Alaska Department of Fish and Game
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Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Mammal, Bird & Reptile Permits
Possession of Trophies

The laws governing the possession, sale, and use of wildlife parts are complex. If you are unsure whether something is legal, please consult your local Alaska Wildlife Trooper or Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) office. ADF&G has authority over trophies of native mammals killed in Alaska, but not marine mammals including polar bears.

For questions about polar bears, walrus, and sea otters, please contact the US Fish and Wildlife Service at: (907) 271-6198.

For questions about all other marine mammals, please contact the National Marine Fisheries Service at: (907) 586-7221.

Selling trophies, finished skins, and some skulls of big game animals requires a permit from ADF&G. Big game trophies may be given away at any time, but may only be sold or exchanged for something of value when they are; 1) abandoned at a taxidermy shop for at least 6 months, 2) involved with resolution of a bankruptcy, and 3) if the owner dies and a trophy is part of an estate in probate court.

Trophy is defined as: a mount of a big game animal, including the skin of the head (cape) or the entire skin, in a lifelike representation of the animal. This includes a lifelike representation made from any part of a big game animal. The word "trophy" also includes a "European mount" in which the horns or antlers and the skull or a portion of the skull are mounted for display.