Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Africa SCI in Vegas

Anyone going?

Yes! As usual, I will be manning the Hunters Namibia Safaris booth (#5931) along with Marina and Hanns-louis Lamprecht. We are looking forward to an excellent show and I hope that as many of The Campfire faithful as possible can make it by our booth to say hello.

See you there!

RS

Be there on Wed. Just flying out to talk to a PH and hopefully book a Zambian cat hunt for next year.

Las Vegas is best taken in small doses!

Two of my friends are going. Gonna talk to the outfitter/PH that set them up last year in Namibia.

Looking forward to it - looking at options for a hunt in June, meeting with rifle makers, etc.

I'll be there Wed, Thu and Fri. Catching up with old friends.

Fly out tomorrow.
Gonna check out this Africa thing I keep hearing so much about.

Got back from Las Vegas late Sunday night. The SCI show was a huge success for us. The additional square footage added to the convention center made traffic flow much easier. We had people in the booth the entire show. Friday was probably the busiest day at a safari show that I have ever worked.

Since I rarely leave the booth while working a show, I can't say what else was going on. Did anyone see anything really interesting or different?

RS

I was in attendance on Friday. Number of participants (both exhibitors and attendees) seemed to be down. It "appeared" bigger as it was all on one floor, and spread out.

Exhibitors I spoke with (mainly Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanz) indicated both DSC and SCI has been extremely disappointing. Bookings have been difficult...

A tremendous amount of grumbling and dissatisfaction with SCI as it's felt that they haven't been active/proactive in supporting and defending hunting. Case in point, the lion situation, and the USFW saga. The census is SCI is not investing the $$ in true conservation, education, pro-activeness in helping to defend and shape public opinion and policy. Instead, the BIG question is where the vast amount of $$$ goes. Into someone(s) pockets... and hunting trips for the "elite" members and board of SCI...

I'm hearing a lot of discontent, and talk about abandoning SCI and fully supporting DSC instead. This coming from the rank and file that have been with SCI for 10+ years (many well in excess of 20).

I read that on the Africa Hunting board all the time. Even the suggestion that SCI merge the record book with Rowland Ward, to help clean up its image. Not a bad suggestion IMO. I must say, that I belong to both and prefer DSC, however they don't have the member base that SCI does, and its that member base that pays for all those lawsuit that SCI files, thankfully.

But SCI does have a better gun insurance program and if DSC can ever match it, then no reason to stay with SCI as they are currently managed.

First thanks for attending our convention. While the final numbers are not in everything points to another huge success. Membership is increasing not declining. Several points of clarification. The BOD, Directors, & Reg. Reps all serve without pay & travel at their own expense. Chapter presidents may attend the 4 national BOD meetings & some receive expense money from their chapter. Many request nothing as I did for years. Members serve on national committees on their own nickel. I never received any travel expenses for these meetings as well. Most of SCI is made up of unpaid volunteers who receive nothing, including free hunting trips. If a paid staffer in Tucson desirers to attend a meeting say in Africa the BOD must approve. Staffers in Tucson are mostly clerical & are not well paid. The lobby center on Capital Hill has a group of attorneys & aids that lobby on the Hill & file law suites. Many that hunt on Federal Wildlife Refuges & state & Federal land can thank SCI. SCI money funds these efforts, anti-poaching, wildlife education, HFH, & a vast array of conservation projects. At the chapter level most of us are involved in quite a few projects. I chair the Veterans Committee. Since we are in the DC area we conduct a Chesapeake Bay fishing trip(2 charter boats) followed by a crab feast. Many of these brave men are missing limbs & suffer other combat related injuries including PTSD. Also under the Vets Committee we conduct a waterfowl hunt for 12 Wounded Warrior/Disabled vets, a female veteran shoot, donate funds to provide Christmas for needy vets, & have up to 16 Warriors attend our annual outdoor show & banquet as honored quests. We provide funding for Hunters For The Hungry to provide for processing of wild game for the needy. Hunters traveling to Africa carry Blue Bags stuffed with medical & school supplies given to local orphanages & schools. When our Virginia game commission appealed to us to fund the mounting of a group of raptors for their wildlife education program we stepped up. We also send teachers to the national wildlife education program in Wyoming(AWLS) which is a national recognized program which includes the value of hunting as a recourse to manage wildlife. Hopefully, this gives you & others a bit of insight into the goals of SCI. Incidentally, the lobby center in DC is making special efforts to combat the anti-hunting fall out of Cecil the Lion.