Anchorage

Photos: Fur Rondy Hide and Horn Auction

Every year at the Fur Rendezvous Hide and Horn auction in Anchorage, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game auctions items confiscated from hunters, recovered from road kills or taken in defense of life and property.

This year's assortment was especially big, said Jim Holmes of Fish and Game: 2,000 pounds of caribou antlers alone found their way to the auction block Sunday. Also rare: A muskox hide from Kotzebue and many Dall sheep horns.

Auction organizers don't like to say much about the specific origins of the hides and antlers that show up each year, so the exact provenance of most pieces is a mystery. That's due to the fact that some of the items were seized by the Alaska State Wildlife Troopers because the taking of the animal broke the law. In the past, there have been problems with people trying to buy confiscated hides and horns back at the auction, Holmes said.

But most of the bidders Sunday were people who either want the hides and horns for art, or commerce. Many of the people who bid on the items are artisans who intend to carve antlers into knife handles or taxidermists looking for extra material to work with. Holmes said he's also heard of an emerging business of selling antlers as dog chews.

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