Huge Wyoming Elk Racks Sell For Big Money At World’s Largest Antler Auction

Local Scouts have been busy in Jackson, Wyoming, this week arranging lots in preparation for the largest elk antler auction in the world.

The annual auction is part of a weekend celebration of everything wapiti — appropriately dubbed ElkFest. The auction begins promptly at 10 a.m. Saturday on the town square in downtown Jackson.

Elk antlers are a prized commodity sought after by a variety of users. Collectors of Western culture memorabilia use them as decoration.

Furniture makers and artists incorporate antlers into their work. Pet product manufacturers make use of antlers as an organic and safe dog chew. And there remains a strong Asian market that grinds elk antlers for their perceived medicinal value.

Proceeds from the sale at auction are shared in a 25-75 split. Twenty-five percent of the take goes to Jackson District Scouts to help run day camps, pay for leadership training, and supplement other activities.

The other 75% goes straight to the National Elk Refuge through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, to support habitat enhancement projects, including financing farming equipment, conducting weed management and paying seasonal employees associated with the irrigation program.

In addition to the fundraising aspect, the annual auction has become a community heritage tradition now in its 57th year. It’s an all-volunteer effort organized by troop leaders, parents and nonprofit Jackson Hole Friends of Scouting, led by Patrick Starich.

“I handle the administrative duties that Cliff or Loretta Kirkpatrick did for many years,” Starich said. “Board Chair Paul Vogelheim handles all aspects of auction day. Jim Ryan, retired from BOJH (Bank of Jackson Hole), coordinates the various private vendor booths. Jonathan Robinson, our board treasurer, handles all the money.”

ElkFest is a kickoff to Old West Days, back-to-back weekends that serve to crank the summer season to life in the touristy town of Jackson. At this point, the two weekends have pretty much melded together as a 10-day springtime jamboree with events scheduled every day.

Old West Days is how Jackson commemorates Memorial Day weekend — a celebration of all things Western. Jokingly referred to as “Cold Wet Days” by locals, it’s a punny acknowledgement that Mother Nature usually chooses this weekend to be naughty with the weather.

The weekend prior to Memorial Day is always ElkFest, an event that has grown out from its original Saturday auction to now include Mountain Man Rendezvous, Restaurant Week (new this year), Teton Powwow: Wind River Cultural Presentation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation big game banquet, High Noon Chili Cook-Off and the Ultimate Towner Amazing Race.

Shed Show

More than 100 Scouts and adults scoured the National Elk Refuge on April 13, when they gathered about 8,162 pounds of sheds. That’s on the low end. Last year, 9,696 pounds of antlers were sold at auction.

In 2022, Scouts managed to gather only about 7,348 pounds — one of the lowest totals of any spring — when fewer elk used the refuge because of a mild winter. Depending on snow conditions, as few as 4,000 or less elk might be recorded on the refuge at one time, with as many as 8,000 or more in harsh winters.

This past winter did not have a lot of snow associated with it, by Jackson Hole standards anyway, and supplemental feeding was at a bare minimum.

The result is fewer bulls spending any amount of time on the Elk Refuge’s 25,000-acre range likely left early before dropping their antlers. Male elk lose their headware every spring, usually around mid-March to early April.

“The way these elk shed is like when your second set of teeth come in,” Starich said. “It goes by a biological calendar, but so much of it is also weather dependent. A heavier winter results in more sheds. A warmer winter like this one, with less snow, means elk leave the refuge early. They head to the high country as they are able to find forage.”

Registered Scouts and their adult companions are allowed exclusive access to refuge land once the elk have migrated out. That “pickup Saturday” is one everyone looks forward to.

“It’s a little bit of a fraternity of adults who have been coming back year after year to do this. For some of us, it may be the one day we see each other all year,” Starich said. “It’s about 50-50 adults to kids, which is ideal because we really want to engage parents. It’s a real family thing.”

Once on forest land, sheds can be collected by anyone living in-state beginning May 1, nonresidents may begin their hunt May 8.

Treasure Of Tines

Elk antlers are big money.

Last year, bidders paid an average of $22.53 per pound of antler. That was down a little from 2022’s average of $27.41 per pound. A total of 164 registered bidders participated in the 2023 auction, which yielded $218,382. Over the past decade, the auction has brought in an average of $137,325 a year.

Dollar figures like that make selling popcorn and candy bars pale in comparison, but Starich said his programs are not necessarily better funded than in other places.

“A lot of that money has gone over the years to pay for summer camp registration and much more,” Starich said. “It sounds like a gold mine, but a many Scouting districts earn a lot more money than we do. We are not like central Denver or Atlanta, where programs are richly endowed by local corporations and benefactors.”

It is the Jackson District (Grand Teton Council: Headwaters) that organizes the auction. Scouts in this district come from Jackson; Driggs and Victor, Idaho; and Star Valley communities Afton, Smoot, Thayne and Alpine.

In addition to the gathering of sheds on that special Saturday, Scouts and leaders are also involved in sorting and bundling the antlers.

Beetle-cleaned skulls with antlers attached, which always go for big money, have to be set aside. Matched sets are kept together. They always bring more money than singles. Finally, right and left racks are bundled by symmetry, color and number of points.

On auction day, uniformed Scouts can be seen scurrying about acting as gofers wherever needed.

“We’ve always had this belief that Scouts should pull their weight and not beg for money. Put in a little work effort,” Starich said. “We spend a full day sorting, bundling, weighing and tagging. It involves youth and adult volunteers. Nobody is ever paid.”

Rack Attack

The shed hunt on the Elk Refuge isn’t quite as hard as it might sound. True, there is a lot of ground to cover and some wildlife is still making use of the 25,000 acres. Wolves, mountain lions, bison and big horn sheep are just some of the larger animals that can be found on the refuge.

But refuge staff makes it easier for the Scouts. If they encounter any winterkill or dropped antlers, they make a note of where.

“The refuge staff determines where we should go. They also keep us away from potential conflicts with bison, for instance,” Starich said. “Staff is always out there scouting. Sometimes they will gather some antlers and cache them. Some of the younger kids have short legs and can't cover a lot of territory, you know.”

Wyoming U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, a former youth Scout himself, typically attends ElkFest and is expected to be in Jackson again this weekend.

Dozens of bidders come to Jackson for the auction, while others register and bid online.

“We usually have about 30-40 who show up and sign up to participate day of. Some are from out of town and didn’t even know there was an auction,” Starich said.

Despite recent efforts to rebrand the 114-year-old youth organization to now include girls, Starich has not seen a lot of the flak associated with the move at a national level. And he hopes it stays that way.

“Friends of Scouting not only supports boys but Girl Scouts and girl participation in any form. And I guess we are no longer BSA, but Scouting America,” Starich said. “Look, we support boys and girls in Scouting at any level under any name and always have. Scouts are good for the future of this country.”

Jake Nichols can be reached at jake@cowboystatedaily.com.