by One of the great things about a convention is seeing old friends and meeting new ones. It doesn’t matter if it is the NRA Annual Meeting, the SHOT Show, or, as in this case, the Safari Club International Convention. The Complementary Spouse and I attended the convention held in Nashville as well as the one held last year in Las Vegas. Thus, I have some basis for comparison.
I met hunter, author, Marine, gun writer, and editor Craig Boddington initially at the Dallas Safari Club where I bought a couple of his books. I met him again in Las Vegas when I attended his seminar for first time African hunters. This year I attended his seminar on buffalo hunting in Africa as well got another of his well-regarded books on safari rifles. I had the original edition and now I have Safari Rifles II. I had hoped to get his book on buffalo hunting but he was sold out.
Another author I met at the SCI Convention was Sue Tidwell from Idaho. She is the author of Cries of the Savanna: An Adventure. An Awakening. A journey to understanding African wildlife conservation. Sue and I had “met” on the africahunting.com forum. I will be reviewing her book which I am about halfway finished. It is a story of how she had many of her preconceived beliefs on African wildlife stripped away when she journeyed to Tanzania with her husband on safari. She was not anti-hunting but had some romanticized beliefs about animals such as the zebra. Sue was a delightful person to chat with and I look forward to seeing her again next year. I understand she might just have another book in the works.
I have been a long time fan of Cable Smith’s Lone Star Outdoor Show podcast which is sponsored by SCI. I had contacted him prior to the convention asking if we could meet. We did and it was great speaking with him. In the photo below (which I think I took for him), Cable is with large carnivore wildlife biologist Maria Davidson. She retired from the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. She is now the SCI Foundation Large Carnivore Program Leader. Her interview ought to be must listening for everyone here in Asheville as she talks about black bears and opportunistic feeding.
Speaking of old friends, as I was meeting with Cable Smith up comes Jim Shepherd of the Outdoor Wires. I had met him at many events and corresponded or chatted with him multiple times. Jim now lives in Nashville and was reporting on the convention for the Outdoor and Shooting Wires. I am in total agreement with Jim that Nashville was a good fit for SCI. While some of SCI’s old guard may love Vegas, SCI recognized the need to be where they could have the potential to reach millions of younger hunters.
I also got to catch up with Andy and Sheila Larsson of Skinner Sights who introduced me to Tim Fallon of FTW/SAAM Training Ranch. Sheila told me she presented a rifle to Jim Shockey to replace a family heirloom that had gotten stolen or lost in transit. Another person I ran into was Chris Cox of Capitol 6 Advisors. Yes, that Chris Cox. Unlike Wayne, he seemed to have a genuine interest in hunting.
As I said earlier, we attended the SCI Convention in both Las Vegas and Nashville. One of the major differences I noticed immediately on arriving on Wednesday was that you saw more families in Nashville. While not at the level as what I saw at the Dallas Safari Club Convention in 2022, it was still lightyears ahead of what I saw in Las Vegas. You also saw many younger attendees looking for their first hunt out West or in Africa. I can’t speak for the evening events as we didn’t attend them but even those seemed aimed to attract a somewhat younger audience with entertainment from Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Four days seems like time enough to see everyone you wanted to see but it really wasn’t. I am a fan of Gabriella Hoffman’s District of Conservation podcast and had made plans to meet with her. Unfortunately, due to a glitch in our schedules we didn’t get to meet. There will be other events so I am sure she and I will meet sometime.
When all is said and done, it is the people that make events such as this a memorable event.
John, it was so nice to meet you in person at SCI! AND, you are right, four days seems like enough time to meet and see everyone that you want to talk to but it definitely is NOT! There are so many people that I wanted to connect with again (after last year’s shows) but I never had a chance to see them. Heck, I barely had time to leave the booth I was at. I did get to chat with many of the people you mentioned above which was awesome.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on Cries of the Savanna. Hopefully, you are enjoying it! I have spent the last month and a half in the closet. LITERALLY. I have been narrating the book for an audio version and using my walk-in closet as a recording studio. LOL. It works great….but narrating a book, even your own, is WAY harder than I ever imagined.
Thanks again for the shout out. I really appreciate it and look forward to your review. All the best. Sue Tidwell
Great report, and sounds like they’ve found a new home!
I think it was Michael Bane who recommended Sue Tidwell’s book Cries of the Savanna. I have not read it yet, but it is on my list. Man, where does the time go?
Another person that I always had respect for, is Chris Cox. I did not know what had become of him, but knew that he would end up doing something of importance. I hated the way he was treated, in the past, just as I am certain that many others would agree was awful. But water under the bridge, I guess. I look for him to do even greater things in the future.
I agree with your assessment about the art works, and it would be hard to pick a favorite. I had a painting given to me by a missionary to Togo, when I gave him a bunch of ham radio gear. Alas, it resides with my first wife, but it was a scene of an Arican village with people by the river washing clothes and such. Painted by one of the people that he and his wife were serving. He was a pilot and his wife a nurse. Sadly, I believe that the area is much too dangerous now for them to still be there.
Best wishes to you and your bride, and thank you for your post on this beautiful pictorial of the convention. It truly is magnificent.