Dallas Safari Club

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Follow-up On Corey Mason

July 13, 2024 by 1 Comment

The new “professional opportunity” to which Corey Mason will transition is as the Executive VP for Conservation and COO of the Wild Sheep Foundation. It appears that he will remain with the Dallas Safari Club over the next month before moving on to the new position.

The Wild Sheep Foundation announced his hiring yesterday.

BOZEMAN, MT — The Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) is pleased to announce that Corey Mason of Texas will join WSF as Executive Vice President of Conservation, effective August 12, 2024. In this capacity, Mason will lead WSF conservation efforts to conserve and enhance wild sheep and their habitat worldwide. He will also serve as Chief Operating Officer, supporting the foundation’s current and future programs and strategic initiatives.

“Corey has served the conservation and hunting community with distinction as CEO of Dallas Safari Club (DSC) for the past seven years and as a Regional Director, Program Leader, and biologist roles for the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for sixteen years before leading DSC,” stated WSF President and CEO, Gray N. Thornton. “He is a Certified Wildlife Biologist®, and a recognized industry leader in promoting sustainable use, not only in North America but around the globe. Corey has worked extensively with state, federal, and international agencies and conservation industry NGOs. He brings talent, capacity, relationships, and additional leadership to the WSF staff  – he is a blue chip hire, a franchise player, and a force multiplier to our team. I am thrilled, and we are honored to have him join WSF.”

Mason has a BS and MS in Wildlife Management and has served as an organizational lead for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and CITES Conference of Parties and Animals Committee meetings. He also serves on the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation Board and state advisory committees for bighorn sheep, mule deer, and whitetail deer and was a member of the National Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council.
 
Corey will work closely with WSF Vice President of Conservation Kevin Hurley, a 50+ year wild sheep conservation leader and veteran who on July 1st transitioned to part-time with WSF as he nears retirement. As COO, Corey will work alongside WSF President & CEO Gray N. Thornton to expand current programs as well as help launch innovative WSF initiatives.

“I could not be more excited to join WSF’s incredible team. I have admired the organization’s focus on strategic initiatives and programs, and having worked in the conservation space for decades, I have seen that WSF’s leadership is widely recognized and respected and that the professionalism and efficiency of the staff are appreciated by members and partners worldwide,” Corey Mason stated.  “I am eager to support the important mission of WSF and look forward to serving its members,” Mason added.
 
“As the world’s leading wild sheep conservation, advocacy, and hunting organization, WSF directed $9.2 Million to Grant in Aid, education and outreach programs, and our state, provincial, and tribal agency partners during our 2023-2024 fiscal year ending June 30th. This is $1.7 Million more than the $7.5 Million we directed in fiscal year 2022-23 for an incredible $16.7 Million to mission programs in just two years. Adding Corey Mason to our team will help ensure that those dollars make an impact on the resource,  and with our agency and chapter and affiliate partners, Put and Keep more Wild Sheep on the Mountain,” Thornton concluded.

From what I can gather reading comments on various forums made by long time DSC members, there has been a fight going on between those who wanted DSC to remain a “hunting club” and those who wanted it to progress into more conservation and advocacy for some time. A number of board members and the President-elect resigned over it. There was a dissident faction in 2019-2020 that floated an effort called “Save DSC” that some have called an attempted coup. The “Save DSC” group forced a vote on changing the bylaws which only got 18% in favor of it. As I have only been a member of DSC since 2022, I am somewhat ignorant of all the forces at work behind the scenes, what happened in the past, and who is who. This all could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for Mason who decided it was time to leave for greener pastures. I will say that in the couple of meetings I was in with Mason that he seemed like a breathe of fresh air after enduring some of the stuffiness of the NRA’s hierarchy.

I do hope that all goes well for him at the Wild Sheep Foundation and DSC can find a new Executive Director and CEO that can take it into the future.

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Corey Mason Out As CEO Of Dallas Safari Club

July 11, 2024 by

Corey Mason, the CEO and Executive Director of the Dallas Safari Club since September 2017, is out according to an email sent to DSC members today. Whether he was fired or decided to step aside is not known at this time.

There was a good deal of discontent over the decision to move the annual convention from Dallas to Atlanta for the next five years. That move was due to the demolition and reconstruction of the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Dallas Convention Center. Work on it was due to begin this summer but seems to have been postposed until after January 2025. Many felt that the convention should have remained in Texas and been moved to a city like San Antonio. In the meantime, the Texas Trophy Hunters Association which is now part of SCI, scooped up the open January slot and will hold their Outdoors Extravaganza there in 2025.

DSC President Ray Mulholland sent out this message today around 2:30 PM EDT:

Good afternoon DSC Members, Volunteers, Exhibitor Partners and Sponsors,

I’m writing to share an important update about the evolution of our leadership team. Our CEO, Corey Mason, will be transitioning to a new professional opportunity. Corey has been a pivotal force in driving numerous successful national and international initiatives and strengthening our organization. While we will certainly miss his leadership, we fully support his decision and recognize that this move is a testament to the high regard in which he is held within the world of wildlife conservation. We wish him nothing but the best and are deeply grateful for all he has done for DSC.
 
In light of this transition, our Board of Directors will immediately engage in the search for a new CEO who will continue to build on the strong foundation Corey has laid. During this time, our dedicated executive team will maintain focused and steady leadership, while continuing to advance the DSC mission.  Brian Fienhold, DSC’s Director of Operations and Development, will serve as Acting CEO during the search process.
 
We are eagerly anticipating our upcoming annual convention in Atlanta, which promises to be another incredible hunting and conservation gathering for all.  We look forward to seeing you there and thank you for your continued support and dedication to DSC.

I am not upset that the convention is going to Atlanta as that is an easy drive for me. However, if you have to come from Texas for an event that used to be in your own backyard, I can understand the angst.

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2023 Dallas Safari Club Grants

November 16, 2023 by

Monies raised by the Dallas Safari Club have gone to support a wide variety of projects and organizations dedicated to its mission of conservation, education, and advocacy. These grants are distinct from other grants made by the DSC Foundation. The bulk of these grants are funded with monies raised at the annual DSC Convention in January.

Corey Mason, DSC’s CEO, discusses the grants made in 2023 in the video below.

These grants range from support of efforts to stop wildlife crime both here and abroad to efforts to support Texas-based food banks which use hunter-donated game meat.

You can see more about the grants made by the DSC Foundation at this link which are in addition to the ones detailed by Corey Mason.

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DSC North Carolina Chapter Organizing

August 28, 2023 by

The North Carolina Chapter of Dallas Safari Club is in the process of being organized. Currently, the only chapters DSC has in the Southeast are in the Low Country of South Carolina (Charleston) and in Georgia.

I received a text this past week from Emaneul “Kappie” Kapp announcing the formation meeting. He has been active in the Georgia Chapter and is helping organize the North Carolina Chapter.

The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, September 16th, at 11am at Suffolk Punch Bowl Brewing South End. The address is 2911 Griffith St, Charlotte, NC.

Kappie told me in a follow-up email that DSC has approximately 100 members in North Carolina. I would add that even though there is a South Carolina Chapter, Charlotte is a lot closer than Charleston to the Upstate of SC as well as to Rock Hill.

From what I understand, Bruce Boroski, DSC Chapter Development Manager, will be joining Kappie at the meeting.

So if you live in NC, the Upstate, or the Rock Hill area and you have an interest in promoting the DSC mission of conservation, education, and advocacy, I would urge you to attend this meeting. Even though this is a 2 1/2 hour drive for me, I intend on coming down from the mountains to attend.

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Dallas Safari Club Annual Meeting

March 11, 2023 by

The Dallas Safari Club held their annual general meeting by Zoom on Thursday. They elected new directors, new officers, and made a few bylaw changes.

From DSC:

DSC held its Annual General Meeting last night via Zoom. New Directors were elected, officers were confirmed for new terms and all bylaw changes were approved.YesElections supervised the electronic voting to ensure a fair and 100% secure process.
The three newly elected Directors are as follows:

  • Rick Warren
  • Knighton Sample
  • Joel Swan

Immediately following the AGM, the Directors elected the following officers:

  • Tim Fallon as President
  • Chris Sells as President Elect
  • Michael Vernone as Past President
  • Daniel McGehee as Treasurer
  • John Patterson as Secretary

The bylaw changes passed at the meeting by member vote included cleanup of grammatical errors in the current bylaws, giving the option to extend a Presidential term to include a second year at the Board’s discretion, and making the Chapter Liaison an officer.

Thank you to all members who participated in these important elections. 

While I am a member of Dallas Safari Club, I am not a voting member. I really had hoped to attend their convention this past January but I just could not make attending both it and the SHOT Show work. I did attend last year and enjoyed it tremendously.

I did get to meet Tim Fallon and enjoyed my chat with him at the SCI Convention. He owns FTW Ranch and the SAAM shooting school in Texas.

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Pre-SHOT Show Releases, Etc.

December 21, 2022 by

I am starting to get a number of press releases regarding new introductions at the SHOT Show. In the coming days I will start reposting them here with little or no editing. I just want to get that info out.

On another note, the Complementary Spouse and I have been approved to attend the Safari Club International Convention as media. I would have liked to have attended the Dallas Safari Club as well but the Biden Economy forces me to make choices. Nashville is within easy driving range while Dallas is about 1,000 miles. That said, I will be posting advance information on both shows if and when I get it.

Having attended both last year, I will say if you are within driving distance of Dallas that the DSC Convention is well worth attending. It costs less in terms of admission and seems, in my opinion, to be more suited for the average guy and gal.

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Dallas Safari Club Grants For Conservation

October 28, 2022 by 3 Comments

The Dallas Safari Club and the DSC Foundation raise money to fund conservation efforts, for education, for anti-poaching teams, and to counter anti-hunting initiatives.

DSC Executive Director Corey Mason outlines some of their recent grants below. DSC says its mission is education, conservation, and advocacy. Each one of the short video addresses one of their mission goals.

A complete list of the grants made by the DSC Foundation is here.

I attended their 2022 convention held in Dallas and hope to do it again in January 2023. One thing that I found special about their convention was the number of families and school groups that were in attendance. That they went out of their way to make it inclusive for all age groups really impressed me.

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DSC Convention Day 3

January 16, 2022 by 2 Comments

I am taking this snowy day to finish my posts about the Dallas Safari Club Convention which ended Sunday a week ago. I should be at the airport getting ready to fly to Las Vegas for the SHOT Show and SCI Convention but weather has thrown a wrench in that.

My third day at the DSC Convention was similar to earlier days in that I spoke with outfitters, cruised the aisles, drooled over guns, and attended a couple of seminars. I did see some interesting taxidermy and artwork as you can see below.

My two biggest highlights were chatting with “the” Bill Laughridge of Cylinder and Slide and meeting Kevin “Doctari” Robertson. I chatted with Mr. Laughridge about the Browning Hi-Power as well as the new Springfield SA-35. He thought the Springfield SA-35 was a good upgrade to the Browning model as he had worked on customizing a couple so far.

With regards to Kevin Robertson, I was walking the aisles and heard this guy speaking with a couple of people. I knew that voice! I had recently heard it on John McAdams’ Big Game Hunting Podcast. Dr. Robertson is the author of the The Perfect Shot and The Perfect Shot II. Those books combine his experience as a veterinarian and as a licensed professional hunter in Zimbabwe to provide hunters with the knowledge to make a clean kill on tough African wildlife. As with Mr. Laughridge, he was a very nice gentleman and willing to talk.

I also attended a seminar put on by Hornady on bullet design. The engineer presenting the seminar said they were going to work backwards from the animal dying to find the type of bullet needed for the task. An animal dies from the lack of oxygenated blood to the brain. There are three systems that can be impacted that will cause death: circulatory, respiratory, and nervous. In other words, the animal dies from blood loss, damage to its lungs and/or heart, or from a spinal or brain shot that shuts down the nervous system. When designing a bullet the engineers give consideration to placement, penetration, and expansion. Placement is always important while on some animals you need more penetration and on others expansion is more critical. Unfortunately, I had to leave before they finished the seminar.

The other seminar I attended was put on by Michael Sabbeth who is a student of the media. His seminar dealt with how the media portrays hunting and especially trophy hunting. Much of the seminar was deconstructing an interview done by Emma Barnett of the BBC with Danene van der Westhuyzen who runs Aru Safaris with her husband in Namibia. Danene is one of the few female PHs in Namibia and is president of the Namibian Professional Hunters Association. Sabbeth found Barnett to be a master of rhetorical tricks and unethical in her use of them. You can read his deconstruction of the interview here.

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DSC Convention Day Two

January 8, 2022 by

Day Two was much like the first day with a lot of walking around. I did get to talk with a couple of Eastern Cape outfitters about trips in 2023. One was Marius Goesen of KMG Safaris who I really enjoyed talking with. My friend David Cole had gone with him on an earlier trip and plans to go again.

Two highlights from the the day were a seminar that was an accumulation of tips and wisdom about going to Africa. As one of the presenter put it, he was just there in November and some things had already changed. His point was whatever happened for a friend a year or five ago is probably already out of date. Thinks change that quickly. I took 3 plus pages of notes and will do a separate post on that later.

The second highlight was a dinner organized by Africahunting.com for those who participate in its forums. I met a lot of great people there and had some really good Tex-Mex food.

I’m keeping this short so that I can head in to the convention. This will be my last day there so I need to make the most of it.

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DSC Convention Day 1

January 7, 2022 by

DSC or Dallas Safari Club is holding their annual convention in Dallas. Of course, where else would they hold it! This is my first time attending it so I didn’t know what to expect.

First impressions is that it is a lot like the NRA Annual Meeting exhibitions but without the mega-booths from the major gun makers like Ruger, S&W, SIG, and the like. Having attended the NRA Annual Meeting here at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Dallas Convention Center just a few years ago, I have a decent appreciation for how the space is filled. I would put it at about 3/4 of what I saw at the NRA exhibition.

The gun makers were off in a section by themselves and the mix here is widely different than what you’d see at either SHOT or the NRA Annual Meeting. While SIG and Savage both had booths, they were much smaller. Moreover, instead of seeing S&W, you got Rigby, Holland and Holland, and a slew of custom gun makers. The American Custom Gunmaker’s Guild had a section to themselves and their work there would take your breath away.

You of course had outfitters from around the world. There were the US outfitters with hunts for everything from brown bears in Alaska to guide whitetail hunts in Indiana with the western elk and sheep hunts thrown in for good measure.

The African contingent covered the continent from east to west and north to south. In terms of value, a 5-7 day hunt in the Eastern Cape of South Africa goes for $4-5000 plus or minus. For that you’d get upwards of five animals. By comparison, a guide whitetail hunt for archery in Indiana goes fro $4500.

You also saw some interesting things for sale such as this swamp buggy from Argo. I think I heard the sale rep say that the tires can be used for extra fuel storage. I didn’t ask the price. I think it probably is in the range of “if you have to ask the price, you can’t afford it”.

Finally, while I have much more to write about the DSC, I’ll save it for another time. I just want to add this last picture taken this morning from my room. I didn’t realize until I look at a map and then looked out the window again that the Texas School Book Depository and Dealey Plaza were a mere block away. I am of an age that I do remember where I was when JFK was assassinated.