Dallas Safari Club Convention: Adventure 2017

The DSC Convention is by far my favorite hunting show to go to. They call it the greatest hunting show on the planet and I’m sure it is but I haven’t been to all of them so I can at least say it is the greatest hunting show in my part of the planet. 

The first thing I noticed about this years show was that there were no protesters. I have seen them in the past here, especially if the news has a story about an auction for a select animal there, but it was 20 degrees today so I guess they only care about animals when it’s warm. It seems their love and compassion dwindles greatly when it may mean that they are uncomfortable while protesting. Pretty typical for these type of people, they want to feel like they have a cause and believe me I do admire those that will actually stand up for what they believe in under any condition and any circumstance but for the most part they are a joke. I’m certain if it had been 70 degrees poster board and sharpie markers would’ve sold a lot better at the Dollar Store this weekend.

The Dallas Safari Club stands for everything any hunter should stand for and they fight for our rights as hunters across the world. This show is a big part of the conservation efforts they fund. Auctions, raffles, and entry fees all go toward conservation to help save animals, land, and fund anti poaching.

I’m not going to go into the whole conversation of killing an animal to save its species but there is more than enough evidence to show that having monetary value is what has saved more than one species and hunters are the ones putting up that money. Agree or not with the practice the facts are the facts so you can do your own research on the matter and IF you are willing to accept the results you will see what hunting has done to save and protect animals.

Now onto the show! This is the place that anybody who is anybody in the hunting industry comes to meet. A lot of African outfitters attend this show and do most of their overseas bookings for the year here but Africa is just one of the continents represented here. Any game animal or fish that is legal to hunt or catch on the planet can be booked here. You would be hard pressed to find more countries represented in one building at one time for anything.

From this little Suni

To the Lord Derby’s Eland, you can find it here.

You could book a hunt in the jungles of Cameroon or flat land of the Texas panhandle and everything in between in one room.

If fishing is your thing it’s here too, salt water fishing on exotic islands to muskies in Canada. Personally I have discovered that I can see more of the world fishing than hunting. Hunting is more expensive and sure I would love to hunt the world but I love fishing too and the prices for fishing are more affordable for most folks so don’t think this is only a spot for rich guys killing elephants and hippos, it’s not. It’s far from that actually, you can book those too but you could also go bass fishing in Florida so don’t skip this show thinking you are out priced because you aren’t. 

Most every TV hunting show is represented here so if you are a fan of hunting celebrities this is a spot for you. On a days walk there  I’ve talked to or seen Razor Dobbs, Jim Shockey, Craig Boddington, Ivan Carter, Eva Shockey, Tony Makris, Larysa Switlyk, Kendall Jones the list goes on forever really. Most of these individuals are very approachable and I see them posing for pictures with people all the time.

The taxidermy is the most amazing thing to me. The worlds best are here to show their work and the price of admission is worth the taxidermy viewing alone in my opinion.

There’s even things for the ladies who don’t hunt, but warning men this can get costly fast I’m sure. Most of the venders that are not hunting related are selling jewelry and fur coats and this is not the cheap stuff. 

I like seeing people I know here and usually find several to talk to. This year Elusive Wildlife Technologies brought all their great products and I stopped to talk to Chad Stevenson. Chad owns a great Texas based business and sells solid products and I got a sneak peek at a few lights that will be coming out in the next few months and as always they are top notch. These guys are hunters and understand what hunters need. I’m sure the guy at the local sporting goods store hunts and can tell you a little about a product but hunting and hunting products is Chad’s life and livelihood. He knows his products and stands behind them. I started buying his products long before I knew Chad because they work and I will continue to use them.

All these reasons are enough to attend the show but if you want more here’s something I thought of today as I’m walking passed a giraffe that was next to a peacock bass. Hunters are likely more educated in the identification and native lands of animals than the average person and I would think that would mean they would know more about geography. In fact just today my brother learned where Uganda was as we walked passed an outfitter and they had a map there of their location. So even if you are a non hunter but understand it’s importance go here and look at the animals and see how many you can identify and where they live. This would be a great thing to do with the kids or even wives. I still see things I second guess and I like to think I’m fairly educated on both these things.

There are some of the great wildlife artist on the planet displaying their works here. I can not fathom in my huge lack of artistic talent how many hours and how much work some of these pieces take, from paintings to carvings to sculptures it’s all here. One of the most amazing things I seen were eagles that were made from the feathers of turkey and geese. Each and every feather is cleaned, bleached and dyed, then reshaped to fit what’s needed to make these birds. Easily the most amazing bird work I’ve ever seen. 

I could honestly go on forever about this place but if that’s not enough to convince you to check it out then it’s just not for you.

I will attend this show every year I’m able and soon hope to be able to become a life member. As I get older I see what it really takes for us to be able to enjoy what we do and it’s not free by any means. I’ve enjoyed the outdoors my entire life and will until I die but for me and you and our kids and grand kids to be able to enjoy it in the future we must support these organizations. Don’t be like the protesters that didnt show up today because it was cold. We have to continue to support and fight for our rights under any conditions. 

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Oh and speaking of world travel the rumor is Cafes and Campfires will be taking a long flight to a warm destination in the next few weeks so stay tuned for that and see if I can catch a freshwater fish big enough to eat a small child.