Sometime late on the night of August 4 or early the next morning, a person or persons broke a front window at Fish and Game's Nampa office and walked away with one of the trophy mule deer mounts from the office's front lobby area.

While the investigation continues, public help is needed to solve the case and bring the thieves to justice. Persons with information regarding the break-in and theft of the deer mount are urged to contact the Canyon County Sheriff's office at 454-7531. Callers can remain anonymous.

Citizens Against Poaching (CAP) is also involved, offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the thieves. Call the CAP hotline anytime at 1-800-632-5999.

Killed illegally in 1981, the trophy mule deer has been hanging just inside the front door of the office for more than a decade.

"That particular mount stops a lot of folks right in their tracks," Fish and Game regional conservation educator Evin Oneale noted. "At nearly 40 inches, antler width is the distinct feature of this particular muley." The mount holds a Boone and Crockett score of 195.

The mount's one-of-a-kind status may be the factor that brings the thieves to justice. "It was stolen to display or to sell," Oneale said. "Either way, it will attract attention, and attention leads to questions. I'm hopeful that their own greed will smoke them out."