This undated photo shows Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Conservation Officers Scott MacNeill (left) and Josiah Killingbeck (right) after having retrieved 463 pounds of salmon from a group of people illegally fishing the Manistee River. The officers donated the fish to local Manistee County families the same day. (Photo courtesy of the MDNR)

ESCANABA – The following reports detail daily activity of Michigan conservation officers from Nov. 23, 2025, to Dec. 6, 2025, throughout the following District 1 and District 2 counties of service: Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft.

District 1 counties of service: Baraga, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon.

Conservation Officer (CO) Jenni Lehto contacted a hunter who had purchased a tag four days after killing a deer. Charges are being requested through the Gogebic County Prosecutor’s Office.

District 2 counties of service: Alger, Chippewa, Delta, Mackinac, Luce, Schoolcraft.

COs Steve Butzin and Matt Bowser received a complaint about multiple illegally taken deer in a garage in Escanaba. The COs went to the location, conducted several interviews, and located several deer which were harvested during the firearm deer season. One was a yearling doe that had a combo license attached to it, one was a spike horn with no license attached to it, and another deer was located that was missing a head which was also determined to be a spike horn which was tagged with a combo license. When asked where the license for one of the spike horns was, an individual handed the COs a base license that he had written on with a pen that stated, “Spike Horn 11/28/25.” The COs explained that a combo license could not be used on any of these deer and a base license is not a deer license. A report is being submitted to the 94th District Court of Delta County pending charges.

CO Robert Freeborn assisted the Michigan State Police (MSP) with several vehicles in the ditch during blizzard conditions. CO Robert Freeborn made sure everyone in the vehicles were safe and waited for the tow trucks to arrive on scene and handled any accident reports needed.

CO Robert Freeborn received a complaint, after dark, about subjects on the ice trying to rescue a deer that couldn’t stand up on the slippery ice. Upon arrival CO Freeborn, along with a local city police officer, walked out on the ice to the individuals. Due to the poor ice conditions, the officers couldn’t make it all the way to them and had the subjects walk back to them so they could be safely escorted off the ice. The subjects were found to be young kids who had gone on the ice without their parents knowing. The officers were unable to get to the deer due to the ice conditions.

While on patrol in Mackinac County, CO Joe Budnick observed a snowmobile operating in the roadway during the firearm deer season quiet period. Contact was made with the operator, and it was discovered the snowmobile had expired registration and expired trail permit. Enforcement action was taken.

CO Mike Olesen patrolled Chippewa County after receiving a decent amount of rideable snow for snowmobiling. CO Olesen focused his patrol on an area where stop signs on the trail are commonly disregarded. During the patrol, CO Olesen cited two riders for careless operation of a snowmobile by failing to abide by a stop sign and issued a citation to another rider for failing to display a valid snowmobile registration.

CO Alex French was on patrol in Chippewa County when he contacted a hunter in a motor vehicle with a loaded firearm. The hunter was issued a citation for having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.

CO Scott Pankow participated in “Ask the DNR” in Marquette at Northern Michigan University. The hour-long live show gives viewers a chance to call in with any questions they might have about regulations and laws.