- 2 weeks ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00A Michigan conservation officer in District 7, and another in D9, check on waterfowl hunters in November.
00:11No life jackets. What are you guys going to do if you fall out of the boat?
00:14And a look at the state's efforts to provide public areas for hunters to pursue ducks and geese on lands they've deemed wetland wonders.
00:21Two Michigan conservation officers, one in District 1 and the other in D3, monitor deer hunters on the opening day of deer season.
00:29Conservation officer, anybody inside? Open the door back here.
00:33And they both encounter situations in which they work closely with other emergency response agencies.
00:38Have you had anything to drink or smoked any marijuana today?
00:42And a look at a dedication for a new DNR facility that's named in honor of two fallen conservation officers.
00:50Wild animals and wild places. They're more than a picture.
00:55Their inspiration, excitement, and adventure.
00:59Patrolling and protecting these natural resources is a first-class band of peace officers.
01:05These are the wardens, dedicated to the preservation of our great outdoors.
01:11Autumn in Michigan can feel like there's just too much to do for the dedicated outdoor enthusiast.
01:37White-tailed deer can be hunted throughout various seasons from the 1st of October through the 1st of January.
01:44Bear and elk can be pursued by hunters who are fortunate enough to be granted a tag through a draw system.
01:50Many species of fish are also readily available.
01:53Other animals that many people are passionate about trying to bag are ducks and geese.
01:58Michigan is typically one of the national leaders for number of Canada geese taken each year,
02:04and also has several duck species available to its hunters as well.
02:08In the state's District 7,
02:11Conservation Officer Carter Woodwyke is checking on waterfowlers set up on state land.
02:17Good morning.
02:27Good morning, how are you?
02:29Good.
02:30First bird of the morning it looked like?
02:34Yeah.
02:35Nice.
02:36State Conservation Officer, obviously.
02:39You guys had a pretty good mess of that flurry come in there.
02:42Man, I don't know how we didn't kill these men.
02:44Yeah, we should have had a lot more.
02:46Been doing pretty good out here this year.
02:48Yeah, we got quite a few ducks this week.
02:49Did ya?
02:50Mm-hmm.
02:51I got five last night.
02:52Nice.
02:53Very nice.
02:54Want to check my gun?
02:57Yeah, I'll check his license here for a second.
03:00You want to sell dinner out of it?
03:01You can pull them out.
03:02Here's there.
03:03Did you forget to plug this one?
03:05No, it's plugged.
03:06It better be.
03:07It's just a plastic unscrew the cap once.
03:08Well, let me grab three.
03:09Oh, you know why?
03:10Because it's only about this big around.
03:11What is?
03:12Let me show ya.
03:13Let's start with three of your shells at least.
03:14Hold on, I'll show you the plug.
03:15I thought it was going right around it.
03:16See right here?
03:17That's your shell.
03:18Oh, so my checker, oh, I see what you're saying.
03:35The checker's just going right around it?
03:38That makes sense.
03:39I've never seen a plug like that before.
03:42Oh, perfect.
03:49Well, that works.
03:51How are you today?
03:52Good.
03:53I figured with you guys being out in your spread, I'd try and quick do a check before
03:58more geese keep coming in.
03:59I almost had one of those ducks it looked like.
04:01Yeah.
04:02The ducks are just playing.
04:04They're not nice this year.
04:06I'll trade ya.
04:08You ran her dry that time too?
04:10No, I shot two of them.
04:12Thank you first.
04:13I'm both of them.
04:14Awesome.
04:15I'll give you that back.
04:17First goose this morning.
04:19Awesome.
04:20Well, congratulations.
04:21Missed his, but those two we dumped, I got my who knows how many of them.
04:27Caleb got his first out of that one, so.
04:29Congratulations.
04:31Cool morning.
04:32On the other side of southern Michigan, from where CO Woodwike is working, in the state's
04:37district nine.
04:40Officer Joe Devon is also checking on hunters pursuing ducks and geese.
04:44How'd you guys do out there?
04:45We're bad.
04:46It's not because we're living in hell.
04:49You got any ducks?
04:50No, we got none.
04:51Not at all?
04:52No.
04:53Real quick, you got your ID, licenses on ya.
04:55I'll just check the firearms and be all set.
04:58All right.
04:59Put that one away.
05:00Perfect.
05:01All right.
05:02I'm going to take a look at your bag real quick.
05:03Just look at your ammo.
05:04You got a sandwich, huh?
05:05Yeah.
05:06You're not baiting, are you?
05:07No.
05:08I don't know.
05:09They might.
05:10No life jackets.
05:11What are you guys going to do if you fall out of the boat?
05:35No.
05:36I didn't realize he had it.
05:38He keeps it on the island here, so.
05:40Have you ever fallen out of the water on waders?
05:42What's that?
05:43Have you ever fallen out of a boat into the water wearing waders?
05:45No.
05:46It is.
05:47It's not fun.
05:48So I want to talk to you about the registration numbers and then the lack of life jackets.
05:52All right.
05:53Unless they're somewhere hidden that I can't find them.
05:56There's the ducks right there.
05:58All right.
05:59Do you have any life jackets for the boat or no?
06:00Yeah, there's life jackets.
06:01There's life jackets in there?
06:02Yeah.
06:03All right.
06:04Yeah.
06:05Yeah.
06:06It's the first time here.
06:07We're looking in here.
06:08There's one.
06:09There should be four in there.
06:10There's another one.
06:11Two there.
06:12Yep.
06:13Okay.
06:14Favorite.
06:15Want them all out?
06:16Nope.
06:17Thanks to those two.
06:18You're good to go.
06:19You put it on your hull ID.
06:20You don't need to put all that.
06:21So when you get home, just scratch those off.
06:23Put those new numbers on there and you'll be all set, okay?
06:25I was like, that's way too many numbers, but it's not too big of a deal.
06:28All right.
06:29Thank you, sir.
06:30Although C.O. Deppin is primarily keeping an eye on waterfowl hunters on this day, the
06:34day before, which was the first Saturday of the state's firearm deer season, he was
06:39checking on people chasing deer.
06:41Later in his shift, after the sun had set, Officer Deppin encounters a man who tells him
06:45that he's shot a deer and is about to go recover it, but hasn't tagged it yet.
06:49Since it's untagged at this point, you've already gutted it and everything, I'm going
06:52to go back there with you.
06:53Just take a look at it.
06:54There's a little bit of concern why the deer's not tagged yet after it's fully gutted.
06:58Well, I know, and then I had it with me and I said, oh, I'm walking up here to get this.
07:03I'm going to tag it as soon as I go back.
07:05Okay.
07:06Is the firearm back there with your wife or is the firearm here?
07:08They're both there.
07:09They're both there.
07:10Okay.
07:11You can just...
07:12That's all right.
07:13You can hand me the whole set.
07:14I'm going to go back there with you.
07:15Just take a look at the deer if you don't mind.
07:17Michigan Conservation Officer Carter Woodwake is working on the last Saturday of November
07:23and closely monitoring waterfowl hunters.
07:25He started his morning by checking on hunters on public land and continues to do so.
07:30State Conservation Officer.
07:32Just going to check licenses and firearms here a minute.
07:35Do you need the pad firearms there?
07:38Yeah, if you've got the permit right there.
07:41Cool.
07:42Looks good.
07:43I appreciate it.
07:44That one doesn't do you a whole lot of good this year now, does it?
07:59That one looks good.
08:00Yeah.
08:01Give you that back.
08:02I appreciate it.
08:03No problem.
08:04Take care, guys.
08:05Good luck.
08:07Yep.
08:08That's good.
08:09That's good.
08:10Yeah, that's good.
08:11Good.
08:12Nice.
08:13Don't see many people out here with a 10 gauge.
08:15You don't?
08:16Not anymore?
08:17No, not anymore.
08:18Nope.
08:19It's all 12 gauge.
08:20I'll let you load up and we'll get out of your hair.
08:21Thank you very much.
08:22Not a problem.
08:23Take care.
08:24Take care.
08:25Take care, guys.
08:26Good luck.
08:28Yep.
08:29You too.
08:30Always have a good day out here.
08:31Some days just better than others.
08:32Not anymore?
08:34No, not anymore.
08:36Nope. It's all 12 gauge.
08:38I'll let you load up and we'll get out of your hair.
08:40Thank you very much. Not a problem. Take care.
08:42Have a good day? Good luck. Thank you. You too.
08:44Always have a good day out here. Some days just better than others.
08:56Within the Elegant State game area, which encompasses over 50,000 acres,
09:01is the Fenville Farm Unit, a 4,100-acre area that's managed specifically for waterfowl.
09:08There are seven managed waterfowl hunt areas located in southern Michigan.
09:13Another managed waterfowl hunt area is the Neaquin Point State Wildlife Area.
09:18To bring attention to what's available and welcome hunters back prior to the season,
09:22the DNR holds open houses at some of its sites, including Neaquin Point.
09:27Neaquin Point State Wildlife Area is a special place in my heart.
09:30I grew up in the area, not too far from here,
09:33and had many opportunities to recreate throughout my teenage years.
09:37And I knew that I always wanted to be a part of this game area.
09:41I just didn't know what part I wanted to play.
09:44So I went to college, went to Michigan Tech.
09:46I came back to the area and started out as a state worker four,
09:50and then progressed into a seasonal wildlife assistant position,
09:53and then became the technician, and I've been the technician for about 15 years now.
09:58We are situated on the western shore of Saginaw Bay in Bay County.
10:02Nice.
10:11With many public areas, the DNR works closely with other agencies to improve the area,
10:16including volunteer groups.
10:17We have work days here where their staff are unable to do it.
10:23So we take it over and we'll get a crew of 15 people and we'll work all day on something.
10:30There's different projects where we put up snow fencing.
10:33We put up coyote decoy silhouettes and we move them around.
10:39We do other projects, maintenance-wise, doing some stuff to the fields and the other areas.
10:45Our main focus is waterfall and waterfall hunting.
10:48But we also have spring migration for waterfowl, so our area is open to bird watching.
10:53Bird watching is probably the second largest activity at Neonquin Point.
10:57We have the largest population of yellow-headed blackbirds,
10:59which people come from all over the world to see these birds.
11:03They're just spread throughout the area.
11:06They've also migrated into some of our agricultural crops,
11:08so it makes it really easy for people to access those areas to see them.
11:12We provide other recreational opportunities in the way of hunting, deer hunting.
11:17We also allow trapping.
11:18They're great for duck hunting, waterfowling, and they have draw systems,
11:27a lottery-type system where you come in to hunt,
11:30so you're limited on the amount of hunters and they're real quality areas to hunt
11:36where you can really have a really good hunt and have a substantial number of birds that you can harvest.
11:43The staff at areas like Neonquin Point works hard to make the area appealing to the game that hunters would like to pursue there.
11:50We do intensive farming on some of our units, and that is to provide a high-energy food source for migrating waterfalls.
11:58So we put in all of our own agricultural crops.
12:01We do a mixture of corn, buckwheat, millet, and then the corn serves also a secondary purpose to conceal hunters for hunting in the fall.
12:09So after all of that work gets done in the summer, then we use large-volume pumps to flood the area so that they have flooded corn to hunt out of.
12:18These areas here are really unique, especially Neonquin.
12:22It offers a very easy, physical hunt.
12:27You don't need a lot of equipment.
12:29You can walk into a lot of areas with just a tub, a dozen decoys, and your gun.
12:35So the access is real, real easy compared to some areas.
12:39And a lot of older sportsmen, water followers like to hunt this because it's a lot easier.
12:47This is a great gem.
12:49It's a rural community, but I think, you know, coming off the beaten path, you know, from your town or your school or your little subdivision in Pinconning, which is not very big.
13:01But when they come out here, they feel like they're secluded.
13:04They feel like this is like wilderness.
13:06And I think a lot of people don't really know that it's here.
13:10And I feel like that's one of the things we want to focus on, just letting people know that there's more to this area than just waterfowl hunting.
13:20Michigan Conservation Officer Carter Woodwike is checking on waterfowl hunters on the last Saturday of November.
13:26He's been steadily busy throughout the morning as he goes from one hunting party to another to ensure that they have the proper licenses and federal waterfowl stamp,
13:35as well as making sure that their firearms can hold no more than three shells and that their shells do not contain lead.
13:41Hello. State Conservation Officer.
13:45Hello, sir. How are you?
13:46Good. How are you?
13:47Good. How are you?
13:48Having any luck over here?
13:49Shot at some high birds, but no, I haven't anything.
13:52Yep.
13:53We're just going to check licenses and firearms here a minute.
14:00A couple hundred birds just piled up behind us.
14:05They're right out of the refuge out there.
14:06Yeah, I see that.
14:08I'll give you your firearm back there.
14:11I'll give you that.
14:23And then do you have any other shots by you in a bag or in your pockets or something?
14:27We have shells in our pockets.
14:28Pockets and double-checked the couples.
14:31Same ones, awesome, same ones.
14:33All the same stuff.
14:34Yep, looks good. Very good, that works.
14:37We'll leave you guys to it then.
14:39Maybe a couple of these will venture on over, but we'll see. Good luck.
14:43Later in his shift, after checking waterfowl hunters throughout the day,
14:47Officer Woodwyke shifts his focus to monitoring deer hunters.
14:51He's aware of some hunters who utilize boats to head to some public hunting land,
14:55so he waits at the spot where he sees the boat trailers parked to await their return.
15:00How are you?
15:01How are you?
15:02How's it going?
15:03Good.
15:04Got a little buck?
15:07Yeah.
15:08Nice.
15:10State Conservation Officer.
15:13You guys able to make it quite a ways up?
15:15We made it down.
15:16Down?
15:17Yeah.
15:18Okay.
15:19Start it up and work your way down?
15:21Yeah.
15:22Nice.
15:23Very nice.
15:24Very good.
15:25Better seat.
15:26Firearms are all cased up.
15:28Yep.
15:29Wonderful.
15:30I'll start, I guess, with hunting licenses.
15:32Right.
15:33Start from right and go left.
15:35That way I don't get too mixed up.
15:38Whose boat is this?
15:39Mine.
15:40Yours.
15:41Cool.
15:42You said you got a tag on it?
15:46Yeah, it's already on it.
15:47That's the only tag I got right there.
15:49Okay.
15:50You have a doe tag or something that you put on it?
15:51Yeah.
15:52Okay.
15:53Perfect.
15:54Very good.
15:55Do that.
15:58Who ended up getting this one?
16:00One of the other guys.
16:01One of the older, the older guy got that.
16:03He got his name.
16:04Oh, he's coming right now?
16:05Yeah.
16:06There's more.
16:07Okay.
16:11Cool.
16:12It's just this boat or then you got another one coming?
16:15Two more.
16:16How you doing?
16:17How you doing?
16:18Good.
16:25Where's the deer list boat?
16:26The deer list boat?
16:27Yeah.
16:28Did you guys see anything?
16:31I didn't see one tail.
16:33No?
16:34I'm pushing.
16:35Yep.
16:36Got another deer down there.
16:38We ended up getting this one.
16:40This guy coming in the next boat.
16:42He's still coming.
16:43He's still coming.
16:44He's too late for us.
16:47Cool.
16:53Is there just one more boat coming or?
16:54Yeah.
16:55Okay.
16:56Awesome.
16:57Very good.
16:58His dad shot the buck.
16:59Yeah.
17:00He shot the buck on the doe.
17:01He's coming in there.
17:02Okay.
17:03You got the buck and doe here?
17:04Yeah.
17:05Good.
17:08Yep.
17:11That's a little doe on here.
17:13That one's yours.
17:14Awesome.
17:15Everything looks good with their life jackets in this boat.
17:18Yep.
17:19Right here.
17:20Right here.
17:21Right here.
17:22Perfect.
17:23Very good.
17:24Yeah, you guys got it all squared away.
17:26Officer Woodwike is in a parking lot for hunters using public land.
17:40We ended up getting this one.
17:41I did.
17:42You did?
17:43Yes, sir.
17:44Nice.
17:45And has a lot of vehicles and hunters.
17:47He stops to check and see if any of them have gotten deer.
17:50And if so, to make sure the deer are properly tagged.
17:54Cool.
17:55Very good.
17:56That one's good there.
17:57Yep.
17:58We had a pretty good day so far.
18:01Yeah.
18:02No doubt.
18:03I don't know how many deer there were there.
18:04One, two, three, four, five, five or six of them at least.
18:07I believe so.
18:08You did?
18:09Uh-huh.
18:10Nice.
18:11No.
18:12Very good.
18:13Tag on there.
18:15What's your last name?
18:17In the year you were born?
18:1942 on that one.
18:2042 on that one?
18:22Whose tag is this?
18:23It's my dad's.
18:24It's your dad's?
18:25Yeah.
18:26So why'd you put his tag on it?
18:27Because mine's sitting on my table.
18:29Okay.
18:30I know why.
18:31Do you have your driver's license with you so I can see if you actually have licenses?
18:34Of course.
18:35In this case, I did issue a citation for using the kill tag of another.
18:38It's the Allegan District Court.
18:39It's their address and their phone number.
18:40You've got three to ten business days to get that taken care of.
18:42No problem.
18:43Whether it's pleading guilty, not guilty, setting up a court date, whatever the case is.
18:46Not a problem.
18:47This woman took her citation to a bench trial and the judge utilized his discretion to dismiss
18:52the charges based on her testimony under oath that she was lying to Officer Woodwyke
18:57in the field when he asked her who shot the deer.
19:00She told the judge that her dad did actually shoot the deer and she simply had it in the back
19:05of her truck.
19:06All right.
19:08Take care.
19:09Be safe.
19:10Michigan Conservation Officer Joe Dempin is also working during the month of November,
19:14but he's in the state's District 9.
19:19He's located a man who shot a deer and didn't tag it immediately.
19:23He was also hunting over bait.
19:25He's got a deer with?
19:26It's a 450.
19:27All right.
19:28It's almost safety.
19:29All right.
19:30I can get that one.
19:33All right.
19:34All right.
19:35So, man, this is yours?
19:38That's right.
19:39Okay.
19:40So, when hunting hours are finished up, you've got to unload.
19:43I'll be throwing them in the sled here.
19:46All right.
19:49We can pull back around the blind here and we'll talk about what's going on.
19:53We've got a couple things going on here.
19:55So, initially, you're out there.
19:57You took the deer.
19:58We didn't initially tag it.
20:00Number two, taking the deer over a bait pile.
20:03You know the bait is prohibited.
20:04Yes?
20:05Yeah.
20:06Baiting is prohibited.
20:07Okay.
20:08The fact that you're honest with me, I do appreciate that.
20:11I'm not going to dig into any further as far as if the deer your wife shot was over bait
20:17or not.
20:18But as far as this one, this one's got to come with me.
20:20Okay.
20:21Hey, we shot it.
20:22What are you waiting for this one?
20:23Well, you can be waiting for them, but you've just got to be taken legally.
20:27You've got to be taken in motion for a minute.
20:28Yep.
20:29Okay.
20:30And so, like I said, I've got to seize the deer.
20:33I've got to ride over a report.
20:35Okay.
20:36And essentially, you're shooting over bait.
20:39It's in legal deer.
20:40It's done by a legal method.
20:41So, I'm going to take the 12-gauge.
20:43I'm going to document it as part of it.
20:45What happens with that?
20:46That's going to be up to the court.
20:48I've just got to document it as the weapon that shot the animal.
20:50I'll give your wife a warning on the loaded after hours.
20:53I can understand that can be an easy mistake.
20:56You know, people get excited.
20:57But as far as the deer and the tagging and the bait is concerned, I'm going to deal with
21:01that directly with you, okay?
21:02In this case, for illegally taking a deer, since he shot it over bait in an area that's
21:07closed to baiting, this man paid a court-ordered fine of $2,000, which was restitution to the
21:13state of Michigan, for the buck.
21:14You can continue to hunt as long as all that is cleaned up.
21:17Well, I was going to ask you that.
21:18If I get all that bait out, if I run this out tomorrow, I'll clean up all the bait.
21:22As long as all the bait is gone from all parts of the property, nothing left in the soil,
21:28nothing dug in the mud, then you can continue to hunt.
21:31Most Michigan conservation officers usually start out with a plan for what they want to
21:35do each day, both to follow up on information they already have, as well as to gather new
21:40information.
21:41However, they are also all too aware that their priorities can shift quickly and they need
21:46to focus on something else.
21:48This holds true even during the last 16 days of November, when the state's firearm deer
21:52season is underway, and when there are typically more hunters in the woods than any other time
21:57of the year.
21:58In the state's District 1, Officer Alex Van Wagner is checking deer hunters on the
22:06firearm deer opener.
22:07It's the opening day of firearm deer season in the UP here.
22:10It's probably the biggest day of the year up here.
22:12We're in Iron County in the UP of Michigan.
22:15We're at the Crystal Falls Field Office right now, and we've got a couple things lined up,
22:21and we're just going to check what's out there and see what we can find.
22:25There is a guy in this vehicle here, so I'm going to go up and contact him.
22:31Morning, sir.
22:32Morning.
22:33Conservation officer.
22:34How are you doing?
22:35Good.
22:36How are you?
22:37Good.
22:38What are you up to?
22:39Well, just kind of watching the pipeline.
22:41I'm not too serious about getting out and freezing my tail off.
22:46Okay.
22:47I've got my rifle back there.
22:50Okay.
22:51I have a CPL.
22:52Okay.
22:53And my...
22:55What do you carry?
22:57It's a 380.
22:59Okay.
23:00You got your CPL on you?
23:01I do.
23:02Okay.
23:03And it's in my little backpack over there.
23:06Okay.
23:11What are you shooting for a rifle?
23:13It's a Remington .30-06.
23:16Okay.
23:17All right.
23:20Do you mind if I check if it's unloaded?
23:22With the rifle?
23:23Sure.
23:24Okay.
23:25Is it on that side or right here?
23:26You can open it.
23:27Okay.
23:28But wait.
23:32You got a stand over here or just hanging out?
23:35No.
23:36I'm just kind of hanging...
23:37I used to have a stand down this other pipeline.
23:41But my cousin, he hunts all the way down towards the end.
23:47Okay.
23:48And I believe there's a couple of...
23:50I think it was an Indiana plate that went by.
23:53I wasn't sure.
23:54But I think there's some other hunts on it also.
23:59Okay.
24:00Do you mind if I check your license, deer license?
24:03Sure.
24:04Okay.
24:11Just got a single tag?
24:13Yep.
24:14Okay.
24:15Well, I'll let you keep scoutin'.
24:16Approximately four and a half hours by automobile from where C.O. Van Wagner is patrolling in the Ever Peninsula, Officer Jack Gorno is also working on the state's firearm deer opener in the Lower Peninsula in the state's District 3.
24:40C.O. Gorno is working alongside Sergeant Mark Depew.
24:46They're patrolling an area that's close to baiting and know of a spot with a hunting blind that's overlooking a bait pile.
24:52They want to check to see if the blind is occupied.
24:54Giant pile.
24:55Yeah.
24:56It was the biggest pile that we picked off.
24:59Conservation officer.
25:00Anybody inside?
25:01Yep.
25:02Open the door back here.
25:03How are you?
25:04Good.
25:05Any idea why I'm here this morning?
25:06Bait pile.
25:07Okay.
25:08Okay.
25:09Do you live here?
25:10Is this your property?
25:11Okay.
25:12When's the last time you put bait out?
25:14Last Saturday.
25:15Last Saturday.
25:16Last Saturday.
25:17And this is your property?
25:18I don't own this part of it.
25:19My house is right up there.
25:20Okay.
25:21It's my wife's and grandpa's property.
25:22Wife's and grandpa's property.
25:23Okay.
25:24So family then?
25:25Yeah.
25:26How's the season so far for you?
25:27I haven't killed anything yet.
25:28Have you ever done?
25:29No.
25:30No.
25:31No.
25:32No.
25:33No.
25:34No.
25:35No.
25:36No.
25:37No.
25:38No.
25:39No.
25:40No.
25:41No.
25:42No.
25:43I haven't killed anything yet.
25:44Haven't killed anything yet?
25:45I just bought my license yesterday.
25:46Obviously that's not a bait pile that you can remove by hand at this time.
25:50No.
25:51So this blind's done until it's gone.
25:52Okay.
25:53Okay.
25:54So grab your gun, keep it in a safe direction, and we'll walk you back.
25:59Since the first Michigan conservation officer went on the job in 1887, 16 officers have lost
26:06their lives in the line of duty.
26:08The state of Michigan has a memorial to these fallen officers at the Ralph A. McMullen Center
26:13in the Northern Lower Peninsula, where all present-day COs regularly attend training exercises.
26:19Two of these 16 fallen officers died during the same incident almost 100 years ago in Marquette
26:25County.
26:26When Michigan's DNR held a grand opening for the first shooting range in the Upper Peninsula,
26:33it was the initial opportunity for the public to see the range that was named in honor of
26:39two officers that were killed approximately three miles from the site of the range.
26:43Michigan conservation officers Arvid Erickson and Emile Skoglund were working together on
26:49September 29, 1926, when they encountered an unlicensed hunter identified as Roy Nunn.
26:55During the course of the arrest, Nunn pulled a hidden revolver and killed Officer Erickson
27:00with two shots in the back of the head.
27:02Officer Skoglund raced to the scene to assist and was killed with two shots to the face.
27:08The evidence eventually led to Nunn, who confessed to the crime.
27:12The officers' bodies were recovered, having been weighed down with bricks and dumped into
27:17Lake Superior from a pier in the city of Marquette.
27:20Nunn was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
27:25I never knew my grandfather. I knew a lot about him, but not all the details.
27:30I saw Roy Nunn, the guy that shot Arvid and Emile in prison.
27:38He used to play a lot of hockey and softball out there, and one of the guards pointed him out.
27:43He was a small, small guy, but never, no, never.
27:49I saw him or had a chance to talk to him.
27:51You've heard the saying that freedom isn't free.
27:54Well, conservation isn't either.
27:57Conservation does mean the wise use of a natural resource, but it's the term wise
28:03that recognized years and years ago that there had to be regulations,
28:08there had to be controls to sustain our natural resources.
28:12And these officers were pioneers back in the day,
28:16fighting the same fight that our men and women do today.
28:19Big deal for DNR. It's a huge part of our mission here.
28:23Part of the mission, of course, is having folks be able to use firearms
28:26safely, and places like this allow that to happen.
28:30And also, a lot of these places house our hunter safety classes throughout the state,
28:36and I'm sure that this one probably will, too, on the field days that we offer for hunter safety.
28:41There are so many reasons that shooting ranges are important to the public,
28:45to law enforcement communities, to our groups that need to have the ranges to come and shoot.
28:51So for us, shooting ranges is an opportunity to give back to the community of archers,
28:57firearms purchasers, folks that go out and purchase ammunition.
29:01Give back to that community and give them a place to come and recreate and enjoy a safe spot to target shoot.
29:09Relatives of the fallen officers were the first ones to utilize the pistol and rifle ranges at the new facility.
29:16Well, I think it's a beautiful range. It'll be used for many years, many generations, and a great way to honor these two great men.
29:25I was born and raised in Marquette, so I always knew this was a place where people came to shoot, not legally.
29:31So the amount of garbage out here that you could find was more than you could ever imagine.
29:36So then being able to team up with local organizations to get it cleaned up and get it a safe place for people to shoot.
29:42Speaking with DNR representatives, it's taken over 10 years to finally get this to kind of come to terms.
29:48So it's really cool to see this project completed.
29:52It's nice to see a facility like this and a turnout like this.
29:55Yeah, something that Marquette County has needed for a long time.
30:00I think they did an awesome job.
30:03It's been quite cool to work in the same county that he did.
30:06Although I didn't know him, it's played a large role in my career choice.
30:10Thank you to the DNR for getting this going.
30:12I know it's been a long time coming, so big shout out to you guys, so I appreciate it.
30:16Thank you very much.
30:17It's hard to explain what that means to us.
30:19It's a very cool way of honoring the family tradition of law enforcement and honoring the fallen officers.
30:26Michigan Conservation Officer Alex Van Wagner is working on the opening day of the state's firearm deer season.
30:49I can slowly move up and see.
30:54I know where Stan is, so he obviously drove in here and made his own trail in here on the state land.
31:00So we're just going to see what's up and see and maybe back out and wait for him.
31:06But we'll see what we can find.
31:08If I'm sitting, so I'm just going to back out.
31:20He is hunting in there, so I'll contact him when he comes out.
31:24CO Van Wagner has located an off-road vehicle in an area where ORV use is prohibited.
31:30He intends to catch up with this hunter later to address several potential violations.
31:36While Officer Van Wagner is waiting for this hunter to emerge from the woods, he receives a call to respond to a more pressing issue.
31:44So we got requested by the local dispatch, there's a traffic crash on one of the county roads.
31:50And all the other units are tied up in the county, so myself and my partner in my county are heading to this traffic crash together.
31:58They were coming this way?
32:13Yeah.
32:14OK.
32:15He was driving.
32:17She's complaining of back pain.
32:20There was an infant in the car as well.
32:22OK.
32:23They didn't think the infant was hurt.
32:24Who's in the driver's seat?
32:25Oh.
32:26This is, that is a passerby who saw the accident.
32:29OK.
32:30Or saw that you were up there, so.
32:32OK.
32:33You need to go in.
32:37Darling, you got car insurance.
32:39That's what that's for.
32:40You were driving?
32:41Yes, sir.
32:42OK.
32:43Did you already give her your information?
32:44No, she said one of you guys or one of the cops are going to come grab it for me.
32:47OK.
32:48License and registration and insurance is all here.
32:51OK.
32:52All right, so you're coming this way?
32:54Yes, we were coming this way.
32:55I was, we were slowing down for the corners because the roads beforehand was all slushing
33:00and everything before.
33:01OK.
33:02Step back here with me.
33:03OK.
33:04So I was gone about 15, 20 coming around the corner.
33:08I hit one of these slushy spots, started going in the opposite lane.
33:12I seen the truck way down there.
33:14I didn't know if it was parked or coming towards me, so I was trying to get back into my lane safely.
33:19And as you can see, I obviously didn't manage the safely part.
33:22OK.
33:23But.
33:24And you have an infant in the vehicle, I understand?
33:26Yes, we had my little baby.
33:27OK.
33:28Is that your wife, girlfriend?
33:29Yes.
33:30That's my wife and my daughter.
33:31OK.
33:32Have you had anything to drink or smoked any marijuana today?
33:35Any other drugs?
33:36No, sir.
33:37OK.
33:38With my baby, when I smoke, it's all at home.
33:41I don't drive when I'm smoking.
33:42And I definitely don't drink unless it's after work.
33:44And I have my one drink, go home, and that's it.
33:47All right.
33:48You haven't smoked today?
33:50I smoked this morning.
33:51And I was like, what time is it now?
33:54Like 9?
33:55Yeah.
33:5610.36.
33:57Yeah, I smoked at like 8.30 this morning.
33:598.30?
34:00And what time is it right now?
34:0110.36.
34:0210.36?
34:03OK.
34:04All right.
34:05Do you feel any effects of the marijuana anymore?
34:07No, sir.
34:08I don't.
34:09OK.
34:31And then from the number 86, you're going to count backwards
34:35from 86 to 68.
34:3786 to 68?
34:38Yeah.
34:39Maybe, yeah.
34:4086, 85, 84, 83, 82, 81, 80, 79, 78, 77, 76, 75, 74, 73, 72, 71, 70, 69, 68.
34:56OK.
34:57All right.
34:58All right.
34:59I don't think you're impaired, but I would definitely recommend not smoking before you drive.
35:03I know it was at this point four hours ago that you said you smoked.
35:08Yeah.
35:09But it could still be in your system.
35:11So I just left the traffic crash over on County Road 424.
35:15What happened was a male driver was in the car with his wife and infant, and he took a corner
35:22too fast over there and ended up rolling his vehicle into the ditch.
35:28And me and my partners arrived and we checked to see that the guy was sober, ran him through sobriety.
35:35And my partner ended up taking the report and the driver's going to be issued a citation related to the incident there.
35:45In this case, for violating basic speed law, this man was found responsible and paid a court ordered fine of $115.
35:53His wife and infant child did not incur any major injuries.
35:57Michigan Conservation Officer Jack Gorno is also working on the firearm opener for white-tailed deer season in the state's District 3.
36:20He's contacted a hunter who was hunting over bait.
36:27That bait pile, you can see from space.
36:30It's a big one.
36:32Just contacting a hunter over bait in an area closed to baiting, so.
36:37And it's still closed in the whole lower peninsula, right?
36:39Yep.
36:40Yep.
36:41Closed in the whole lower.
36:45Did you park at the house here?
36:47I lived right there.
36:48Okay.
36:49Follow you back then.
36:52What's the reason you put bait down?
36:54The way I've always hunted.
36:56Okay.
37:02And now I'm going to have to put a food plot in there.
37:04Yeah.
37:05That was my plan behind brush hogging it off.
37:08Okay.
37:12You do what you got to do to pick all that bait up.
37:14Yep.
37:15Okay.
37:16So that blind's done until you pick all the bait up.
37:19Okay?
37:20Okay.
37:21It's going to be a baiting ticket today.
37:22So I'm not going to...
37:23Yeah, I figured you figured and I'm not going to tell you something that make you wait around and think what's coming, so.
37:33In this case, for using bait for a deer in an area that's closed to baiting, this man pled guilty and paid a court ordered fine of $327.
37:42Names, driver's license stuff's on the top, middle section's where we are.
37:46I just wrote you for baiting in a closed area.
37:48It becomes an issue if you don't contact them and then you can advise what you want to do over the phone.
37:52So, okay?
37:53Yep.
37:54You have any questions?
37:55Any other questions?
37:56Okay.
37:57Later in the day, Officer Gorno is called to respond to a scene where a hunter has fallen in the woods.
38:03He meets the wife of the hunter and other responders at the hunter's residence.
38:08I just got up here.
38:13He's in the woods.
38:14Let me put the gun in.
38:15Okay.
38:16Is it loaded?
38:17Yeah.
38:18Okay.
38:19I can hold on to it.
38:20Okay.
38:21Or do you want to put it in the house?
38:22I'm just going to put it in the house right here.
38:23Okay.
38:24Did they say a name on the residence?
38:25I'll come up with it.
38:27This is what I don't think you'll get the truck through.
38:30It's right here.
38:31Oh, yeah.
38:32Does it get any narrower than this?
38:34A little at one spot.
38:36You can see, I cut a lot of stuff back.
38:39We can get over this one.
38:41And I don't even take it down trees.
38:44And it's this way?
38:45Oh, yeah.
38:46Let's try it.
38:47You want me to just drive back there?
38:49You can try, yeah, if you think you can make it.
38:50You want to just hop on the back?
38:53Okay.
38:54What if your truck...
38:55Yeah, we'll get it.
38:57It doesn't get any tighter than this, right?
38:59Well, there's a couple spots, but it's like...
39:02They are?
39:04I can just drive back there.
39:06It's wide.
39:07You can drive back there?
39:08Yeah.
39:09Then put them on the tailgate.
39:10Yeah.
39:11Okay.
39:12I'll walk with her.
39:13Okay.
39:14Yep.
39:15We're going to try to drive back there.
39:16Sure.
39:17You guys think the truck's going to be okay?
39:24Do you guys think the truck's going to be OK to lay him down in?
39:47We're just going to take it nice and slow.
39:48OK, OK, OK.
39:51Although the EMS team does not believe their ambulance can make it through the woods and
40:02to the injured man, they do treat him at the scene and attend to his injuries as best
40:06they can before the team attempts to bring him out of the woods in the bed of C.O.
40:11Gorno's patrol truck.
40:12He's in good hands, man.
40:14We'll get him loaded up right to the ambulance, OK?
40:16OK.
40:17These guys are the best around, so.
40:18Appreciate you trying to help.
40:20It's all ready here.
40:22Yep.
40:23I'm just going to grab where he's grabbing right here.
40:27Yep.
40:28We got you.
40:29Right there.
40:30Right there.
40:31Going down.
40:32Going down.
40:33I'm good.
40:34Breathe.
40:35Yep.
40:36One of you guys want to hold this.
40:37It's just in case.
40:38You guys want to stay up there with him.
40:39Yeah.
40:40Oh, the blue dots.
40:41You can see the yellow dots on the.
40:42Oh.
40:43Oh.
40:44Oh.
40:45Oh.
40:46Like that.
40:47Yep.
40:49OK.
40:50Thank you so much.
40:51Yep.
40:52And then he's going.
40:53OK.
40:54OK.
40:55Thank you so much.
40:56Yep.
40:57And then he's going.
41:01OK.
41:02Thank you so much.
41:03Yep.
41:04And then he's going.
41:06OK.
41:07Thank you so much.
41:08Yep.
41:09And then he's going.
Be the first to comment