by Karen Mehall Phillips - Friday, January 5, 2018
Greetings from Dallas as I walk the aisles at the 2018 Dallas Safari Club Convention and Sporting Expo that is drawing hunters by the thousands to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, Jan. 4-7. Whether you’re here to visit with friends and hunting outfitters, to book your next hunting adventure, to attend one of the many live and silent auctions benefitting wildlife conservation or to shop for wildlife art and collectibles, the event offers more than a few things for every hunter. And just to set the tone, you’re transported into the world of hunting the second you arrive as life-size taxidermy from around the world greets you at the door.
If you can break away from the DSC show floor long enough, be sure to check out the seminar scene where topics range from tips for hunting species from Coues deer and elk to Cape buffalo; planning for an African hunting adventure; designing and building a trophy room; managing wildlife and property through food plots; and field medicine for hunters. Worth noting, several are being offered by NRAHLF.org contributors, including:
• Come Back Alive After Your Next Hunt: presented by representatives from Global Rescue.
• How to Sharpen Your Knife and Glassing for Big Game: presented by Tom Claycomb.
• Lethal Compassion: Defend Hunting by Analyzing the Minds and Motives of the Anti-Hunter: presented by Michael Sabbeth. This one in particular is a must-see as we hunters work to protect hunting’s future. Drawing on his NRAHLF.org article, “If Anti-Hunters Had Compassion, They’d Be Hunters,” Sabbeth explains how anti-hunters say hunters lack compassion because they kill animals, never understanding the destructive consequences of their actions and beliefs on wildlife species.
In short, I feel so fortunate to be here. From the exhibits to the special events, the DSC show may be the most fun we hunters can have outside of, well, actually hunting. I wish those who do not hunt could meet some of the attendees firsthand, enjoy this fun family atmosphere and get a better understanding of how it is the collective hunting community that provides for wildlife habitat and conservation. Without hunting, there would be no hunters’ dollars to fund wildlife programs and initiatives. So in celebrating hunters’ ongoing contributions to wildlife conservation, I think I’ll go check out a few auction items. After all, the money raised goes to conservation and every hunter must do his or her part!
