kansasbowhunter
Shed Head!!!
From the Minneapolis Tribune Newspaper
FERGUS FALLS, MINN. -- Minnesota fishing legend and TV host Babe Winkelman agreed Monday to pay a fine for illegally using two-way radios last fall during a deer hunt.
Winkelman, 55, of Brainerd, has insisted that he didn't do anything wrong when he used walkie-talkies during a hunt Nov. 16 on his property near Perham, Minn.
However in a written plea petition filed in Otter Tail County District Court, he entered an Alford plea, in which he does not admit guilt but concedes there is enough evidence for a jury to convict him.
As part of the plea agreement, Winkelman will pay a $200 fine and write a newspaper column about hunting ethics. If he has no similar offenses during the next year, his record will be wiped clean, Otter Tail County Attorney David Hauser said Monday.
Had Winkelman been convicted in court, he likely would have received a similar penalty, Hauser said.
District Judge Wally Senyk still must approve the plea.
Winkelman and his wife, Kris, 42, and Michael Martin, 42, another hunter, also of Brainerd, were cited by Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation officers for unlawfully taking game with the use of a radio. Using radio equipment to take game, big or small, is unlawful, according to state hunting regulations. The word "take" includes pursuing game.
Dennis Lang, the DNR officer who cited Winkelman, said he received a tip that radios were being used by hunters near Perham, and he went to the area to monitor radio frequencies. After listening to a number of people coordinate a deer hunt using walkie-talkies, Lang said he located Winkelman and gave him a citation.
Winkelman told his wife he would try to get deer moving in her direction and told her to get into her hunting stand, Lang said.
Winkelman has denied using the radios to "take" deer and said the group uses radios to make sure fellow hunters are in their stands. "I don't believe we did anything wrong or intended to do anything wrong," Winkelman said last month.
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John Maynard (COJO)
Golden Key Futura Field Test Staff Member
FERGUS FALLS, MINN. -- Minnesota fishing legend and TV host Babe Winkelman agreed Monday to pay a fine for illegally using two-way radios last fall during a deer hunt.
Winkelman, 55, of Brainerd, has insisted that he didn't do anything wrong when he used walkie-talkies during a hunt Nov. 16 on his property near Perham, Minn.
However in a written plea petition filed in Otter Tail County District Court, he entered an Alford plea, in which he does not admit guilt but concedes there is enough evidence for a jury to convict him.
As part of the plea agreement, Winkelman will pay a $200 fine and write a newspaper column about hunting ethics. If he has no similar offenses during the next year, his record will be wiped clean, Otter Tail County Attorney David Hauser said Monday.
Had Winkelman been convicted in court, he likely would have received a similar penalty, Hauser said.
District Judge Wally Senyk still must approve the plea.
Winkelman and his wife, Kris, 42, and Michael Martin, 42, another hunter, also of Brainerd, were cited by Department of Natural Resources (DNR) conservation officers for unlawfully taking game with the use of a radio. Using radio equipment to take game, big or small, is unlawful, according to state hunting regulations. The word "take" includes pursuing game.
Dennis Lang, the DNR officer who cited Winkelman, said he received a tip that radios were being used by hunters near Perham, and he went to the area to monitor radio frequencies. After listening to a number of people coordinate a deer hunt using walkie-talkies, Lang said he located Winkelman and gave him a citation.
Winkelman told his wife he would try to get deer moving in her direction and told her to get into her hunting stand, Lang said.
Winkelman has denied using the radios to "take" deer and said the group uses radios to make sure fellow hunters are in their stands. "I don't believe we did anything wrong or intended to do anything wrong," Winkelman said last month.
--------------------
John Maynard (COJO)
Golden Key Futura Field Test Staff Member