Minnesota will auction guns, crossbows, fishing rods, deer mounts seized from scofflaws

Secondhand crossbow, anyone? Shotgun and scope? Deer skull on a mount?

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is again putting up for auction firearms, archery bows, fishing gear and other outdoor items confiscated from hunting and fishing scofflaws. The two upcoming auctions are certain to draw masses — 58,500 people are signed up for notifications about the sales, according to a DNR law enforcement division manager.

Some people are looking for a deal. Others might be intent on recovering treasured items lost to poor decisions.

The DNR is working with Hiller Auction Inc. in Zimmerman, Minn. The inventory will get spread over two online auctions, Aug. 23 and Oct. 4, that will last four days. Owner Dan Hiller planned to post a preliminary list of items online Thursday on the business website. A full catalog of the items, including photos, will be added before each auction.

Firearms are the predominant item, said Patty Holt, the DNR’s arrest and confiscation supervisor. There are nearly 300, from shotguns to rifles to handguns to muzzleloaders. Background checks are required for those with winning bids.

There also at least 74 bows, many of them crossbows. Holt said more of the high-powered weapons have been seized since the state allowed more people to use them. Until last fall, crossbows were illegal to use to hunt deer in Minnesota unless a hunter was 60 or older or physically impaired.

Under Minnesota law, the state can confiscate items related to hunting or fishing violations after a conviction. Here are examples of how some items became law enforcement’s property:

– A shotgun with a scope taken from a hunter who was baiting deer with corn.

– Crossbows confiscated after a hunter took two deer instead of one and a second violator shot a whitetail from a roadway.

– A European, or skull, deer mount seized after law enforcement learned the hunter had borrowed a license and killed more deer than allowed.

– A rod and reel from a person whose fishing privileges had been revoked.

Bidding interest has remained robust since the auctions went online in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 1,200 people submitted offers on items at the last auctions in 2022.

Hiller said the old one-day live events could be difficult, owing to crowding. Some drew hundreds of people, vying to inspect items, bid and, for some, have background checks processed.

“The online bidding is more manageable,” he said.

Holt and Hiller said spreading the seized items over two auctions instead of the traditional single day has eased pressure on the auction house and also allowed the public more opportunities to bid.

While the infusion of crossbows is new, the inventory has a note of consistency: many of the confiscated items result from deer-baiting arrests. Holt said the numbers are consistent (there were 150 related citations in 2023) and aren’t dropping.

The auctions have occurred for decades. The sale of items has brought in more than a half a million dollars to the DNR’s Game and Fish Fund since 2020, including $209,000 from the last two auctions. The fund supports Minnesota wildlife management.