I went to SCI a couple of times in Reno. IMO, the level of "blue bloodedness" and "my schittt don't stink" attitude at SCI made me never desire to go back. DSC is a much more friendly, laid back atmosphere.
This for starters. IT is also Wayyy less expensive to get in and see the exhibits and the fact it's earlier, one tends to have a better opportunity to book.
All of these are true. The snootiness is still there, but it's just more understated... Texas-style, you might say.
My wife (a Texas blue-blood, as it happens, just not a "hunting" blue-blood) went to DSC last year for the first time and was blown away by the show and by the quality of the people there. We ran into several people she has known since she was a kid, one fellow in particular who has some serious money and has done some serious trophy hunting. He was dressed in bib overalls and a plaid shirt, like he just came in off his run-down ranch (he did), and if you didn't know he was who he is, well... Anyways, he ran down SCI's show pretty hard. And a lot of the Texas blue-bloods feel the same way.
At DSC you won't get much snot on you. And the booking priority that Jorge mentions is definitely there. I booked my bear hunt last year in the top week of the season, all of which was sold out by the end of the DSC show... anybody who went to that outfitter at SCI had to pick from other blocks of time. And so it is with other outfitters as well.
