"Sunshine and unseasonably warm weather made for a spectacular day to celebrate the 56th year elk antlers collected on the National Elk Refuge have been sold at a public auction on Jackson’s Town Square. The annual sale is held on the Saturday before Memorial Day weekend and is the premier event of the weekend-long community celebration called ElkFest," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.

"This year, 9,696 pounds of antlers were sold at the auction, roughly 2,348 pounds more than 2022. Bidders paid an average of $22.53 per pound of antler this year, down from last year’s average of $27.41 per pound. A total of 164 registered bidders participated in Saturday’s auction, which yielded a total of $218,382. During the past decade, the auction has brought in an average of $137,325."

"Key to the success of the auction is the long-standing partnership between the National Elk Refuge staff and Headwaters District Scouts (formerly Jackson District). Each year, Scouts and Scout leaders donate approximately 2,000 hours to prepare and execute the sale, comparable to one Refuge staff member working a 40-hour week for a full year. For their extraordinary effort, the Jackson District Scouts retain 25% of the sale’s proceeds, which is used to supplement fees for day camps, leader and Scout training, and other activities.

"The remaining 75% of the proceeds are returned to the National Elk Refuge, which manages approximately 25,000 acres as winter range for the Jackson Elk Herd. The funds are used for habitat enhancement projects, including paying for farming equipment, weed management, and seasonal employees that operate the Refuge’s irrigation program."

"Join us at Elkfest 2024 for the world’s largest annual auction of elk antlers, benefiting Scouting programs in western Wyoming and the National Elk Refuge," the official website says.

"Locals and visitors from near and far converge on the Town of Jackson Town Square to enjoy this spectacular event and to participate in the purchase of antler lots and specialty items. All antlers sold at the auction are naturally shed on the National Elk Refuge.

"Proceeds from the auction help fund Scouting programs for boys and girls in Teton County and surrounding counties and help fund National Elk Refuge initiatives. A total of 25% of the auction proceeds are directed to Scouting, with the balance directed to the National Elk Refuge."

"While private sellers hawked elk sheds as well as skulls from bison, scouts showed off their skills during their annual expo, and auctioneers sold 9,696 pounds of antlers to benefit the refuge and local Scout troops. The antler auction is held every year to raise money for the refuge and local Scouts, with funds split 75-25," the Jackson Hole News Guide says.

The refuge uses the money to improve winter habitat for wapiti that call its 24,700 acres home.

"It was a skull with intact antlers that stole the show: a beetle-cleaned European mount with a seven-by-eight spur antler. The skull and rack, thought to be the largest ever found on the Refuge, sold for $15,200. That was a record sale and record-sized rack, said antler auction volunteer Paul Vogelheim.

"Friends of Scouting, the nonprofit that coordinates the auction, collects the Scouts’ money and distributes it to local troops from Star Valley to Alta that request it through the Headwaters District of Boy Scouts of America’s Grand Teton Council. The Boy Scouts of America, which has gone co-ed and rebranded its signature program for older teens Scouts BSA, is the primary recipient, though Girl Scout troops can benefit too."

"The annual event serves as a fundraiser for the National Elk Refuge and the Local Scout Troops," the Local News 8 says.

"Elk shed their antlers in the spring, so the auction is a big help to the local refuge. The annual Elkfest in the Jackson Town Square draws locals as well as big bidders from around the world.

"At high-noon a chili cook-off also will be held on the square."

"Every spring, thousands of elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge lose their antlers before they migrate to their summer range. The Boy Scouts assist the Refuge with harvesting the shed antlers and auction them to bidders from around the world who make furniture, wall decorations, jewelry and food products from them," The Cloudveil says.

"This annual event, which includes the High Noon Chili Cook-Off and the Mountain Man Rendezvous kick-off, supports the National Elk Refuge with a large portion of auction proceeds going back to habitat enhancement projects on the Refuge.

"Come see the world’s best collection of elk antler and bid in the world famous Elkfest Elk Antler Auction. Private antler, paddles, horns, and more for sale on the streets surrounding Town Square from 8am – 3pm. The world-famous Elk Antler Auction open for registration at 8am and the auction begins at 10am."

"The National Elk Refuge hosts a day each spring for local Boy Scout troops to hike through the refuge, gathering up the antlers that lie on the ground and to get them ready for the ElkFest Antler Auction," the Only In Your State says.



"What began as a fundraising auction has turned into an annual weekend of festivities! Thousands come to Jackson Hole to attend the auction and kick off spring. Though the weekend is full of live entertainment, kids games, crafts, local vendors, and more, the highlight is the auction.

"The antlers that the Scouts collected are tagged and weighed, and they go up for auction. Most buyers are artists and local businesses looking for unique decor. Eighty percent of the proceeds from the Elk Antler Auction go to the National Elk Refuge, and local Boy Scout Troops receive the other twenty percent."

"Bull elk usually shed their antlers during March and April, so this year, they’ve left most of the bounty for antlers down low instead of up on the usual mountainsides, he said," the Cowboy State Daily says.

"Local Boy Scout troops have already gotten their bounty of antlers said Sterich, who is president of the nonprofit group Jackson Hole Friends of Scouting. The Scouts have special privileges to gather antlers on the elk refuge in April.

"This is the last year that nonresidents will be allowed to start shed hunting at the same time as Wyomingites. The Wyoming Legislature earlier this year passed a bill, delaying shed antler hunting for nonresidents by a week."

"ElkFest is an annual Jackson Hole event supporting the National Elk Refuge. The festival includes the Jackson Hole Boy Scout Elk Antler Auction and the High Noon Chili Cook-Off. All events take place on the Town Square," the Rendezvous Mountain Rentals says.

"Every spring, thousands of elk wintering on the National Elk Refuge lose their antlers before they migrate to their summer range. The Boy Scouts assist the Refuge with harvesting the shed antlers and auction them to bidders from around the world who make furniture, wall decorations, jewelry and food products from them.

"This annual event, which includes the High Noon Chili Cook-Off and the Mountain Man Rendezvous kick-off, supports the National Elk Refuge with a large portion of auction proceeds going back to habitat enhancement projects on the Refuge."

"Throughout the Rockies, the popularity of shed hunting has soared. An Instagram search of #shedhunting turns up hundreds of thousands of posts. Scroll through them, and the appeal is obvious: It’s a free, hunting-like activity that doesn’t entail killing and gives people a reason to roam over stunning, wild landscapes," the National Geographic Magazine says.



"The concept is simple. Find the places where elk, deer, and moose spend the winter, then comb the terrain for the pointy protuberances that naturally drop off the animals. Antlers evolved to attract mates and fend off competing males, but when testosterone sags in the winter, the appendages are no longer necessary. Weeks after the antlers fall from their bases, next year’s set begins to emerge under an expanding velvet sheath.

"As antler hunters flood the hills on foot, horseback, and ATVs, wildlife officials have struggled to enforce regulations meant to safeguard western big game herds. Rules like Wyoming’s five-month prohibition are relatively new, and flouting them is easy."

"The National Elk Refuge is a Wildlife Refuge located in Jackson Hole in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for one of the largest elk (also known as wapiti) herds. With a total of 24,700 acres (10,000 ha), the refuge borders the town of Jackson, Wyoming on the southwest, Bridger-Teton National Forest on the east and Grand Teton National Park on the north. It is home to an average of 7,500 elk each winter. The refuge is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior. (Wikipedia)

"The refuge's elk migrate from as far away as southern Yellowstone National Park. Historically, they migrated to the present location of the refuge and further south into southwestern Wyoming during the fall, wintering on grassy plains that were both sheltered from weather and that maintained less snowfall or snow depth than surrounding lands. During the spring, the herd would follow the retreating snows and growing grasses back into the Yellowstone National Park region.

"The original size of the elk herd has been estimated to have been in excess of 25,000. By the end of the 19th century, the town of Jackson had developed on important winter range, blocking off some of the migration routes used by the elk. The elk herd was severely reduced in size due to the hostile climate and lack of food supply, in addition to hunting pressures by both homesteaders and surrounding Native American tribes (Bannock, Eastern Shoshone, Northern Shoshone, Crow, Salish)."

"Wildlife conservation is at the heart of what makes the National Elk Refuge unique and unparalleled in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Conservation of native species and their habitats is the core management mission of the Refuge," the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says.

"The Refuge protects critically important habitat for numerous iconic species, including elk, bison, wolves, trumpeter swans, bald eagles, bighorn sheep, and cutthroat trout. The landscape of the Refuge is primarily glacial outwash plain and rolling hills with a narrow, winding creek. The Refuge is surrounded by the rugged peaks of the Teton and Gros Ventre Mountain Ranges.

"The 24,700+ acres of grasslands, wetlands, and forests conserved on the Refuge support a diverse assembly of plants and animals. The Refuge is a premier location for wildlife watching and photography, as well as hunting, fishing, and educational opportunities. Through conservation efforts, the Refuge serves to benefit the people of today and future generations."