Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources will host its semi-annual live auction to sell surplus items and confiscated hunting and fishing equipment on May 6.

Registration opens at 7:30 a.m. (ET), and the auction of surplus property and confiscated items will begin at 10 a.m. (ET). The auction will be held outdoors, rain or shine, on the department’s headquarters campus at 1 Sportsman’s Lane, off US-60 just west of Frankfort. 

This is the first of two auctions that Kentucky Fish and Wildlife will conduct in 2024, with an in-person auction tentatively scheduled for October.

A complete list of items available for sale will soon be available on the department’s website at fw.ky.gov. Items are sold as-is and will not be available for hands-on inspection prior to the sale. Under state law, only qualified Kentucky residents may bid on confiscated items. Some items will require a criminal background check.

Accepted forms of payment include cash, check, certified check, credit card or debit card. Final pricing will include a buyer’s premium and surcharge for credit or debit card use. Checks over $5,000 will require a bank letter guaranteeing payment.

Under state law, Kentucky Fish and Wildlife may conduct auctions as necessary to sell surplus and confiscated property. Surplus items include equipment and materials no longer needed by the agency. All confiscated items are obtained through court order and as the result of a violation of fish and wildlife laws.

By law, proceeds from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife auctions are directed into the department’s game and fish fund and subject to auditing by the state Auditor of Public Accounts. The fund is used for the department’s normal operating expenses including fish and wildlife conservation and related recreation programs across the state.

Parking will be limited to designated areas on the Fish and Wildlife campus. Game Farm Road west of the upper and lower sportsman’s lakes will be restricted to residential traffic only on the day of the auction. Portable restroom facilities will be available to the public.