk City, cited an angler for possession of a game fish during the closed season. He also worked on an illegal dumping case from last year. Buss was in contact with Steven Sorenson from Sauk County zoning.
Warden Heather Gottschalk, of Beaver Dam, and federal refuge officer John Below looked for muskrat traps left out on the Horicon refuge. They found dozens of flags and three traps – one without a tag and two with muskrats caught in them. Below will be issuing the citations in federal court.
Warden Gottschalk learned about a subject who had snagged a northern and kept it. She was out of the area when the call came in, so she contacted the Beaver Dam Police Department. An officer then contacted the suspect, located the northern, and seized it. It was determined through statements and evidence that the fish was foul-hooked. A citation was issued.
Warden Michael Green, of Wisconsin Dells, got multiple calls about individuals keeping pike and walleyes during the closed season below the Delton, Timme Mill, and Seeley Lake dams in March. He issued three citations and multiple warnings for fishing during the closed season.
Warden David Horzewski, of Reedsburg, assisted with the removal of a UTV that broke through the ice on Lake Redstone in February. He located the UTV with side-scan sonar and then assisted with transporting the divers to the site.
Warden Paul Nadolski, of Portage, took complaints in March about an illegal wetland fill, an illegal deer, people fishing for game fish at French’s Creek, and a complaint of improper recycling methods.
Wardens Paul Nell, of Horicon, and Benjamin Nadolski, of Waupun, were working late-night fishing enforcement in the Rock River fish refuge in Hustisford. They saw an intoxicated male walking up from the refuge with fishing gear. The wardens determined that the man did not have a fishing license and had a felony warrant. They arrested the man and turned him over to the Dodge County Sheriff’s Department. Citations were issued.
Warden Nell was checking a problem parking area in the Theresa Marsh State Wildlife Area when he saw a car leave the parking lot after the operator saw the squad truck. The registration of the vehicle was expired, and the warden contacted the driver in a different DNR parking lot. Nell smelled a strong odor of intoxicants and had the driver perform field sobriety tests. Warden Nell arrested the driver for OWI.
