Annual Fish and Game Auction Set for Coeur dÁ_Alene

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) will be holding its annual auction in Coeur dÁ_Alene. Furs, hides, antlers, animal specimens and miscellaneous equipment will be sold at the IDFG Panhandle Region office, 2750 Kathleen Ave. (corner of Kathleen and Atlas Rd.) on Saturday, April 6, 2002. Viewing will begin at 8:00 am and the auction will begin at 10:00 am. The auction is held annually, moving from region to region around the state. The last time the auction was held in Coeur dÁ_Alene was 1995. The sale will consist mostly of animal parts, but some equipment will be available as well. For a list of items intended for the sale, contact the IDFG at (208) 769-1414. Additional items may be added up to the last minute as they become available. Some items on the list may not appear, as educational institutions may withdraw items for educational purposes until the auction opens. For example, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Kootenai National Wildlife Refuge (KNWR) is building a Wildlife Education Center. Staff of the KNWR or other educational institutions, may garner items for tanning and mounting for educational purposes. Educational institutions may contact the IDFG prior to the sale for information. No meat at this sale is for human consumption. Anyone purchasing whole items from species normally used for human consumption will be required to sign a waiver stating they understand these items are being purchased for hides, teeth, claws etc., and are not for human consumption. A cursory look at the list shows hides and whole bobcats, bear hides and skulls, hides and whole mountain lions and lion kittens; antlers of moose, deer and elk (some in velvet); otters, mink, bear parts and other wildlife items. Two boats are on the list. One is a 16-foot flat-bottom Smokercraft with 25hp Johnson and E-Z Loader trailer; the other is a 16-foot Starcraft with 1979 70 hp Johnson outboard. The Starcraft does not have a trailer. There is one old snowmobile, several fishing rods, and numerous traps. Confiscated items, non-target catches, animals taken in self defense outside of hunting seasons (or without necessary licenses and tags), road kills, the deer Uncle Ernieshot just a little out of seasonãoyou name it, you might find it here. However, some states do not allow the importation of bear, mountain lion, bobcat, or otter parts or hides. All potential buyers should check with their state wildlife agency before purchasing items. All sales are final. Bobcats and otters must be tagged with an export tag. Tags will be available after the sale at a cost of $2.00 each, plus a one-time fee of $1.50. Mountain lion and black bear hides can also be tagged at the end of the sale at no cost. Larger sets of antlers will be sold individually. Small deer, elk and moose antlers may be removed from the skull plate, wired together, and sold in bundles by weight. If you didnÁ_t bag the big buck you were after last fall (or any other fall), here is your chance to put a set of antlers on the wall. Years from now, as you sit in your recliner and the grandkids ask where you got your big buck, you can casually glance up at the big monster and say: Á¤It was a misty, foggy Saturday morning. The air was heavy and still. It was up in the Idaho Panhandleãonear Coeur dÁ_Alene!Á¬ Then lean back, take a sip of your iced tea, and close your eyes with a grin and glow on your face. Hopefully, they wonÁ_t ask for details.