Officers Nab Kamiah Man Poaching Steelhead

KAMIAH - - The plan was to club the steelhead, throw it in the truck and then travel to camp and show off to friends. Unfortunately, the game wardens were watching the poacher from the bushes. With the discovery of a bullet-riddled steelhead and several .22 rifle shells along Mill Creek, a tributary of the South Fork Clearwater River, Idaho Fish and Game conservation officers decided to watch the area in hopes of catching a law violator. All river tributaries in Idaho are closed to steelhead fishing to protect spawning adults. Within minutes of concealing themselves along the Mill Creek road, IDFG officers Larry Willmott and Mike Demick watched a vehicle driven by Donald Massey stop and three individuals stepped out. Massey and a friend quickly ran to the creek, while one individual remained on the road. Within minutes, Massey and friend returned to the vehicle holding a struggling, wet steelhead. IDFG officers Roy Kinner and Mike Dafoe arrived and assisted in questioning the three suspects. When first confronted, Massey told Willmott that he caught the steelhead in the South Fork twenty minutes prior to arriving along Mill Creek but forgot to validate his permit. However, after separating the suspects and interviewing them individually, one suspect signed a statement admitting that Massey caught the steelhead with his hands out of Mill Creek. Massey pleaded guilty to possession of an unlawfully taken steelhead in Idaho County Court in April 2002. Massey was fined $171 and his hunting, fishing and trapping privileges were revoked for one year. "We took a chance and it paid off this time," said Willmott. "We're spread pretty thin, but every once in a while, we are in the right place and the right time." IDFG encourages the public to help protect their wildlife from poachers by calling the Citizens Against Poaching hotline at 1-800-632-5999. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a cash reward.