WI: Cuffs and Collars Issue: 14

District 8 – La Crosse area

Wardens Dale Hochhausen, of Stoddard, and Edward McCann, of La
Crosse, received a complaint about a bass fisherman who
intentionally threw a broken landing net into the Mississippi. The
caller stated the person landed a fish and when the net broke, the
person threw both pieces into the river. When the wardens contacted
the two men, one didn’t have a fishing license for the boundary
water. Citations were issued for littering and fishing without a
license. The five bass that the unlicensed man had in the livewell
were released, and the bass tournament director was notified of the
violations.

Warden Hochhausen worked a deer carcass littering case from last
season in which several carcasses were dumped on private land along
a township road. The suspect was on probation and home arrest, but
picked up the carcasses when he had his four hours of free time. A
citation was issued.

Warden Hochhausen issued citations for fishing without a license,
possession of undersized fish, fraud in obtaining a license,
littering, and improper disposal of septage.

Warden Bob Jumbeck, of Alma, investigated an illegal archery
hunting case from last fall. During the investigation, Jumbeck
requested assistance from warden Steve Sanidas, of Milwaukee. The
wardens found an archery loan/borrow tag violation had occurred in
Buffalo County.

Warden Jumbeck worked boating and fishing activity in May.
Enforcement action was taken in three undersized fish cases, and
for fishing without licenses and operating motorboats without valid
registration.

District 9 – Black River Falls area

In May, warden Bill Miller, of Adams, issued citations to six
people for falsifying their turkey application, as they claimed
landowner preference and did not own the required 50 acres of land.
Miller also cited a nonresident for buying resident licenses.

Warden Miller issued a citation to an angler who kept a sturgeon at
the Castle Rock dam. The fish was revived and released.

Warden Wade Romberg, of Friendship, issued citations in May for
possession of undersized fish, no fishing license, landowner
preference fraud, littering, ATV violations, and many boating
violations.

Warden Romberg investigated an ATV fatality in Adams County. The
individual had a BAC of .246 and was traveling on a road that was
not an ATV route when the machine flipped over, causing head
trauma.

Warden Matt Weber, of Necedah, issued a littering citation at the
Outdoors Forever trout pond, and a citation for fishing without a
license to a man at the Buckhorn bridge.

Warden Matt Modjeski, of Sparta, worked with warden Mark Little
during the game fish opener in Monroe County. Citations were issued
for fishing without a license and possession of an illegal-sized
bass.

Warden Modjeski closed an investigation into timber theft on state
land in Portland Township. The neighboring landowner was cutting
trees for firewood and operating his tractor on state land.
Citations were issued for both violations.

Warden Modjeski assisted a Montana game warden with a Tomah man who
was buying resident licenses in Montana and Wisconsin in 2010 and
2011. The man was a Wisconsin resident. Enforcement action and
license revocation will be sought in Montana.

Warden supervisor Korey Trowbridge, of Black River Falls, worked
ATV enforcement on Memorial Day weekend in Jackson County, along
with several other wardens. Several citations were issued for
decibel limit violations.

District 10 – Wautoma area

Due to budget restrictions, wardens on the Wautoma team were not
able to immediately respond to all calls, investigating them later
when the budgets allowed.

Warden Judi Nigbor, of Montello, worked illegal turkey-baiting
enforcement throughout Marquette County.

Warden Jeff Knorr, of Fremont, cited an angler on the Wolf River
for possessing a sturgeon. The fish was revived and released.
Enforcement action was taken.

Warden Dave Algrem, of Wautoma, investigated a water and wetland
violation. Two men were dredging boat slips or channels along
streams and in wetlands. Wetlands were restored, and enforcement
action was taken.

Warden Nate Ackerman, of Berlin, contacted a husband and wife with
a husband/wife resident fishing license. After talking with the
husband, it was found that they only had a summer home on Green
Lake and were nonresidents. Enforcement action was taken.

Warden Ackerman and supervisor Carl Mesman issued a citation for an
unattended line on the Fox River. Two rods were seized.

Warden Ted Dremel, of Waupaca, and recruit Kirk Konichek spent a
lot of time working fishing and boating enforcement in his area and
on the Wolf River. They encountered several people who were fishing
without a license, in possession of short fish, and numerous
boating violations.

Wardens Dremel and Konichek got a call about a truck that rolled
into Spencer Lake while the boat’s owner attempted to launch. No
fuel spillage was observed.

Warden Bryan Lockman, of New London, contacted various raft
fishermen who were cited for too many lines, unattended lines, and
littering on the Wolf River.

Warden Lockman contacted a boater who went through a no-wake zone
on plane on the Wolf River. The operator was found to be
intoxicated, so he was arrested and cited.

Warden Lockman found that an archery hunter shot a large 11-point
buck during the late season in 2010. The hunter had already killed
a buck, so he had a friend place an unused archery tag on the deer.
The mount was seized, and both parties were cited.

Warden Mike Young, of Shiocton, testified at a trial from the 2010
gun season regarding a subject who was charged with illegal bait.
The subject and his wife were both charged opening day with illegal
baits. Each blamed the other for placing the excess bait. The
husband testified that he had no idea who placed the bait. The
judge stated the violation was for hunting over the bait regardless
of who placed it. The subject was found guilty.

District 11 – Peshtigo area

Warden Matt Meade, of Crivitz, received a call from a citizen
stating that he saw a man pick up a turkey that he had run over
with a truck. The citizen stated it appeared that the man did this
on purpose. Meade contacted the man at his residence and found he
had kept the turkey and put it in his freezer.

Warden Meade and supervisor Goerlinger issued citations for
excessive speed and unregistered ATVs in Marinette County.

Warden Joe Paul, of Lakewood, distributed turkey wingbone sets from
the Oconto County turkey-poisoning case to several individuals for
use in youth hunting programs. Nearly 300 wingbone sets have been
salvaged from the poisoned turkeys.

Warden Mike Stahl, of Oconto Falls, received a call about six
“deer” carcasses dumped along the ATV tail near Gillett. The fresh
carcasses were nothing like Stahl had seen before. Wildlife
technician James Robaidek identified the carcasses as either emu or
ostrich.

Warden Stahl got a call about a goose attacking people on the
Machickanee Flowage. A check showed the goose to be a domestic
goose that was with a flock of Canada geese. Landowners were
advised to contact the animal control officer or capture the
goose.

Warden Mark Schraufnagel, of Shawano, investigated a complaint
about individuals raising coyote pups as pets. Three individuals
were located raising the pups. The pups were moved to Bay Beach
Rehabilitation Center. Enforcement action was taken.

Warden Schraufnagel issued citations on area waters for fishing
without licenses, boating without PFDs, operating PWCs without
safety class, and operating PWCs too close to docks and
boats.

Warden Jim Horne, of Shawano, spent more time than normal, due to
the cool spring, dealing with the sturgeon run at the same time as
the fishing opener. The Wolf River, and especially the Shawano dam,
had hundreds of sturgeon late into the season.

District 12 – Green Bay area and Northeast Operations Marine
Unit

While working turkey enforcement by bicycle in Cooperstown
Township, warden Robert Stroess, of Manitowoc, located a hunter
hunting over two piles of bait.

Warden Stroess was on Cedar Lake on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend
and stopped a boater for exceeding no-wake speed. The operator
failed sobriety tests and was arrested for OWI. The operator jumped
out of the boat and ran up the dock and embankment. Stroess caught
up to him after about 50 yards and the subject continued to resist.
The operator pulled free and Stroess pepper-sprayed him. The
operator’s friends weren’t listening to Stroess’s instructions,
which presented a safety issue. Four other officers from local
agencies responded. The operator was cited for OWI and the speed
violation. He spent the night in jail and is being referred for
possible criminal charges of resisting a warden and escape.

Warden Darren Kuhn, of Kewaunee, contacted three men in a rowboat
at the Heidmann Lake landing. The boat was not registered and was
powered by a trolling motor, the battery was not secure and
terminals were not covered, and there were only two PFDs in the
boat for the three occupants. Kuhn cited the boat owner for the PFD
violation and warned him for the other two violations. Kuhn had
contacted the same group one week earlier and warned the operator
for the PFD violation.

In May, warden David Allen, of Kewaunee, dealt with manure in
ditches, illegal fill of wetlands, trespassing, storm water issues,
boaters, fishermen, ATV riders, and threats against his
person.

Warden Andy Lundin, of Green Bay, investigated a man who shot a
Canada goose in May. The man claimed the geese were eating the fish
in his pond, and therefore he decided to shoot one. Citations were
issued.

Warden Lundin got an early morning call about a black bear in a
tree in the city of Green Bay. Lundin found the bear to be a young
male treed in a person’s yard, well within the city limits. DNR
Wildlife Management and U.S. Department of Agriculture personnel
responded to assist. The bear was tranquilized and moved to public
land in northeastern Wisconsin.

Northeast Operations Marine Unit

No report available.

District 13 – Oshkosh area

Wardens Jason Higgins and Kyle Kosin worked numerous walleye
overbagging cases at the Winneconne bridge. They issued four
citations for overbagging on walleyes. Higgins and Kosin contacted
three subjects who had 16 walleyes after being out for only one
hour. They contacted two other subjects who had 22 walleyes over
two days, and two others who had 13 walleyes in one day. Another
angler had seven walleyes, and a man from Chicago was cited for
borrowing his sister’s resident fishing license.

Wardens Higgins and Tom Truman, of Winneconne, checked fishermen in
the early morning hours at Rainbow Park in Oshkosh and contacted a
subject who was fishing without a license. The subject had his
privileges revoked through Milwaukee County for fishing without a
license. That subject was cited for fishing without a license and
fishing during a period of revocation.

Warden Higgins checked a subject fishing in Oshkosh who had a
bucket with a few panfish and an 8-inch largemouth bass. The
subject was cited for an undersized fish.

Wardens Truman and Higgins contacted several individuals fishing on
the Fox River in Oshkosh. One man said that he hadn’t purchased a
license, but had already caught one channel catfish. The man had
been cited two years earlier for fishing without a license and
failed to appear in court. The court revoked his fishing privileges
for three years. The man was cited for fishing during a period of
revocation.

Wardens Michael Disher, of Chilton, and Ben Mott, of Madison,
contacted more than a dozen anglers fishing without licenses in May
while the wardens patrolled Lake Winnebago system waters and the
Fox River. Four of the anglers were fishing while revoked. One of
these anglers was found to have been revoked until at least 2016
for previous convictions of fishing during revocation and buying
licenses during revocation. Enforcement action was taken for
multiple violations, and additional revocation will be requested in
court.

Wardens Disher and Mott investigated a complaint from 2009
regarding an individual who allegedly took a fawn from the wild and
was raising it at his residence. The original information was
unsubstantiated, but the case was reopened after a photo of the
illegal fawn surfaced on a social media site. The photo showed the
deer standing inside the suspect’s residence and wearing a pink
collar. An investigation showed the fawn was raised at the
residence for about two months before it was illegally transferred
to a licensed deer farm. The wild fawn was then ear-tagged and put
inside a fenced enclosure with captive deer. A Department of
Agriculture field agent was notified about the illegal transfer.
Enforcement action was taken for multiple violations.

District 14 – Sheboygan area

No report available.

District 15 – Milwaukee area

No report available.

District 16 – Racine, Kenosha area

Wardens Randy Dunkel, Mike Hirschboeck, Mac Hannon, and Jen
Niemeyer worked past complaints of ATV trespass and OWI operation
on the Root River Parkway during Memorial Day weekend. Visibility
of wardens in the area for the past couple of years has curtailed
the amount of activity. One citation was written for ATV trespass,
and several warnings were given for operating on the roadway and no
registration.

Warden Mac Hannon, of Kenosha, got a call about a raccoon in a tree
with a trap on its paw. Wardens Hannon and Dunkel responded and
released the raccoon from the trap. The individual who placed the
trap stated he was trapping raccoons to feed to his red-tail bull
python. Enforcement action was taken.

Warden Juan Gomez and deputy warden Mike Katzenberg worked fishing
enforcement on Powers and Elizabeth lakes during Memorial Day
weekend. Many contacts were made. One citation was issued for
possession of an undersized bass, and two citations were issued for
possession of an undersized northern pike.

Warden Jason Roberts, of Delevan, worked the fishing opener and
issued several citations that day, for keeping an illegal-sized
fish, fishing without a license, and no boat registration.

Warden Roberts assisted with training of new water guards, game
wardens, and GLIFWC wardens at Fort McCoy.

District 17 – Madison area

No report available.

District 18 – Poynette area

In May, warden John Buss learned about two men keeping muskies
below the Prairie du Sac dam on the Wisconsin River before the
season opened – a 43-incher and a 40-incher. The subjects left the
area before Buss arrived, but he had a license plate number. The
subject was from Hartford. Buss called warden Bob Lee in Hartford,
and Lee was able to apprehend the suspect at his home.

Wardens Buss and Travis Hilliard worked trout anglers on Devil’s
Lake and apprehended two anglers for group bagging. They did not
have trout stamps and were catching trout for a third angler, who
had a stamp.

Warden Heather Gottschalk, of Beaver Dam, got a call about an
individual fishing below the dam in Beaver Dam who was keeping
short walleyes. With the assistance of the Beaver Dam Police
Department, contact was made with the suspect, who attempted to
hide his fishing basket. Five walleyes of less than 10 inches and
one short largemouth bass were found. Citations were issued.

Wardens Michael Green and Paul Nadolski cited an individual for an
undersized walleye on the Lower Dells.

Warden Dave Horzewski, of Reedsburg, investigated a turkey-hunting
accident in southern Sauk County. He was assisted by wardens Dave
Youngquist, Michael Green, and supervisor David Holmes. The victim
received pellets to his head, hands, and legs. The subject was
flown by Med Flight to UW-Madison. The subject was treated for
multiple pellet injuries.

Warden Paul Nadolski, of Portage, issued several citations in May
for fishing without a license and possession of short fish. He also
issued citations for illegal operation of ATVs on roadways and
investigated a boating accident in which the subject put his
inboard boat about 18 yards onto dry ground on Swan Lake.
Enforcement action is pending.

Supervisor Holmes and deputy warden Nathan Weyh worked a complaint
regarding lewd acts on the Lower Wisconsin Riverway. Weyh and
Holmes made an arrest for a lewd act that was occurring in an area
that could be observed by the canoeing public. This is the second
time that this person has been arrested for committing a lewd act
on DNR property in the past year.

District 19 – Dodgeville area

Warden Mike Nice, of Richland Center, finished a deer case from
last fall. A man shot a large buck with a rifle and called his
friend to tag it with his earn-a-buck tag. The shooter had an
earn-a-buck tag but wanted to keep it for use later in the season.
A citation was issued, and the antlers were seized.

During the Memorial Day weekend, recruit Ryan Propson and warden
Jeff King, of Lafayette, arrested two drunk drivers operating UTVs
on trails and roads. They also issued several citations for loud
noise and trail pass violations. They also issued two citations to
fishermen in Woodford County Park for fishing with unattended
lines.

During turkey season, wardens Propson and King got a call from a
hunter who had accidentally shot two toms with one shot. It was the
first time this hunter had been successful while turkey hunting.
The hunter had talked with her father and brother about the
mistake, and was encouraged by both to report the violation. The
hunter was given a warning for her mistake.

Warden Joe Frost, of Dodgeville, had a busy Memorial Day weekend on
Iowa County lakes. More than 40 warnings and citations were issued
for boating and fishing violations, including fishing without a
license, fishing with unattended lines, overbagging on panfish,
undersized fish, and no PFDs.

Warden Frost saw a 13-year-old hunting turkeys with a 14-year-old.
The younger hunter had the only permit, and their father let them
hunt on their own. The father was cited for allowing a 13-year-old
to hunt without supervision.

Warden Rick DeWitte, of Cassville, got a call about a man who was
fishing in a bass stream during the closed season, and had caught a
fish and placed it in his shirt. DeWitte contacted the man at his
car and found that the man had caught seven smallmouth bass and had
filleted them along the stream, which is not permitted unless the
fillets exceed the size limit. Five of the bass were well below the
14-inch limit. Enforcement action was taken for fishing during the
closed season.

Warden DeWitte and supervisor Tyler Strelow contacted three trout
fishermen on opening day. During the check, it was found that they
had been fishing the day before the opener. Enforcement action was
taken.

Warden Martin Stone, of Fennimore, contacted several fishermen on
opening weekend. One angler had a short walleye in his possession.
Enforcement action was taken.

Warden David Youngquist, of Spring Green, contacted a female turkey
hunter who was hunting without a permit. Her husband had killed a
turkey two days earlier and used her tag. Enforcement action was
taken.

Warden Youngquist and recruit Propson checked anglers on the
Wisconsin River and issued a citation to an angler at the Mazomanie
beach who did not have a license. Two citations were issued for
glass containers, and one citation was written for fireworks. They
issued warnings for illegal camping.