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00:00Michigan conservation officers in District 6 and D-8 monitor waterfowl hunters on the opening day for people to target geese and teal.
00:18It is illegal to have a lead shot while you're waterfowl hunting, okay?
00:21Also, a grouse hunt with the chief of the DNR's law enforcement division.
00:26There's far more to it than just actually taking game.
00:29A Michigan conservation officer in District 3 monitors boat revelers during the Independence Day weekend.
00:36A look at the DNR employees who interact the most with the public at DNR customer service centers.
00:43And D-9 officers check on deer hunters on the opening day of the firearm season.
00:48You know nobody's out there.
00:50Well, I know nobody's going to look at the orange because nobody's supposed to be in here.
00:55Including you.
00:56Well.
00:57Wild Animals.
00:59And Wild Places.
01:00They're more than a picture.
01:02They're inspiration, excitement, and adventure.
01:06Patrolling and protecting these natural resources is a first-class band of peace officers.
01:12These are the Wardens.
01:14Dedicated to the preservation of our great outdoors.
01:17For diehard waterfowl hunters in Michigan, September 1st is a date that they typically look forward to year-round.
01:46It's the opening day to hunt geese and teal.
01:48Many hunters plan diligently to prepare for this season to begin.
01:52The weather is generally warmer than later in the season, which can be comfortable for hunters, but may adversely affect the bird activity.
01:59In Michigan's District 8, Conservation Officer Cullen Knobloch is working on this opening day to check on waterfowlers and also to address whatever other issues he may encounter during his shift.
02:14You said it's off?
02:15Off.
02:16Off.
02:19Did you guys see any geese yet?
02:22I got one.
02:23You got one?
02:23This morning?
02:24Yep.
02:25Okay.
02:26You probably talked to my wife up there.
02:27Yeah, she was telling us about your eggs.
02:29As soon as we turned around, she got on the phone.
02:32See, I'm 72 years old.
02:35Yeah.
02:35I'm a United States Marine.
02:37Okay.
02:38Retired.
02:38Thank you for your service.
02:39Yeah, same to yours.
02:41Yeah.
02:41So we're pretty much legit.
02:44And so the wife, of course, she's got the phone.
02:47I got a flip phone, but I don't ever carry it on me.
02:49She's always back and forth with the grandkids.
02:51Oh, okay.
02:53Nice.
02:54You guys got your license handy?
02:55How old are you, young lady?
02:56Nice to meet you.
02:57Okay.
02:58Is it still loaded?
02:59Okay.
03:00I'll let you unload it.
03:01Just point in the same direction and hand me the shells as you unload her.
03:06We'll try to make it quick so that way if you do get some geese coming in.
03:09Oh, that's all right.
03:10You know, last year, Collin and I got two right off the bat.
03:15She was in college at the time.
03:18Yeah.
03:19Is there another one in there?
03:20I got one more.
03:20Okay.
03:22Where's your goose at?
03:23Where do you put it at?
03:24It's on the backside of the wood.
03:25Oh.
03:26No band?
03:28I don't know.
03:28I didn't look at it.
03:29She didn't look.
03:29Dog brought it back and we was getting ready to get a little.
03:33That was about the time my wife called over here and said, hey, the DNR guy's out here.
03:37And I said, yeah, that's fair.
03:38I'm not sure.
03:39You need some decoys, too.
03:41Yeah, I do.
03:42We just, we're a little bit behind the thing for right now.
03:46All right.
03:46You can load it back up.
03:48We're getting ready to head out of here.
03:50Say, you're good.
03:52All right.
03:52You're good.
03:52You're up and up.
03:53You guys have any luck?
03:56No.
03:57I suck at this.
03:59So, you want to open your gun up there?
04:02Let me see your gun.
04:03What did you chuck in the water when we were walking up?
04:05That was a fish.
04:06We did not chuck anything.
04:07Swear to God.
04:09Right out here, that was a fish.
04:15Can you see what I got out?
04:17Is it unloaded or?
04:18Yeah.
04:19Is it plugged?
04:20Yep.
04:20Okay.
04:22You guys all done or?
04:24Yeah, we're going to go move stands because we're pissed.
04:27We can't hit a goose at 15 feet.
04:30I'll grab my gun.
04:31Do you have your license, too, sir?
04:32Yeah.
04:35Is it unloaded?
04:36Yes, sir.
04:36Got it.
04:39So, I was wondering when we drove by, see how good a shot you were going to be because that
04:46loaner came in.
04:47Do you guys?
04:47Yeah.
04:47Dude, I'm telling you, I suck.
04:52This is my, well, second year trying this.
04:55And this is my dad's gun.
04:56My dad used to shoot geese all the time, could never hit a deer.
04:59Wait, your ammo?
05:00I can't hit a deer.
05:01I see that.
05:01Do you have any other ammo in your pockets?
05:03Here's what I'm using if you need to see it.
05:05Just a second.
05:06Okay.
05:09Any other ammo?
05:10No, sir.
05:11Okay.
05:12So, no ducks, geese, nothing?
05:15Nothing.
05:16Okay.
05:17Nope.
05:18Were they, so there was, I don't know, 70 maybe this morning come up way over that way.
05:25Yeah.
05:26And then, had a bunch come over this way this morning, way too far.
05:32One loaner this way, one loaner this way.
05:34One shot straight back over in a swamp.
05:36That's all we heard.
05:37Yeah.
05:37That's fairly quiet.
05:37We checked them and they hit, they got one goose.
05:40That's a jerk.
05:41One shot.
05:43Yeah.
05:43Well, yeah, he said he could have shot.
05:44There was a couple more, a group of them.
05:47CO Knoblock is not the only officer checking waterfowlers on this first day of September.
05:52In the state's District 6, Officer Michael Lader is also on the lookout to make sure hunters
06:00are hunting safely and legally while targeting teal and geese.
06:04Hey, luck.
06:06No, nothing.
06:07No luck, nothing?
06:07No shooting at all?
06:08No ducks.
06:09No ducks?
06:10Yeah, I know it's hit or miss in here, right?
06:12I've seen a couple of wuddies flying through, but not a whole lot other than that.
06:16Going just after, whoo, a little deeper, steeper than I thought.
06:18Going after just ducks there or going for the geese, too?
06:21The geese, too.
06:22Geese, too.
06:22All right.
06:23So no shooting?
06:23I've seen a couple.
06:25You shot at a couple?
06:27So you shot at a couple you guys did?
06:28Yeah.
06:28Okay.
06:29All right.
06:30We'll take a quick look at licenses for each of you, okay?
06:33Got your license on you?
06:44And can I get the identification as well, sir?
06:46You need to take a look at my licenses and the truck.
06:49Okay.
06:50Just let them know I need their IDs as well.
06:53Thank you, sir.
06:54It's a nice setup.
06:55I like the boat.
06:56Oh, thank you.
06:58Did you do that?
06:59Your boat?
06:59Yep.
06:59Very cool.
07:01Let's head back to the truck, and I'll take a look at your license as well, okay?
07:03Okay.
07:03Then we'll go through.
07:04No birds on board?
07:06Nothing?
07:06Okay.
07:06Nothing on board at all?
07:08At least it's a beautiful morning, right?
07:09I know the fog was kind of thick there for a while, but it burned off.
07:12There you go, sir.
07:13All right.
07:13So as far as the shells go, okay?
07:15I checked everybody's shells.
07:16I found one lead shell and a couple hundred rounds, okay?
07:19So I don't think you're out there intentionally with the lead shell.
07:22It is illegal to have a lead shot while your waterfell have to pay.
07:25And you understand?
07:25You said it's for rabbit hunting.
07:26I understand it gets mixed in with some stuff.
07:28Now, if I would have found about 10 or 12 of these, that'd be a different story, okay?
07:31I only found one, so I'm going to give you a break on the lead shot today.
07:34What's in the trash bag there?
07:37You guys mind if I take a look at them?
07:39Yeah.
07:39Okay.
07:39Okay.
07:39Okay, thank you, sir.
07:49Yep, yep.
07:49I don't see any birds in there.
07:50Not that I think you're hiding them on me, but I've seen people tuck them all sorts of places,
07:54so I always check, right?
07:55I've got to make sure.
07:56Is your boat registered?
07:58I can't see a registration on it.
07:59Do you have the paperwork, or can you show me where the sticker is?
08:02Okay, back there.
08:05What's it say on it?
08:06Say 26?
08:07Okay.
08:08All right.
08:08Just for future reference, that sticker needs to be towards the bow of the boat, okay?
08:12So the registration, is there a number on there as well, it looks like?
08:14Okay.
08:15So that MC number and the registration sticker go towards the front of the boat.
08:18Yep.
08:18That way we can see it a little bit easier.
08:20That's what the law says, okay?
08:21One more thing.
08:22Do you have life jackets on board?
08:24Life jackets, PFDs?
08:26Oh, yeah.
08:26Life jackets.
08:27I need to see one, two, three, four, five life jackets, one for each of you.
08:33You only have two of them?
08:34Yeah, but I clean it.
08:35Three.
08:36Okay.
08:37I clean it in my garage.
08:40Four.
08:48You just have four in there?
08:49Yeah.
08:50Okay.
08:51Do you have your ID on you again, sir?
08:53So not the end of the world, okay?
08:58My job as conservation officer is to make sure people are being safe, right?
09:01And part of that is having flotation so that if you fall in, you can get it safely out of the water, especially with waders.
09:05Waders fill with water, and it's really hard to get out of the water with the waders on, okay?
09:10So you do need to have five life jackets, one for everybody on board.
09:12And how long is the boat?
09:14Six.
09:15Six people.
09:16How long is it?
09:17Is it 16 feet or less than 16?
09:18It looks like.
09:19No, it's 18 feet.
09:19It's 18 feet.
09:20Okay.
09:20In addition to the life jacket, you have to have a type 4 throwable device on board as an addition.
09:26Does that make sense?
09:27So we're missing the type 4 throwable, and we're missing one life jacket for a person, okay?
09:30I'm going to run to my truck, do some radio work, and we'll get back with that, okay?
09:35Fair enough?
09:35Okay.
09:42We're going to chalk it up as a warning, okay?
09:43You were pretty square.
09:44You had four life jackets.
09:45You had only one lead shot.
09:47I don't think you're out there trying to intentionally shoot with lead, right?
09:50We're going to call it warnings on all ends.
09:52Is that fair to you?
09:53Okay.
09:54Is that fair?
09:54So no ticket, no paper, nothing like that, okay?
09:58We'll call it good.
09:59It's, you know, just make sure you get that other life jacket in there.
10:02You said you cleaned the garage.
10:03Make sure you get that other one in there, or clean the boat.
10:05Make sure you get that last one in there, and that throwable, right?
10:07And that lead shot, just keep it out of the waterfowl hunting gear for me, okay?
10:10Do you have any questions for me?
10:12No.
10:13Okay.
10:13Just a warning today.
10:14I appreciate you gentlemen letting me look through your stuff.
10:16That's my job as a conservation officer, so I appreciate your cooperation.
10:19That goes a long way, okay?
10:20You folks have a good day.
10:22Are you going to call it a day hunting, or are you going to head back to another spot?
10:25No, I'm going to go to my home.
10:26Go back home?
10:26Okay.
10:26Well, maybe you can come back up here next time and have a little better luck, okay?
10:30Maybe come back tomorrow.
10:31I don't know.
10:32Okay.
10:32Sure.
10:32Yep.
10:33It's another day tomorrow.
10:34So good luck to you if you do do that, and you guys drive home safely, okay?
10:37Yep.
10:37Have a good one.
10:42After not seeing many waterfowlers out and about for a while, Officer later sees a man
10:53who's fishing.
10:54Catching all the fish today?
10:55Just pulled in.
10:56Just pulled in.
10:57All right.
10:58So you're about to catch all the fish.
10:59I'm about to catch me.
11:00Bluegill and catfish.
11:01Bluegill and catfish.
11:02Yeah, okay.
11:04How are you doing today, brother?
11:05Not too bad.
11:06Did I check you last week?
11:07Of course.
11:08I did.
11:08Okay.
11:09I know you got your license all the time.
11:11It don't matter.
11:11You're doing your job.
11:12I respect it.
11:12I'll take a peek at it again.
11:13I respect you guys more than anybody else.
11:16Did you catch any fish the other day when I checked you out?
11:19You were here with your wife or girlfriend.
11:22I apologize.
11:22Nope.
11:22It was that rainy day?
11:24Yeah.
11:24Yep.
11:24Nope.
11:25No, no, no, no.
11:26I was getting hit pretty good.
11:29I just warmed today.
11:31I was getting hit pretty good, and then it just died.
11:34Gotcha.
11:34Yeah, I know that day no one had any lucked it in.
11:37The next day I checked quite a few people with fish.
11:39However, I have been catching a lot of northern pike at Wilson Road Bridge.
11:46Do you know where that's at?
11:46Oh, yeah.
11:47I know where that is.
11:47I've been slamming them.
11:48I was using like an 8-inch Apollo crankbait just like four or five days ago, and I caught
11:54probably a 40-incher.
11:56Really?
11:56You leave any fish for the rest of us in there?
11:58No.
11:58Heck no.
11:59You think I'm going to be leaving them for anybody else but myself?
12:03Well, how many we got today?
12:04I checked you last week, didn't I?
12:05Yeah, you did.
12:05Yeah, I did.
12:06Yeah, I was here with all of them.
12:07Did you have any luck that day?
12:09Yeah, I caught a crappie.
12:12Okay.
12:13Any size to it?
12:14Yeah, 16.
12:15Oh, good deal.
12:16Okay.
12:16That's the second one caught in this section.
12:18I know I checked one a couple months ago that was 15.
12:22Yeah.
12:22Measured and everything.
12:23Well, good deal.
12:24Well, cool.
12:24Are you just getting started today?
12:26Yeah, I just got here about 10 minutes ahead of you.
12:28All right.
12:29Well, I'll let you get set up.
12:30I don't have no license or nothing.
12:31Okay.
12:32Yeah.
12:32All right.
12:33So you weren't fishing?
12:34You just got the one pole there?
12:36You're getting just that one ready?
12:37Well, yeah, I ain't fishing.
12:38I'm not going to lie.
12:39I ain't fishing.
12:40I don't have no license.
12:41Okay.
12:41When I pulled up, I saw you're bringing that in.
12:43It's got weeds on it, right?
12:44Yeah.
12:44Okay.
12:45So you were fishing, right?
12:46Yeah, yeah, yeah.
12:46Yeah, I'm fishing.
12:47Okay.
12:47So why did you tell me you weren't fishing at first?
12:48No, I'm just hooking up poles.
12:50Like, literally, I just got news and stuff out and everything.
12:53But yeah, I'm fishing.
12:53Okay.
12:54But you are fishing.
12:54I mean, there's weeds right there on the lure.
12:55Jason Haynes is the chief of the law enforcement division for Michigan's Department of Natural
13:06Resources.
13:07In that role, he oversees the entire law enforcement division and approximately 250 conservation officers.
13:13I see the relationship between the public and our conservation officers as a true partnership.
13:19We both have the same mission, and that is to preserve and protect our natural resources.
13:25For our current generation and for those generations to come.
13:29Truly, we can't effectively accomplish our mission without the help of the public.
13:36And being that we both have the same goal, we truly do need to work together to accomplish that mission.
13:42After first being introduced to the outdoors by a close relative, Chief Haynes had more opportunities
13:47to pursue outdoor activities as a young adult.
13:50I did have a grandfather who unfortunately passed far too early, but he introduced me
13:56to perch fishing, and that was my first real tasty outdoors when I was really young.
14:01Like I mentioned, he passed a little too soon.
14:05So there was a bit of a drop off in the outdoor activity until I got into college and started
14:11to figure some things out and established some friendships that helped me get out there and
14:15learn a few things.
14:16Chief Haynes enjoys participating in grouse camp with his friends in the fall.
14:21We've always called it bird camp or grouse camp up here, and I have a lot of people would be like,
14:26I'm going up to bird camp, and they'd be like, what are you doing?
14:29Like, you mean deer camp?
14:31And we're like, no, we don't care about deer.
14:34We're after grouse and woodcock, and it's been a long tradition for us and a really nice one.
14:40We're getting closer.
14:41Stop and go on point.
14:45It gets the heart pumping a little bit.
14:48It's like Christmas.
14:50It's that anticipation.
14:51Yep.
14:53Hopefully the package will be delivered.
14:55Right.
14:57Although it wouldn't be the first Christmas I didn't get anything.
14:59Yeah.
15:00That's true.
15:01One of the things that we kind of try and do is to never leave the woods.
15:07Like, if you don't have to go to town to get anything, we don't go to town.
15:11We don't go to the restaurant to have a meal.
15:15We're here the entire four days of grouse camp.
15:19And that's part of the, I think, part of being special about it is just to be here, to have our meals together, to have the campfire together, to just enjoy some time, you know, once a year.
15:37Just like last night, having a little bit of time around the fire, reminiscing about some old times, some good nature, joking back and forth, bringing up some old embarrassing moments.
15:51There's just a ton of value in that.
15:53I think we're right around 25 years that my family's been coming out here.
15:59We were talking before, it's like a lot of history here, a lot of memories.
16:03My cousin's dog is buried at the base of that beech tree over there.
16:08And every place you walk around here, we've got a story for something fun that happened there.
16:14And that's really what it's all about.
16:15I've got a fantastic wife who loves being in the outdoors.
16:20We put a lot of miles on the trails around the state.
16:24And in other states, we like to travel and see new areas.
16:27Um, so spending time with her and with my own dog on the trails is, uh, it's pretty important to me.
16:38Oh, there he went.
16:39Whoop, whoop, whoop!
16:44That was a grouse, I think, wasn't it?
16:45Yeah, it was, yep.
16:46Dang it.
16:48Yeah, I was surprised to see him come up and see if it was a grouse.
16:54Dang.
16:55Well, that's how it goes, huh?
16:58Absolutely.
16:59That's right right here.
17:00Our people over the years has changed as we've, all of us have aged.
17:05Our kids have come at different times.
17:08Sometimes wives.
17:09A long list of friends that can make it or not make it.
17:14You know, this year we were lucky to have Jason come.
17:16But I've got a whole list of other folks that have come and enjoy this with us and our family here.
17:23And so that really means a lot.
17:26My grandson's three years old.
17:29You know, ten years from now, maybe we'll be getting him out of school to come up to grouse camp and go with grandpa.
17:36So hopefully, hopefully that tradition continues that way, too.
17:41There's far more to it than just actually taking game.
17:45Everything else that surrounds it has got so much value to it.
17:49Being out with good people and good dogs, that's the main thing for me anymore.
17:54Michigan Conservation Officer Cullen Knobloch is checking on waterfowl hunters on September 1st,
18:09which is the first day that geese and teal can be shot.
18:12How you doing?
18:12Good. How are you doing?
18:13Not bad.
18:13Whose place is this?
18:14My cousin's.
18:15Okay.
18:16You guys get any out?
18:17Yeah.
18:18He just, this is his first time out.
18:20Goose hunting and we shot a band.
18:22A band?
18:22Yeah.
18:23Nice.
18:24He's just banded this year, but he's a couple year old.
18:29Did you guys look him up?
18:30Yeah, he was banded right in Stockbridge.
18:32Stockbridge.
18:32Nice.
18:33He's like, I got it.
18:34It's mine.
18:35Fair and square.
18:35Do you have your ID on you?
18:37Yes, I do.
18:37Well, cool.
18:38Congratulations.
18:39We'll get out of your hair.
18:40It's approximately a two-hour drive from where C.O. Knobloch is checking on waterfowlers
18:45to where Conservation Officer Michael Lader is assigned in Michigan's District 6.
18:50C.O. Lader is also working on the opening day of the geese and teal season.
18:57After checking some hunters in the morning, Officer Lader encountered a man who was fishing
19:01but didn't have a valid license to do so.
19:04Any bites at least?
19:05No.
19:05No, I didn't have one out there.
19:06I got a bobber I want to, so.
19:08It's still sitting out there?
19:08Yeah, yeah, yeah.
19:09I was about to make my way down there, and it goes a long way when you're honest with
19:12me, okay?
19:13Save me the trouble trying to find that line, okay?
19:15So, I'm glad you told me about it.
19:17Let's take a look down here.
19:18No fish on a string or nothing like that?
19:20No, no, no.
19:21Those people have been here.
19:22I've literally just got it like five minutes ago.
19:23I haven't even been at all.
19:25You just have a worm on there under the bobber then?
19:26Yeah, just a worm.
19:27Okay.
19:28So, what we're going to do, all right, you do know that you need a license to fish,
19:32right?
19:32Yes, I do.
19:32And you have two lines in the water.
19:34You bring that one in when I came up here, and then that one will still sit in the water,
19:37okay?
19:38I'm not denying anything.
19:39So, you will be receiving a citation today for fish without a license, okay?
19:42Fair enough.
19:43Fair enough.
19:43What it's going to be, I'll explain this when I get it.
19:46Okay, I've never had a talk with you guys before, so I don't...
19:49Okay, I'll explain everything to you.
19:50Just go ahead and sit tight for me.
19:51I'm going to do some radio work, okay?
19:53All right.
19:53No warrants, anything I need to be aware of before I do radio work?
19:56Nothing like that?
19:56Okay.
19:57In this case, this man was ordered by the court to pay a fine of $246.
20:02However, he has not yet paid his fine.
20:05The court may still issue a warrant for his arrest in order to collect the fine.
20:09So, fishing without a license in the state of Michigan is a misdemeanor, okay?
20:12Criminal misdemeanor.
20:12You ended up being honest with me, okay?
20:16It could have gone maybe a little bit different direction if you weren't honest with me up
20:19front, okay?
20:19I issued you a civil infraction ticket for failing to display a fishing license to me.
20:23Does that make sense?
20:24So, it basically says, you didn't have a fishing license, you didn't show it to me when I asked
20:27you for a fishing license.
20:28Does that make sense?
20:29Okay.
20:29So, basically, it's a civil infraction.
20:31Once you pay the fine, it goes away, doesn't stay on your record, nothing like that, okay?
20:34Sounds like you got a little bit of history, okay?
20:35Yeah.
20:37Okay.
20:37No fishing history.
20:38Well, yeah, I understand that.
20:39Yeah, and I'm all for people getting in the outdoors and trying something new and fishing.
20:42So, I don't want to scare you away from fishing, okay?
20:44But I do have a job to do, right?
20:45Yeah.
20:46And you do need a license, okay?
20:47As far as today goes, this will be your license for today, okay?
20:50Fair enough.
20:51Oh.
20:51I'll let that be your license.
20:53You can keep fishing.
20:53If you happen to get stopped again, that's your license.
20:56But after today, you can't go out without that license, okay?
20:59Oh, thank you.
20:59Do you know how you can purchase a license?
21:01Yeah, yeah, yeah.
21:01Just go to Walmart or the fishing store or whatever.
21:03Okay, and it sounds like you're not allowed to be in Walmart.
21:06Is that correct?
21:07Oh, yeah, yeah.
21:07Per the order?
21:08Okay, so just make sure.
21:08And also, you're suspended, okay?
21:10Yes.
21:11Who got you here?
21:13I got me here.
21:14Okay.
21:14I got me here.
21:15I dropped my wife off at the apartment.
21:16She had stuff to do.
21:18Okay.
21:19It's just a walk-up to them for sure.
21:20Yep, don't.
21:21I can't let you drive away, okay?
21:23Yeah.
21:23I didn't see you driving.
21:24I'm not going to do anything about that right now.
21:26But keep in mind, it's risky business, right?
21:29Yeah.
21:29So don't be doing that anymore.
21:30Make sure you walk back or have your wife get a ride.
21:33Come pick you up and bring you back.
21:36The state of Michigan offers a wide variety of recreational activities
21:40for people who are interested in utilizing water.
21:43With tens of thousands of miles of rivers and streams within its borders,
21:48as well as four of the five Great Lakes touching its borders,
21:51and more than 11,000 inland lakes,
21:54Michigan exhibits nearly limitless options for water-using enthusiasts.
21:58In the state's District 3,
22:03Conservation Officer Andrea Albert
22:06Watch your wake, please!
22:08is watching Lake Revelers during the Independence Day weekend.
22:12Hey!
22:13You!
22:14Hi, folks!
22:31Conservation Officer.
22:33How you doing?
22:33Hey, pretty good.
22:34The reason I'm stopping you is this is a slow-no-wake zone.
22:40Okay, well, I had too much wake still?
22:41Yeah, you did.
22:42It was still throwing it.
22:43I mean, it was close.
22:45It was right there, but a little bit too much yet.
22:47You just blotch it.
22:48Did you guys get checked yesterday by the Sheriff Department?
22:51No.
22:51We got here.
22:52We came up from Bel Air Lake.
22:55Oh, okay.
22:56This is brand new?
22:57Yes.
22:57Do you have your purchase agreement or your title?
23:00Oh, look at that.
23:00You had it right there.
23:02That's the best.
23:05All right, there you go.
23:06Where does it go?
23:06Right here?
23:07This is a better size.
23:08Yeah, Florida only gives one, don't they?
23:10Right.
23:11Now, because I just ran into that the other day on a dealership.
23:15Where do you guys like them?
23:17Yeah, four and a half above the waterline.
23:19So you can see them?
23:20Yeah, so you can see them.
23:21So you'd have to look up Florida regulations, though.
23:24Gotcha.
23:24Yeah, whatever.
23:25What side of the boat they want it on.
23:26So it's not a Michigan resident support registration, so.
23:30All right.
23:30Well, you folks enjoy your fourth.
23:32I'll let you go ahead in front of me.
23:36Well, today we're on the south end of Torch Lake,
23:39and this is the sandbar area that attracts a lot of boaters
23:44and a lot of people here to celebrate the fourth today
23:46and enjoy themselves.
23:48This sandbar lake lays in two counties,
23:50in Antrim County and also Kalkaska County.
23:52So we have officers from both of those counties and districts,
23:56and then we also have the Antrim County Sheriff's Department,
23:59Kalkaska County Sheriff's Department,
24:01and the Michigan State Police out today.
24:03I'm coming up alongside you.
24:25How are you guys doing today?
24:28You can just put it neutral.
24:29You got it neutral?
24:31You got it neutral?
24:33Ready?
24:34Yeah.
24:34Okay, perfect.
24:35That's fine.
24:36Let's go talk to you.
24:36Come on.
24:37Hi.
24:41The reason I'm stopping you is your registration's a little askew.
24:45The registration number should be following the number.
24:48The decal should be following the number.
24:50But also, I want to make sure you guys have enough life jackets on this boat.
24:53Turn your music down.
24:54We do.
24:54We got some under every seat.
24:56Yes.
24:57You want me to pull them all out?
24:58I need someone to, yeah, every person needs to hold up a life jacket for me.
25:03Can you get them out the seats?
25:05Everybody get a life jacket.
25:06Hey, y'all sitting on the seat.
25:08So the way your registration is on there, you have your number,
25:12and then you have your decal is at the beginning.
25:15The decal should be three inches after the number.
25:17Do you have your registration, your boat registration?
25:24So how many short are we?
25:26Do you two have them up there?
25:28You got one?
25:28There should be one for every person.
25:29But you have one?
25:30Yes.
25:31You got one, you got one, you got one, you got one.
25:32Everybody has one.
25:34What about you?
25:36You, the driver.
25:37More.
25:39I don't know.
25:40There should be another one.
25:44Hello?
25:51Wait, then the person behind you that they have?
25:54Oh, okay.
25:55I'm still missing one.
25:56You're talking about the circle ones?
25:59Circle one or like, it looks like a seat cushion.
26:01Okay.
26:02You don't have that one?
26:02Wait, it looks like a square seat cushion,
26:06but it's made out of that same material that life jackets are made out of.
26:09This operator of this boat does not have enough life jackets for the number of people that are on the vessel.
26:14He also doesn't have a U.S. Coast Guard approved Class 4 throwable device.
26:19The state of Michigan has customer service centers throughout the state to serve the public.
26:34The men and women who work at the front desks of these centers are likely the DNR employees who interact with the public the most.
26:42And this will be a map of the regional area for you as well, and one set of fishing regulations.
26:48Appreciate you stopping by.
26:50They are asked questions that run the gamut of natural resources, so they must be well-versed on a huge spectrum of topics.
26:57It's definitely a challenge to keep up on current regulations and keep up to speed and to make sure we're educating the public properly
27:05and making sure they're getting good information and having a good, safe time and out there enjoying the resource
27:12while the resource is also being protected.
27:15There's DNR customer service centers throughout the entire state,
27:18and the front desk staff meets on a regular basis to talk about a lot of coordination and consistency.
27:24If it's a statewide regulation, you want the same answer across all those customer service centers,
27:29and that's a tough coordination to get in a lot of places.
27:33And they work together to make sure they're always answering questions consistently
27:38and working with the other divisions to make sure those divisions know how they're messaging that out to the public
27:44and giving a clear and concise response.
27:48Emily Plinus worked in other areas of the DNR before she started her role as a front desk employee.
27:55Those experiences made her better equipped to assist the public.
27:58I started as a short-term worker and then progressively worked my way up to a park officer.
28:04I got to do a ton of field work, so I got to assist a law enforcement division.
28:12I got to assist our forest resource division, wildlife division.
28:15Everything that I picked up in the field is huge for this position because it is a desk job,
28:23but, I mean, you're expected to know exactly how much of everything a conservation officer knows,
28:29a wildlife biologist knows, our forest fire officer knows.
28:33Front office staff hear some questions very frequently and others less often.
28:38We'll get questions that sometimes only get asked once or twice in a year.
28:42So we do get some, I won't call them off-the-wall questions, but just infrequent questions that we just don't get very often.
28:52And that's where I have to lean to a lot of resources.
28:55In-house, we've created a lot of in-house databases, wikis, and other reference materials.
29:01And we also created a, basically, a chat where all of our staff get together and we can quick throw questions at each other.
29:10And usually somebody has the answer out of that group.
29:13So it's a real team effort as well.
29:15They, a lot of times, do a lot more even in coordination than just communicating with the public.
29:20They sell licenses.
29:21Sometimes they are the safety coordinators for the building within their, their area.
29:27They get assigned a lot of other duties just other than communicating with the public and, and handling phone calls.
29:34So they're very essential to our, our operations in the DNR.
29:37Department of Natural Resources, this is Andy.
29:40Andy Evans has worked at the Michigan DNR for 30 years.
29:44He's seen many changes in his time with the department.
29:47When I started, I was with the Parks and Recreation Division, and we were literally taking campground reservations, writing them out on postcards, sending the confirmations with postage stamps.
30:01So we've had so much technology come on board over these last 30 years.
30:06And then changes, too, in terms of our technology for outreach to the public and educating the public.
30:12We have a larger website now and a lot more interactive online maps, a lot of online tools available now to help the public out quite a bit.
30:22The more you know, the better and easier it is.
30:24But it's just knowing all of those little assets and different things in our department, which is a lot.
30:32They're kind of like the unsung heroes.
30:34A lot of people don't think about how valuable the front desk staff is.
30:38Michigan Conservation Officer Andrea Albert is working during the 4th of July weekend.
30:53She's checking on boaters on Torch Lake in the northern lower peninsula in Michigan's District 3.
31:01She's contacted a man who's operating a pontoon boat with a lot of people on it.
31:06He doesn't have all of the life-saving equipment on the vessel that's required by law.
31:11And how much have you had to drink today?
31:16Just a couple beers?
31:18Okay.
31:20You being the responsible operator today?
31:22Yes, I have a boat.
31:22Okay.
31:29Have you ever owned a boat before?
31:32My first pontoon.
31:33This is your first pontoon, your first boat?
31:35Okay.
31:36Big boat.
31:36I've owned like fishing boats.
31:38Oh, you have had fishing boats and stuff?
31:40I have.
31:40Okay.
31:42Okay.
31:42All right.
31:44I am going to issue a ticket for failing to have one of the life jackets.
31:48And then, yeah, just make sure you get the throwable on there, too.
31:51I mean, you guys did pretty good, and I appreciate that.
31:53So the throwable ticket, should we have like the circle one?
31:56You don't have to buy a circle one.
31:58You can buy a, it looks like, people call it like a seat cushion.
32:02It's a square.
32:03You just have to have a boat for every person.
32:05Oh, so what a lifeguard would have at a boat?
32:08You don't have to have that.
32:09You can purchase a type four throwable that's like a square.
32:13Something throwable.
32:14Yeah.
32:14It's actually a Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device that you can throw to somebody.
32:19In this case, for not having enough life jackets on his vessel, this man paid a court-ordered fine of $180.
32:26It's a civil infraction.
32:27It's just a fine for not having that life jacket.
32:29And the warnings for the other is contact the 86th District Court within 10 business days of today's date,
32:34and the phone number's on that little sticker that's on the bottom.
32:36Okay.
32:37Any questions on that or how to take care of it?
32:38So I just contact that and pay that through?
32:41Yeah, you can, yeah, you'll be able to do it over the phone.
32:46Does he have to go to the court for that?
32:47No.
32:48No?
32:48No.
32:48Okay.
32:49How much is that?
32:50I don't know.
32:51That's up to the court.
32:52They said that.
32:53Do I have to do anything with the warnings?
32:54With the what?
32:55With the warnings.
32:56Nope.
32:57Warnings are just on there just to, you know, notifying the court and for my records that I gave you some warnings.
33:03Okay.
33:03Yep.
33:04All right.
33:05Yeah.
33:05You're welcome.
33:06Well, you guys have a wonderful weekend.
33:09Thank you for being safe and thank you for being a good driver and a sober driver.
33:13I appreciate that.
33:14Yeah.
33:14Now you're doing a good job.
33:15I really appreciate it.
33:17All right.
33:17You folks have a good afternoon.
33:18Thank you so much.
33:19Yeah.
33:19You bet.
33:20It's approximately a four-hour drive from where CO Albert patrols to where Officer Joe Deppin patrols in the state's District 9.
33:27If you pull in there, I mean, those two far back stands, if anybody's sitting in them, whether it be orange or not, you'll be able to see them.
33:38And then if you pull, I mean, I don't know about the tower blind, but.
33:41Due north of the tower blind is what you're saying?
33:43Yes.
33:44There's two of them.
33:44Yeah.
33:45In each corner of the property.
33:46But to the west, I won't be able to see anything.
33:49I'm going to look at that one.
33:49It's a tree line.
33:50Yep.
33:50I'm going to look at that one.
33:51CO Deppin is working on the opening day of the firearm deer season.
33:55He's joined by officers Brad Solori, Chris Keel, and Zach Cardinal.
34:00They are coordinating a plan to contact a hunter who is set up in a spot where he doesn't have permission to be.
34:11Yeah, so we're on that.
34:13This is all mire right here.
34:14This is just the frickin' public roadway.
34:16So he's either on the public roadway or he's going to be right here where the stuff was last year.
34:20Do you want us to skirt that edge in there?
34:22Chris is going to glass.
34:23Chris is going to pull in that glass.
34:24We didn't see anything.
34:25He's not wearing orange on that tree line.
34:27No.
34:27Let's just, let's see if he's in this area here because he was right over here last time.
34:30Try to find his trail.
34:32Yeah.
34:40Good for him.
34:41He didn't see anything obvious in the tree line.
34:43So, there's this area here.
34:44There's a big, big area down there, but.
34:47How did he get in there with his trail?
34:49He can go around.
34:51Hey, Chris, stay there for a minute.
34:53Just see if we walk in, if Stevie pops up behind us anywhere.
34:56So, we were driving off 32 Mile and we found a large white truck parked in a private field
35:04that we had complaints on from last year, but we could never catch the guy.
35:08So, we pulled into the field.
35:10It's owned by Meyers, Meyers 33 Acres.
35:12And we started glassing the whole field edge looking for the hunter.
35:16We couldn't find him.
35:17And so, we figured he was probably back in the far corner.
35:20So, we got out and walked the entire edge of the field.
35:23130, we're going to walk this edge until we find where his trail goes in that.
35:27So, when we got to the far corner of the field, we found a guy without hunter orange on hiding up in a pine tree.
35:55Are you with anybody else?
36:05Nope.
36:07What's the problem?
36:09You're hunting on Meyers property, for one.
36:11Huh?
36:12This property is owned by Meyers.
36:15You got orange stuff in your hands?
36:17Yeah.
36:18Should be on your body?
36:19Huh?
36:19Should be on your body?
36:21I just took it off to get down.
36:23Okay.
36:23Okay.
36:25Do you have permission to hunt here?
36:27Yes, I do.
36:28From Meyers.
36:29Huh?
36:29From Meyers.
36:30Meyers 30 Acres, the store.
36:32I have permission to.
36:35Okay.
36:36This property is owned by Meyers.
36:38I got permission to used to hunt.
36:41He doesn't have permission.
36:42He doesn't have hunting privileges here.
36:45He only can farm it.
36:48He told me I...
36:48I remember this last year.
36:49He told me that I could hug you after he talked to you.
36:54Well, he got you in trouble.
37:05Michigan Conservation Officers Joe Deppin, Chris Keel, Brad Solori, and Zach Cardinal are working on November 15th, which is Michigan's opening day for hunters to pursue white-tailed deer with firearms.
37:19They've contacted a hunter who was set up in a tree and hunting, but didn't have permission to be on the property.
37:24Do you have any firearms on you?
37:25Any pistols or anything like that?
37:26No.
37:28Is it just you, or is there anybody else hunting with you?
37:30It's just me.
37:31I've been hunting here for 40 years.
37:33Okay.
37:35What have you got so far this year for deer?
37:38I shot an A-point over by my house, and I never registered it.
37:42You never registered it?
37:43Why not?
37:43How come?
37:44I just forgot.
37:46Then my wife told me to do it, and then I never did after the fact.
37:50I just picked it up yesterday.
37:52Okay.
37:52When did you shoot it?
37:54The day after it's snow.
37:56The day after snow?
37:57Yeah.
37:59Day after Halloween.
38:00Okay.
38:00So November 1st?
38:01Yeah.
38:02Okay.
38:02Did you tag that A-point with her tag or your tag?
38:05I tagged it with my tag.
38:06Your tag?
38:06Okay.
38:08You just don't know where those tags are at?
38:10No.
38:11I had them both the other day when I tagged that one.
38:17Yeah.
38:18Yeah, he's wedged up in the tree.
38:18Yeah, he's wedged up on that limb.
38:20Yeah.
38:20All right.
38:20I'm just going to go for the hunter's orange in the failed register.
38:22Give him a warning on trespass and ORB trespass.
38:26What really cool is when I was there, and I was panning across, and if I had seen him
38:31in that tree, that would be good.
38:33Well, he had gloves in it.
38:35He had gloves and a hat, and a hat way down below, and an orange vest way down below.
38:38He wasn't wearing it.
38:39No.
38:40He didn't have it on.
38:41He had it, but he didn't wear it.
38:42If he had the hat on, we probably would have saw him from across the field.
38:45Did you ask him why he didn't have it on?
38:46He says he just took it off when we came up.
38:49No.
38:50We just looked at the film, and he didn't have it on.
38:53I know he didn't have it on.
38:54I saw him up in the tree and went,
38:55I would have seen him with orange on in the tree.
38:57Oh, yeah.
38:59So here's what we did.
39:00The only citation that I issued you today is to the fail to wear hunter's orange.
39:04We come up on you.
39:05You know, you have your hat and your gloves in your hand.
39:07You got to be wearing an either external vest, hat.
39:09You know, I think you're up in that tree.
39:10I think you know why we're here, so you got to take off the orange, okay?
39:13So, which for the hunter's orange requirement, I'll give you a verbal warning on ORB trespass,
39:18a verbal warning on recreational trespass,
39:20and I'll give you a verbal warning on that register in your deer within 72 hours, okay?
39:24I'm going to look.
39:24Is there a citation you get for not registering?
39:27Yes.
39:28Is it?
39:28What is it?
39:29It's a 90-day misdemeanor for not registering your deer,
39:31because I'm giving you a warning on those three, all three are 90 days, actually.
39:34But within 24 hours, go online, register your deer.
39:39You've had...
39:39Can I do it late?
39:41Because don't you have, like, a five-day or what is it?
39:43You got 72 hours.
39:45You shot that on November 1st.
39:46It's been 15 days.
39:47You're a little bit over the time limit.
39:48Right, right.
39:48So just do it today.
39:49That way you knock it out.
39:51It's registered.
39:51If you took it up in Columbia, just get the township in the section, and then it's registered.
39:56You don't have to worry about it.
39:57If you get another deer later this year, just register it within the 72 hours.
40:00You don't have to worry about it.
40:01I don't have to last year.
40:02I just forgot.
40:02Okay.
40:03So, like I said, the 100 orange requirement, within 14 days, contact the 42nd District Court of Romeo, the phone number at the bottom.
40:10I didn't take it off because I've seen it.
40:12I have it on.
40:13Well, when we walk up...
40:14I know nobody's out there.
40:15When we walk up, you know nobody's out there.
40:18Yeah.
40:18Well, I know nobody's going to look at the orange because nobody's supposed to be in here.
40:22Including you.
40:23Well, I know nobody's going to shoot me.
40:26Well, you don't know that.
40:27That's the thing.
40:28When people...
40:29Maybe they shoot in your direction.
40:30The point is, the orange is so that other hunters know that someone's in the area, do not shoot in that general vicinity, okay?
40:36In this case, for not wearing Hunter's orange, this man pled guilty, and all of his court costs and fines were waived.
40:43Is your driver's license?
40:44Hunting license, hunting tags.
40:45My license wasn't in there?
40:46No, it is.
40:47It's in there.
40:47Oh, is it?
40:48Yeah.
40:48It was stuck in the back.
40:49I swear to God it was.
40:50Just make sure, you know, make sure you have your license and now your girlfriend's on you for, you know, the future.
40:54Yep.
40:55You have any questions?
40:55Nope.
40:56Okay.
40:56We're all set.
40:56Thank you, sir.
40:57Have a good day.
40:57All right.
40:58So, I still got a question.
41:01Keep it pointed high.
41:02Keep it pointed high.
41:03So, this property that's fenced in along the freeway...
41:06That's the roadway.
41:07But the Cedar Swamp's not, and the Cedar Swamp's fenced in.
41:12You see that big fence you climbed over?
41:14Is it state land?
41:15No, it's not state land.
41:16It belongs to the township.
41:18Okay.
41:20I was never told that before.
41:21I asked.
41:22I went to Roscommon to the headquarters up there and asked them, and the guy scrolls through it, and he says, can't tell you.
41:28Well, Roscommon's not even...
41:30This is District 9 down here.
41:31Roscommon's way up there.
41:31He looked it up.
41:33Well, that's all Washington Township.
41:35That's a property along the roadway, and then this is all Meyer property.
41:37So, they don't allow hunting out here.
41:39So, the farmer, if he's farming it, he can't give you permission.
41:42Okay?
41:43All right.
41:43You're all set, sir.
41:44Yep.
41:44Have a good day.
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