Warden Blotter: Boat near-collisions, tire and trash dumping, drugs, missing deer head, overbagging and more
Marathon, Wood, Shawano, Lincoln and Juneau counties
Warden Barry Fetting of Marshfield located a large pile of trash items including mattresses, fencing, wood, garbage and more that had been dumped at a dead end road at the McMillan Marsh State Wildlife Area. Fetting tracked down the responsible party who was being held at the Wood County jail on another charge. He was found responsible for the violation and was issued a citation. The subject also retrieved the trash from the state land and disposed of it property following his release from jail.
Warden Jon Scharbarth received a complaint about a suspect from Michigan who cut the head off of a 9-point buck in velvet that had been hit by a car. After an investigation Scharbarth and Warden Bryan Lockman located the suspect at an area campground and learned he had stashed the deer head in a wooded ditch. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Ben Herzfeldt has seen an increase in the use of paddleboards in his administrative area. Paddleboards require a wearable personal flotation device to be onboard when in use. Herzfeldt contacted several paddleboarders without personal flotation devices (PFDs) and worked with them to achieve compliance. Herzfeldt also worked with an establishment who rents out paddleboards to ensure their clients are provided with PFDs when they rent a paddleboard.
Warden Bryan Lockman of Wisconsin Rapids gave a presentation to a group of Youths at the Boys and Girls Club of Wisconsin Rapids.
Warden Paul Leezer assisted DNR Storm Water staff with a site visit to a construction site where numerous storm water violations were observed. DNR staff and the landowner are actively working towards regulation compliance.
While working boating enforcement on Lake Wausau, Warden Paul Leezer and Deputy Warden Taylor Hecht observed a boat approaching their patrol boat which had a subject unlawfully riding on the boat’s gunwales. Upon contact, Leezer had reason to believe the operator may have been intoxicated and field sobriety tests were done. The operator failed and was subsequently arrested for operating while intoxicated.
Warden Ben Herzfeldt of Schofield presented Wally Meuret of Hatley with an award in appreciation for serving as a volunteer Hunter Safety Instructor for 40 years. The volunteer instructor group from Hatley serves the residents of eastern Marathon County and western Shawano County.
Wardens Ben Herzfeldt and Paul Leezer assisted the Marathon County Dive team in locating and removing a vehicle that had been in the Wisconsin River. The vehicle was successfully removed and authorities are now trying to determine who is responsible for the vehicle ending up in the river.
Warden Jon Scharbarth reported that three cases from last deer season were adjudicated in Portage County Circuit Court with all subjects found guilty. In two cases, the subjects were fined $2,263 and lost all chapter 29 privileges for 3 years. In the third case, a subject was found guilty on two counts of illegal baiting and two trail cameras were confiscated by the court.
Warden Matt Weber of Necedah, Buckhorn State Park Ranger Haffele, and two Juneau County boat patrol officers worked together to focus their efforts on boating OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) enforcement during the Castle Rock boat bash event. Three intoxicated boat operators were arrested during the event.
Warden Wade Romberg talked at a high school summer fishing class where students go to local lakes to catch every species of fish in the area. The instructor informed Romberg that last month’s class caught every fish except Musky. Romberg told the instructor where to try for a musky from shore.
Wardens Wade Romberg and Bill Miller arrested an intoxicated boater on Castle Rock Lake. The man had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .12. The state limit is .08 BAC.
Warden Bill Miller and Recruit Warden Kyle Plautz contacted two men below Castle Rock Dam after receiving a complaint that they had double tripped on crappies. The men had 89 crappies when the bag limit is 25 each. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Bill Miller and Recruit Warden Kyle Plautz discovered a large pile of trash dumped over the bank of a road ditch. After digging through the trash an item was found that lead the wardens to the suspect. The litterbug was cited and clean up ordered.
Columbia, Adams and Sauk counties
While working boating enforcement during the month of July on Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River, Warden Ryan Volenberg of Poynette arrested four individuals for operating a motorboat while intoxicated and assisted with the arrest of a fifth individual. Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) among the individuals ranged from 0.10 to 0.17%. The legal BAC limit is .08%.
In response to numerous complaints of loud boats on Lake Wisconsin, Wardens Ryan Volenberg of Poynette and Supervisor Tyler Strelow of LaCrosse issued six citations for boats exceeding the 86 decibel noise limit during the Fourth of July weekend.
Wardens Michael Green of Wisconsin Dells and Deputy Warden Samantha Koscher of Poynette worked the Upper Dells and Lake Wisconsin during the 4th of July weekend. Wardens observed two near-boat collisions and contacted both operators who were cited for operating a motorboat while intoxicated.
Warden Michael Green of the Dells received information of an individual pulling into a parking lot on the Dell Creek Wildlife area with a truck load of tires in a location of repeated tire dumping problems. Investigation showed the individual had dumped three loads of tires at three locations on different days on the Dell Creek Properties in Northern Sauk County. Citations will be issued for solid waste violations.
Warden Paul Nadolski of Portage assisted with an Outdoor Skills Day at the MacKenzie Center in Poynette. This was the largest turnout in the history of the event.
Warden John Buss of Sauk County put on a shotgun shooting clinic for the Amish Community. Approximately 40 people attended and shot a clay target course. The event promoted shooting sports and was an excellent way to reach out to a community that does not get the traditional media that most receive.
Dane, Jefferson and Rock counties
Warden Mike Dieckhoff of Janesville contacted an angler had climbed over a chain link, locked gate and a posted “no trespassing” sign in order to get to the Rock River to fish. During the license check Warden Dieckhoff located a package of synthetic marijuana and determined the individual also was on probation. City of Janesville Police Dept. responded and found additional bags of synthetic marijuana as well as a bag of M-800 fireworks in the subject’s backpack. The angler was taken to jail on a probation hold and was issued charges from the City of Janesville Officer.
Wardens Mike Dieckhoff and Boyd Richter of Janesville located a group of anglers fishing in a boat on the Rock River in Beloit and their stock tank containing water and live fish from the Fort Atkinson Area. A citation was issued for having illegally transported live fish, water and aquatic plants.
Warden Mike Dieckhoff of Janesville located two anglers below the City of Beloit Dam who were fishing for catfish using dead and live bluegills and sunfish which they brought from Illinois. The anglers were aware of regulations pertaining to AIS and VHS. One of those anglers was unlicensed and they were both using the illegal bait for fishing. A citation for transporting live fish and fishing without a license and many warnings for various transport of fish and import of live fish were issued.
Wardens Kyle Dilley of Madison and Ryan Volenberg of Poynette contacted a group of campers on an island off of the Wisconsin River. Two subjects were found to be in possession of marijuana and/or drug paraphernalia. Another was found to have provided alcohol to minors. The juvenile alcohol violations were turned over to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office for enforcement action. Criminal charges will be filed by the wardens for the drug violations.
Madison area Wardens and Dane Co. Sheriff Water Patrol worked boating enforcement with high boat traffic during the annual Rhythm and Booms fireworks show. Four OWI arrests were made in addition to several citations for various violations.
Richland and Iowa counties
Warden Mike Nice and Deputy Warden Mike Williams of Richland Center located fishermen with a lake sturgeon in their possession on the Wisconsin River. Wardens found one individual who did not buy a fishing license and another individual who had a 40-inch lake sturgeon tied off on a stringer located in a small pool with brush around it. Wardens were able to revive the sturgeon and release it. Charges were filed.
Wardens Ryan Caputo of New Glarus and Mike Dieckhoff of Janesville stopped a boat operator who was exceeding the posted slow-no-wake limit on Lake Waubesa. Upon contact, the operator was found to be intoxicated. Operator was cited for a first offense of boating while intoxicated and operating a boat with a blood alcohol contact (BAC) above the legal limit of .08. The operator’s BAC was above .10.
Warden Dave Youngquist of Spring Green contacted an angler on the Wisconsin River who had caught and kept a 30-inch lake sturgeon thinking it was a sand sturgeon. Enforcement action was taken. Fish identification cards were given to him so that he could see the notable difference between the two fish.
Warden Webster provided a law enforcement motorcycle escort detail with almost 40 other officers for the Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) Kids Camp guests from the airport to the camp. C.O.P.S. Kids Camp provides family grief counseling and activities primarily for the 6- to 14-year-old kids of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty from around the United States.
If you have information regarding natural resource violations, please call: VIOLATION HOTLINE: 1-800-TIP-WDNR or 1-800-847-9367. The hotline is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Trained staff relay reported information to conservation wardens. Anyone who calls the Violation Hotline or provides information can remain anonymous.