Jackson District Boy Scouts will host their annual Elk Antler Auction during Elkfest in the Jackson Town Square this weekend.
Each year, the Boy Scouts receive a special-use permit to collect shed antlers on the National Elk Refuge. They then tie the antlers into large bundles for customers to bid on by weight.
One-quarter of the proceeds benefit the Boy Scouts, and the rest will go to the Elk Refuge to fund elk habitat projects.
Elk Refuge spokeswoman Lori Iverson says many of the auction customers are artists.
“They are looking at commercial use to make chandeliers, to make chairs or lamps, use them as knife handles, use them as drawer pulls, use them for jewelry. That seems to be the majority of people that come to the auction.”
Iverson says in recent years, the Boy Scouts have made smaller bundles for people who just want a few for display.
The auction will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.