The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will hold an auction of confiscated hunting and fishing equipment on Saturday, April 29. The last auction was in 2014 and the items are from people who forfeited their equipment after committing serious game violations.
The public auction will start at 9 a.m at Hiller Auction Service in Zimmerman, Minnesota, which is 40 minutes east of St. Cloud. The auction is live and there is no internet or absentee bidding.
Items offered for sale include, but are not limited to: firearms, bows, tree stands, fishing rods and reels, tip-ups, traps, trail camera, spotlights, scopes and spears. There are 387 firearms, 100 bows, 280 other items. Anyone purchasing a firearm will be required to pass a background check.
Revenue from the auction goes to the Game and Fish Fund, the DNR’s most important fund for delivering fish, wildlife and law enforcement programs. The fund is expected to fall into deficit in 2019.
Inspection of items will be available on April 28, from 1 to 4 p.m., and at 7 a.m. the day of the auction. Once the auction begins, there will be no access to firearms. All equipment is sold as is, including all defects or faults, known or unknown. Items cannot be returned once they have been purchased. Buyers may bring their own cases and there will be cases available for purchase to transport firearms.