For most Montanans, hunting is a way of life. I have many friends that rely on their yearly harvest to fill their freezers and feed their families throughout the year.

Personally, my main reason for hunting every year is the meat. There's something about eating meat you've harvested yourself that is extra satisfying. Not to mention how much better wild game meat tastes in general. I've never been a trophy hunter, but I know a lot of hunters are.

Shed hunting is also a popular pastime for a lot of people in Montana. Every year, people walk the hills and mountains in Montana in hopes of finding a shed antler from deer or elk. Montana also has a long history of fur trading.

On Saturday, September 25, Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks is holding an auction at the National Auction House in Billings, Montana. Antlers, horns, hides, and skulls that were confiscated by FWP enforcement will be auctioned off. Items include 50 bighorn sheep skulls, 390-plus-inch bull elk, moose, deer, elk, bear, mountain goats, mountain lions, martins, antelope, bobcats and more.

According to Montana FWP, most of the items come from poaching incidents. Montana statute requires FWP to sell seized items at public auction.

When enough inventory is collected, FWP schedules an auction. The last auction was held in 2017.

It’s a time-consuming process and requires a lot of logistics, so we try to wait until we have enough items to warrant the auction.

said FWP Law Enforcement Chief Dave Loewen.

Money collected from the auction goes to FWP’s general license account, which pays for conservation and restoration programs.

This includes all birds, animals, fish, heads, hides, teeth or other parts of any animal other than a grizzly bear. When a carcass is confiscated, FWP donates the meat to a charitable organization and removes the antlers to be sold at auction.

Here are the details

    • WHAT: Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks Confiscated Antlers, Hides, and Horns Auction
    • WHERE: National Auction House. 3625 South 56th Street West. Billings, Montana
    • WHEN: Saturday, September 25. Doors open at 9:00 a.m. for inspection, and the live auction begins at 11:00 a.m.

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