Warden Blotter: North, East-Central warden teams
January 11, 2013
By: Bureau of Law Enforcement
Warden teams based out of Woodruff, Wautoma offices
Woodruff office -- Vilas, Florence, Oneida counties
Warden Jim Jung of Rhinelander spoke to a Cub Scout pack regarding his job, the importance of habitat, and endangered and threatened animals.
Wardens Kelly Crotty of Florence and Tim Price of Eagle River assisted the Florence County Sheriff’s Office with a ‘Shop with a Cop’ event. Qualified youth are taken to local stores to shop for Christmas presents for their family with funding provided by the community.
Wardens Jung and Tim Ebert of Woodruff responded to an early morning call from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office of a shining and shooting complaint. Three subjects had been stopped by a deputy with two untagged deer in the bed of the truck and two firearms and a spotlight in the vehicle. Charges are pending.
Wardens Mike Sealander of St. Germain and David Walz of Woodruff responded to a call from the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office of a snowmobile crash near St. Germain on New Year’s Eve. A 40-year-old female from Illinois went off the trail causing the snowmobile to roll on top of her in a steep ravine. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Warden Brad Dahlquist of Crandon investigated several illegal baiting violations and a dumped bear carcass. Warden Dahlquist also took enforcement action on a shoreline grading violation along Lake Metonga.
Warden Rich Thole of Vilas County responded to a call about a bobcat that got into a landowners chicken coop killing 11 of his birds. The landowner had to shoot the cat to protect the remainder of his animals.
Wautoma office -- Marquette, Green counties
Warden Judi Nigbor of Montello received a call from a property owner who reported a buck was caught between two buildings on his property. Nigbor was able to free the buck, but it was weak and disoriented.
Wardens Nigbor and Nate Ackerman of Berlin worked a complaint of illegal traps on the Fox River. Several muskrat and raccoon sets were located in both Marquette and Green Lake Counties. The drowning sets for raccoon were not capable of drowning the animal and live raccoons were observed standing in the water. The illegal traps were seized and Nigbor contacted one of the suspects about the problems with the traps.
Warden Nigbor found two illegal body gripping-type traps on private property. The traps were 220 conibears that were in baited box sets. The traps were not recessed as required. The trapper was contacted.
Wardens Bryan Lockman of New London and Mike Young of Shiocton assisted the New London Fish and Game Club with the release of pheasants onto state lands.
Warden Young seized two fishers which were not immediately tagged as required by law. Both admitted to skinning the animals prior to tagging. Enforcement action taken.
Warden Young assisted the Outagamie Sheriff’s Department with a call of a subject sitting on the highway in a lawn chair wearing blaze orange with a gun and drinking beer. The man was an exhausted 67-year- old man who got turned around in the wildlife area while deer hunting. Young gave the man a ride so he could find his car. He had walked more than a mile and a half through the wildlife area prior to locating the road. The hunter stated he was going to stay home the next day to rest.
Warden Nate Ackerman of Berlin investigated a trapping complaint where multiple traps had been set that were not capable of drowning and were not being checked daily. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Ackerman worked a complaint of hunting too close to shore near Black Bird Point. Ackerman found the hunters to be well more than 500 feet from shore.
Warden Ackerman met refuge U.S. Fish and Wildlife Officer John Below. Ackerman and Below checked several groups of open water hunters. Below gave two Federal stamp warnings and cited one subject for no Federal Stamp.
Warden Ted Dremel of Waupaca and Warden Roy Kubisiak of Madison responded to a complaint of hunter harassment in cooperation with the Waupaca Sheriff’s Department. This issue has been ongoing and has required law enforcement intervention the past several years. Dremel found the landowner was interfering with a lawful hunter and issued a citation for his actions. The landowner stated he is not going to interfere with the hunter in the future.
Warden Dremel contacted a group of waterfowl hunters. Dremel saw the hunters had a substantial amount of vegetation on their waterfowl hunting equipment (boat and decoys). Dremel asked the hunters to remove the vegetation and to be cautious when hunting different areas as to not spread aquatic invasive species to other areas. The hunters agreed this was important and told Dremel they will be more cautious in the future.
Warden Dave Algrem of Wautoma investigated and took enforcement action for an illegal turkey that had been shot by a woman without a license or permit, out of season and with a prohibited firearm.