by What a difference a year makes.
There was a lot of grumbling when the Dallas Safari Club chose Atlanta as the alternate location for their annual convention. They was forced to seek an alternative location because the Kay Bailey Hutchison Dallas Convention Center was supposed to be in the process of being demolished prior to being rebuilt. Of course, government being government, nothing happens as planned, the demolition didn’t start by January 2025, and DSC found its spot in Dallas being scooped up by the SCI owned Texas Trophy Hunters Association (TTHA). Texans seemed particularly aggrieved that DSC had not found a location in Texas to hold the event. To be honest, I was happy to be able to drive a bit over three hours instead of a two-day drive.
The 2025 convention was not only hamstrung by the move and the reluctance of many to attend outside of Texas but the weather. Snow in Atlanta is a big deal. 3 inches of snow is even bigger deal. The shuttle bus from our hotel never ran that morning. Watching the news channels, you had Gov. Brian Kemp, the head of the Georgia Highway Patrol, the state meteorologist, and the like discussing the storm and its impact. There were even questions by reporters asking if Kemp was going to call out the National Guard. The bottom line is that attendance at the convention was terrible. Many of the issues arising out of this move and the problems in Atlanta were acknowledged by DSC.
Fast forward to 2026. The convention was held in early February as opposed to early January. There was no overlap with the TTHA Outdoors Extravaganza. The weather was nice. The convention at the Georgia World Congress Center moved from Building B to Building C which was a bit smaller but also allowed ticket and membership booths to be right outside the entrance to the hall. The convention itself was cut to three days from four. The press room and the volunteer rooms were on the same level with the event.
While I don’t have the actual numbers of attendees and this is all my own observations, attendance especially on Saturday seemed much higher than in 2025. The Complementary Spouse and I worked the DSC membership booth on all three mornings so had a good view of people coming into the GWCC. I can say that I know we sold more memberships on Friday morning that we sold all of last year. Many of these were life or multi-year annual memberships.
After working the membership booth in the mornings, we’d head to the show floor. Over the space of two days I think we covered every booth and every aisle in the hall. All the bespoke gunmakers were represented from Purdey to Holland & Holland to Rigby. Likewise, custom gunmakers held court at the American Custom Gunmakers Guild booth. You also had the firearms companies making mid-range hunting rifles like Seekins Precision and AllTerra. While I didn’t come home with a new rifle, I did get an associate membership in the American Custom Gunmakers Guild.
The biggest attraction of these events, in my opinion, are the people and the friends you make. I got to chat with Craig Boddington about the changes at the NRA, with Mike Arnold about his genetics research, and with Wyatt Fetner and Bradley Johnson of Safari Specialties Importers about CITES animals. We did have a wonderful German dinner with Wyatt and Bradley on Thursday night along with a few other people. They will be handling the importation of my trophies from 2024.
Sue Tidwell, author of Cries of the Savanna (#commission earned), whom I had met a few times over the years was a DSC 100 volunteer as were we. She is also really good at making TikTok videos!
@suetidwell Dallas Safari Club Convention and Sporting Expo 2026 is a wrap—and I’m heading home with tired feet, plenty of pictures, and a head full of ideas for new adventures. If you’ve never been to a show like this, it’s a giant gathering of outfitters, gear makers, and outdoors folks swapping stories and mapping out the next adventure. Yes, you’ll see plenty of hunting and safari conversations… but it’s bigger than any one destination. This is where you can meet operators face-to-face, ask real questions, compare options, and start planning trips that actually fit you—whether that’s Africa, North America, Australia or somewhere in between. And I’ll be honest: one of the best parts is the people. Over time you see the same familiar faces—friends, PHs, outfitters, owners, and new connections who turn into the kind of contacts you’re grateful to have in your corner. Dallas Safari Club is a conservation organization built around three core lanes—conservation, education, and advocacy—with a mission “to ensure the conservation of wildlife through public engagement, education and advocacy for well-regulated hunting and sustainable use.” Their charitable arm, the DSC Foundation, helps fund that work through grants and conservation-focused programs, and DSC chapters support similar conservation/education/advocacy efforts at a more local level—so the convention isn’t just shopping and booking trips; it’s also a big gathering with auctions, raffles, etc that supports the broader conservation mission behind it. If you want to plan an adventure (or just soak up the best of the outdoor world), put it on your calendar for next year. #dsc #DSC #hunting #huntinglife #outdoorsman ♬ Showtime – Knives at Sea & Easy McCoy
I didn’t book any trips but am seriously looking at Namibia for 2027. Based upon multiple recommendations, we had a long conversation with the Strausses of Kowas Adventure Safaris. I may even get the Complementary Spouse to make her first trip to Africa!
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the AfricaHunting.com get-together held at No Mas! Cantina. We have attended them in Dallas and Nashville but this was the first in Atlanta. It got canceled last year due to the snow. We had a great conversation with Garth and Theresa with who we shared a table. Both they and I won a cap in the raffle held by “Rare Breed”. I understand we had 37 people attend. They are always fun to share experiences.
If you are in the Southeast, I’d strongly suggest giving the DSC Convention a try. The dates for 2027 will be January 7-10. Unfortunately, I won’t be there as this conflicts with the January NRA Board of Directors meeting. Bummer!
