Idaho Fish & Game is investigating what it calls "an alarming number" of big game animals shot and left to waste along a single stretch of road east of Kamiah - seven deer and elk since late October. “We’ve investigated poaching activity in this area in the past, but nothing to this extent,” said Roger Westfall, a senior conservation officer based in Kamiah.  “There is no excuse for these senseless crimes – it’s outrageous.” F&G reported that the kills, all found along a 1.5-mile stretch of Beaver Slide Road, included two whitetail does, a cow elk, a mature mule deer buck, a small whitetail buck and two more elk. All appeared to have been shot from the road illegally; no meat was taken from any of them.

"Anyone observing suspicious activity in this area or with information about these crimes is encouraged to contact the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999," Fish & Game said in a news release. "Callers can remain anonymous and will be eligible for a reward."

The agency also is asking for help in finding the poacher of a trophy-class white-tailed buck that was shot from Deer Creek Road west of Whitebird around Nov. 16; those poachers took the head, including the animal's huge and distinctive antlers, and left the rest of the carcass to waste.