Warden Blotter: Cases from Mississippi River to Fox Valley
March 3, 2013
By: Bureau of Law Enforcement
Stolen deer recovered, UTV fatality & a fishing clinic with an on-the-lake lunch among recent cases
Calumet, Winnebago, Dodge, Fond du Lac and Outagamie counties
Warden Ben Nadolski of Waupun took two students ice fishing on Little Green Lake as part of the Ripon High School Outdoors Club ice fishing event. More than 50 students participated in the event that featured an on-lake lunch of grilled brats.
Warden Michael Disher of Chilton and Recreational Safety Warden Tom Sturdivant of Madison investigated a littered deer carcass dumped in a parking lot in the Brillion State Wildlife Area. The carcass was field-dressed and appeared fresh. Disher and Sturdivant later identified a suspect and discovered the suspect also was fraudulently obtaining free active military fishing and small game hunting approvals. The investigation revealed the suspect picked up a car-killed deer; however, the meat was spoiled. So the suspect dumped the carcass in the parking lot. The suspect had not been an active military member since the Vietnam era. Enforcement action was taken for littering and license fraud.
Warden Disher and Recreational Safety Warden Sturdivant checked fishing licenses on an area lake and contacted an angler who was sitting in a portable ice shack. The odor of marijuana was detected inside the shack. The angler was found in possession of a marijuana cigarette, a marijuana pipe and a bag of marijuana. A records check revealed the suspect had a prior arrest for illegal drugs and was a convicted felon for delivery of illegal drugs. The suspect was arrested and a deputy transported the suspect to jail for the violations.
Wardens Disher and Sturdivant were on patrol at a landing on Lake Winnebago and observed an ATV operator drive off the ice and onto the road. The suspect drove down the roadway at a high rate of speed, failed to stop at a stop sign and eventually parked behind a tavern. When contacted, the suspect was found to have fishing gear and the remnants of an identification placard from an ice shack in a basket on his machine. It was discovered the suspect was the owner of a partially sunken ice shack that Disher and Sturdivant had been monitoring on the lake. The suspect was not able to free the shack, so he removed his gear and his name plate. Enforcement action was taken for illegal operation on the road, failure to stop at a sign, excessive speed, failure to identify a fishing shack and littering.
Warden Alan Erickson of Fond du Lac worked recreational vehicle activity on the frozen waters of the Fond du Lac River within the City of Fond du Lac in an area of previous recreational vehicle crashes. Erickson contacted an unregistered three-wheeler with no rear license plate. The operator was noticeably impaired and failed field sobriety tests. The operator was arrested for OWI (operating while intoxicated) and registered a .11 during a chemical test of his breath.
Wardens Mike Disher of Chilton, Tom Sturdivant of Madison, Jim Horne of Shawano and Mike Young of Shiocton assisted Warden Ryan Propson of Appleton with an investigation into the illegal use of archery deer tags by two friends who had each illegally killed multiple bucks over the past two archery seasons. The investigation resulted in the seizure of five illegal bucks, and two bows. It was determined that all the illegal activity occurred in Shawano County during the 2011 and 2012 archery seasons.
Warden Ryan Propson of Appleton assisted a hunter with recovering his deer after it had been thrown in the Fox River during gun season. After reading about the deer theft, an individual in Menasha saw the deer wedged on some rocks near a railroad trestle and called Propson. The hunter was able to recover the deer and is hoping to have a taxidermist piece the rack together for a mount. The deer had floated about a mile downstream, and had made it through a dam on the river.
Warden Propson worked snowmobile enforcement and contacted numerous snowmobilers who were failing to stop at trail stop signs. Many of those contacted said they felt a snowmobile stop sign only meant they should slow down and look around before proceeding. Snowmobilers are reminded that they need to come to a complete stop at stop signs. While working snowmobile enforcement, Propson arrested an individual for snowmobile OWI (operating while intoxicated).
Wardens Propson and Sturdivant interviewed a suspect in a shoot from the vehicle complaint. The hunter, who is a convicted felon, admitted he was driving the truck, while his friend shot a doe out of the vehicle. The shooter then trespassed in an attempt to retrieve the deer.
Warden Supervisor April Dombrowski of Oshkosh assisted the Calumet County Sheriff’s Department with a Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) fatal incident that occurred on Lake Winnebago, near the High Cliff State Park Marina (Calumet County). Victim attempted to operate UTV across open water and failed to make it across to more ideal ice conditions. While in the water, the victim and witness could not release the victim’s seat belt / harness, as the victim was buckled in. Calumet County Dive Team responded and recovered the victim. The victim did not survive.
Vernon, Monroe, Richland, Crawford, Trempealeau and La Crosse counties
Warden Matt Modjeskiof Sparta finished an investigation into a complaint of an archery deer hunter who shot a second buck during the archery season and had another archery license holder tag the buck. Modjeski seized the buck head and cape which had been taken to a local taxidermist for a shoulder mount. Charges are pending.
Warden Dale Hochhausen of Stoddard worked on an investigation from the past gun deer season. Several tagging violations and an untagged deer violation were discovered. Hochhausen determined the subject had shot three deer from the roadway. The subject shot two bucks and failed to tag or to register the second buck. The third deer was a doe, which was shot in a herd control unit, but the subject registered the deer as being killed in a CWD unit, so he could get an Earn-A-Buck sticker. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Hochhausen assisted Minnesota Conservation Officer Scott Fritz with investigating a complaint regarding an individual that purchased a non-resident MN gun deer license one minute prior to registering a deer that he harvested in Minnesota. The individual had lost his kill tag on the way to the Minnesota registration station. It was discovered the person had shot a second deer in Wisconsin, but failed to register the deer. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Chris Shea of Trempealeau and Warden Supervisor Tyler Strelow of La Crosse conducted a traffic stop of an ATV operating without visible registration or a license plate. The operator admitted to alcohol consumption and that he should not have been driving the ATV as he was intoxicated. The operator showed signs of impairment and was arrested for ATV OWI.
Wardens Cody Adams of Crawford County, Mike Nice of Richland Center and Deputy Warden Mike Williams investigated a complaint of a hunter who shot a large 11-point buck during the archery season. The hunter was determined to have shot the buck after legal hunting hours, shot across the road from his porch, failed to immediately attach and validate a carcass tag, and the hunter did not have permission to hunt on the property the buck was shot on. The deer was seized from a taxidermist and charges are pending.
Shawano, Oconto and Marinette counties
Warden James Horne of Shawano worked several areas of the snowmobile trail system on a complaint basis. Large portions of the county were closed. Many of the landowners were complaining to the snowmobile association about snowmobiles running on closed trails. Two sections were permanently closed and will not reopen, forcing clubs to try to create alternate routes. Several citations were issued for operating on the closed trails.
Warden Horne responded to Upper Gresham Pond on complaints of ATVs operating too close to fishermen. Horne found several racing ATVs out on the ice preparing a race track. The machines were not registered, were too loud and operating too close to fishermen. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Horne received a phone call regarding a wolf killed on a roadway and responded to pick up the animal. Horne used the carcass for educational proposes and made arrangements to show it to the local wildlife classes at a local high school.
Warden David Oginski Jr. of Marinette County received a complaint of illegal hunting and shooting from the roadway. Upon investigation it was found that the suspect observed a rabbit in the woods and got out of his vehicle and shot the rabbit from the roadway. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Oginski received a complaint of illegal cable restraints on Marinette County Forest Land. The suspect had between 15 to 20 sets out. All of the cable restraints were mounted to trees, were unable to swivel, and potentially could have harvested non-targeted species. The trapper was located and enforcement action was taken.
Warden Oginski located a snowmobiler riding down U.S. Highway 141 south of Wausaukee in the evening during a snowstorm. The snowmobile was operating in excess of 90 mph. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Mike Stahl of Oconto Falls received a number of complaints about injured or dead birds of prey this month. Three owls were dead due to vehicle collisions and one eagle was alive that was taken to Bay Beach for rehabilitation. The public is reminded that birds of prey cannot be kept and should be turned over to the local DNR office or left where found.
Warden Stahl received a complaint of possible late bow hunting. On the last weekend of the season, Warden Stahl apprehended an individual 20 minutes after hours hunting over approximately 20 gallons of bait. Enforcement action was taken.
Warden Mark Schraufnagel of Shawano County received a complaint of a loud ATV and a dirt bike operating at fast speeds too close to ice shanties. Warden Schraufnagel located the pair. A citation was issued to the ATV operator for exceeding the decibel noise limit. A warning was issued for operating too close to ice shanties and registration.
Warden Schraufnagel met with Shawano Cub Scouts and their parents at the Shawano DNR office. Warden Schraufnagel showed the scouts various equipment Wardens utilize. Warden Schraufnagel also showed the scouts several frozen species including a wolf, eagle, fisher and bobcat. Warden Schraufnagel discussed endangered species and the role of conservation.
Juneau, Portage, Wood and Marathon counties
Warden Barry Fetting of Marshfield spoke to students attending ATV and Snowmobile Safety Classes in Pittsville this month.
Warden Barry Fetting and members of the Mead Wildlife Area Waterfowl Learn to Hunt Committee met this month and began planning a hunt that will take place in September. This year’s event will hopefully introduce a disabled hunter to the sport of waterfowl hunting.
Warden Barry Meister of Stevens Point gave a presentation to 72 students at a Hunter Safety Class at the Izaak Walton League. This was probably the largest Hunter Safety Class Warden Meister has been involved with in more than 29 years.
Warden Barry Meister checked a subject ice fishing on the back waters of the Wisconsin River. The subject did not have a fishing license and was found to have two outstanding warrants for his arrest. The subject was escorted about a half mile off the ice and turned over to a deputy. The subject was also issued a citation for fishing without a license.
During the January fur registration at the Wausau DNR office, Warden Mike Rader of Wausau found two subjects had been involved in the illegal loaning and borrowing of an otter tag. One otter pelt was seized and both subjects were issued citations.
Warden Ben Herzfeldt of Schofield was called to a fire at an auto salvage yard that borders a trout stream. The business had caught on fire, which housed several thousands of gallons of automotive fluids. Herzfeldt was called due the fluids running towards the stream. Upon arrival, Herzfeldt worked with the fire department and a local contractor to construct a sand berm to act as a barrier so that the fluids did not get into the stream. A vacuum truck was then called to remove the dangerous fluids from the site. The case has been turned over to the DNR’s redevelopment and remediation program to ensure proper cleanup of the entire area.
Wardens Ben Herzfeldt and Paul Leezer investigated a case from the gun deer season where subjects were shooting deer in a regular deer unit and registering them as being killed in a herd control unit. Several deer were found to have been illegally killed and registered in this manner.
During the month of January, Warden Matt Weber had 3 incidental bobcats turned in by trappers which were caught in Juneau County. Trappers and coyote hunters continue to express their observations of the abundance bobcat population in the county.
Warden Matt Weber reported that several ATVs went through the ice on Petenwell Flowage while the operators were crossing expansion cracks. Two ice shanties went through the ice on Castle Rock Flowage. The ATVs and shanties were recovered and nobody was injured.
Warden Wade Romberg investigated a case of illegal turkey hunting. The suspect did not have any turkey license or permits and shot three turkeys. Two of the turkeys were shot over the illegal bait/feed in the suspect’s backyard, one turkey was shot after the season had closed, none of the turkeys were registered, and the carcasses were discarded on private property without permission. Enforcement action was taken with the suspect.