Jackson Antler auction a success

Bidders paid an average of $18.36 per pound Saturday for elk antlers collected from the National Elk Refuge.

Jackson District Boy Scouts donated approximately 2,000 hours to prepare the sale. In return, they’ll retain 25 percent of the sale’s proceeds. The remaining 75 percent is returned to the National Elk Refuge for habitat enhancement projects.

Altogether, 8,593 pounds of antlers were sold at the auction, roughly 1,080 pounds less than 2017, but near the 10-year average of 9,138 pounds. A total of 136 registered bidders participated and spent a total of $173,805. It was the fifth largest total in the auction’s 51-year history.

A number of beetle-cleaned elk skulls neared the $1,000 mark, but a large skull with a Boone and Crockett trophy score of 411, was purchased for $7,500.

The auction traditionally kicks off the weekend-long Jackson Hole Elk-fest.

Some single antlers will be available for sale throughout the year at the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center.