JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — The annual auction of antlers gathered from the National Elk Refuge in northwest Wyoming has generated nearly $174,000.

Officials say the money raised from the auction on Saturday in Jackson is the fifth-highest total in the 51-year history of the auction.

The refuge partners with the Jackson District Boy Scouts to auction off bundles of antlers collected by the Scouts from the refuge.

The Scouts receive 25 percent of the proceeds, and the other 75 percent goes to the refuge's habitat enhancement projects, including paying for farm equipment, weed management and salaries for the seasonal workers who run its irrigation program.

The highlight of the auction was a bidding war over a 7-by-7 skull with ivories and long tines that sold for $7,500.

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