WDFW will auction shed elk antlers to help fund winter elk feeding

[Alchase]

Is this a good thing? Seems to me it would create a commodity market where maybe there should not be one?

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) will conduct its first auction of shed elk antlers May 2 to raise funds for its Oak Creek Wildlife Area winter elk feeding program.

The auction starts at 1 p.m. at the Oak Creek headquarters building, 16601 Highway 12, west of Naches in Yakima County. Those interested in bidding should arrive at 11 a.m. to pre-register.

WDFW Wildlife Area Manager John McGowan said hundreds of pounds of antlers, shed by Rocky Mountain elk at the Oak Creek winter feeding site will be available for bidding. The antlers, shed annually by male elk, were picked up and stored by staff and volunteers in recent years. Winning bids must be paid in cash or check, payable to WDFW, at the auction.

"We hope this auction will help us offset some of the cost of feeding these animals every winter," McGowan said.

"There are some matched sets from some of the biggest and oldest bulls, plus lots of single sheds of all sizes," McGowan said. "We'll also have some shed antlers from Roosevelt elk from the Mount St. Helens Wildlife Area, and possibly deer antlers from other wildlife areas."

All funds raised at the auction will go into the winter wildlife feeding program.

About 3,500 to 4,000 elk are fed each winter at several sites on the 47,200-acre Oak Creek Wildlife Area. WDFW purchased the Oak Creek land in 1943 to provide a home for growing numbers of elk that were coming into conflict with private landowners, orchard growers and livestock producers. Winter feeding began about 1968 to keep elk on the public land and avoid agricultural damage.

Over 100,000 people visit the headquarters feeding site at Oak Creek to view elk each winter. The number of big-antlered animals on display at the site has increased since the 1990s, when elk-hunting rules were changed to avoid over-harvesting mature bulls, McGowan said.

"The oldest, biggest bulls shed their antlers first," he said. "We had an impressive, 10-year-old bull drop both antlers right in front of visitors on February 20. Most antlers are shed by early April, but some of the youngest bulls are still carrying them now."

A large portion of the Oak Creek Wildlife Area is closed to all access until 6 a.m. May 1. The annual closure in early spring is designed to avoid disturbing the elk at their most vulnerable time of year. Like other wildlife, winter-fed elk have critically low energy reserves at the end of winter, McGowan said. They replenish those reserves by feeding on the first green vegetation in early spring.

All shed antlers for auction were collected by WDFW from supplemental feeding sites, not from the surrounding range, McGowan said.

For more information about the Oak Creek Wildlife Area, including driving directions, see http://wdfw.wa.gov/lands/wildlife_areas/oak_creek/ 

[Ray]

Heck I thought there already was a commodity market for antlers. They make lamps and game calls or other things out of them.

[saylean]

If it helps feed the elk, thats not all bad IMHO.

I dont think I would buy sheds though, thats like buying a stuffed head or another persons trophy. Half the fun of finding sheds, is FINDING the shed. Of course, I dont make calls, lamps, etc like some of you folks...im just not that talented.

[Bigshooter]

I think that it is a great idea.

[WDFW-SUX]

Why would I want to buy them when I can just walk around the fence and pick them up at night

[jackelope]

the boy scouts do it every year in jackson hole...good thing IMO.

[Skyvalhunter]

Becareful of letting this out too loud the Indians will want to claim half of the money from the selling of the sheds!!

[boneaddict]

I like the idea except the next thing you know, even more areas will be closed off and we will have paid government employees out looking for sheds for the "big sale".  

[Ridgerunner]

Wonder what a set of matched antlers will bring?  Any guesses?

[Ray]

I like the idea except the next thing you know, even more areas will be closed off and we will have paid government employees out looking for sheds for the "big sale".  

Don't compete with the government 

[boneaddict]

You know Ridge, it just depends what kind of buyer shows up.   There was a set of whitetail antlers on ebay the other day that was up to $800.  They were nice but I have several in my stack just like em.  I would bet its similiar with elk.   I would think that 10 year old will bring top dollar.   If they collected the big nontypical I was watching, he will bring a handsome amount.  Other than that...who knows.

[Sneaky]

sounds like a good idea to me, much better than raising taxes or license fees to pay for it.

[whacker1]

I like the idea except the next thing you know, even more areas will be closed off and we will have paid government employees out looking for sheds for the "big sale". 

 

Government is notorious for taking a funding source for a specific task/function and *censored*izing it for other purposes sometime down the road.

[KillzElk]

Sounds like another great idea to feed them if all the money goes to this great cause.

[agchawk]

Is this a good thing? Seems to me it would create a commodity market where maybe there should not be one?

 I like the idea myself.

As for it creating a commodity market...the market is already there, as a few others have already stated. I am pretty sure that representatives from such companies as Moscow Hide and Fur will be there to bid along with every day folks/collectors. There a good number of companies out there that deal in antler buying and selling.

[Ray]

Government is notorious for taking a funding source for a specific task/function and *censored*izing it for other purposes sometime down the road.

Yes the government bureacracies in conjunction with politicians are good at that.

[DOUBLELUNG]

Wonder what a set of matched antlers will bring?  Any guesses?

I've known of two BIG matched sets of browns from eastern WY that brought $1200 and $1500 each; they were both B&C class NET typicals.

[groundhog]

I think auctioning off the antlers is a good thing. If any of the big sets are 375 or better they could bring thousands if the right buyers show up.
 Hundreds of pounds of antlers are picked up at Oak creek but our elk feeders here in e-burg never find any......hmmmmm.  Interesting. We have bigger bulls and more of them but the feeders never find any antlers. Does that seem strange to you? They must just be really bad at spotting  them.....

[boneaddict]

too many littlefeet