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Would somebody attending please give a report of the show. Just your impressions would do, or any other info you care to add. First one i’ve missed in MANY a year. My daughter has metastatic cancer and I needed to stay home with family. But still miss seeing many of you! | ||
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Damn brother, I was praying she was better. We have gotten tied up in a bunch of things. We have not made the progress I would like to make. It seems smaller to me. There seems to be a fair number of people. It seems more cramped. The app is useless. Several exhibitors that I looked for are not even listed. I hear a lot of bitching about Reno. Reps from Reno are at the show ready to help. Too early to tell anything about bookings. | |||
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I’ll be there bright and early tomorrow morning Bcolyer, tough deal Been there, hang in there and all the best wishes " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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I'm missing it this year myself - first time in over a decade! :-( "At least once every human being should have to run for his life - to teach him that milk does not come from the supermarket, that safety does not come from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other people." - Robert Heinlein | |||
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Very very few people today compared to previous years in my humble opinion. Might be that is just way more spread out? Everyone scrambling for Leopard hunts. Charl van Rooyen Owner Infinito Travel Group www.infinito-safaris.com charl@infinito-safaris.com Cell: +27 78 444 7661 Tel: +27 13 262 4077 Fax:+27 13 262 3845 Hereford Street 28A Groblersdal 0470 Limpopo R.S.A. "For the Infinite adventure" Plains Game Dangerous Game Bucket List Specialists Wing-Shooting In House Taxidermy Studio In House Dip and Pack Facility In House Shipping Service Non-Hunting Tours and Safaris Flight bookings "I promise every hunter visiting us our personal attention from the moment we meet you, until your trophies hang on your wall. Our all inclusive service chain means you work with one person (me) taking responsibility during the whole process. Affordable and reputable Hunting Safaris is our game! With a our all inclusive door to door service, who else do you want to have fun with?" South Africa Tanzania Uganda | |||
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Wishing your daughter a speedy recovery. The show is much bigger than last year - foot print wise. I think it is really spread out and that may be a reason it appears less crowded. I walked close to 6 miles and I was not even walking the show. The taxidermy is pretty impressive and I am not really a taxidermy guy. The VR driven boar hunt st Aimpoint is very cool. I like the way the gunmakers and fishing are put in special areas. Mike | |||
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First time I have been in 10 years and not much has changed Average crowd size for Wed seemed to me. More jewelry, furs, junk for the ladies than I recalled from the past. Blaser had a huge booth!! Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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Thank all you friends and gentlemen so much for responding, and Thank You for the kind words, thoughts and prayers for my daughter. After going to SCI for SO many years I didn’t realize I would miss it quite so much. Or actually, I should say I didn’t realize I would miss seeing all my friends from years past, AR, and all the guys from Africa I have come to know so much. All in all however - I just miss the fellowship with friends. Thanks again, keep as many reports coming as you feel like posting! Brennan | |||
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I wont be at the show bcolyer but my thoughts are with you and your family.jc | |||
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I am very sorry to hear about your daughter. We all wish her all the best. | |||
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I’d say, great show, lots of room, good friends to see Hard to beat Just need more money ... " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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Very sorry to hear about your daughter too. First time I haven't been in 10 years for me too and now that the comments are coming in I feel the same way - I don't really miss the show as much as seeing all my friends from all over the world. I thought it was going back to Reno next year??? | |||
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Prayers for your daughter Brennan. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ J. Lane Easter, DVM A born Texan has instilled in his system a mind-set of no retreat or no surrender. I wish everyone the world over had the dominating spirit that motivates Texans.– Billy Clayton, Speaker of the Texas House No state commands such fierce pride and loyalty. Lesser mortals are pitied for their misfortune in not being born in Texas.— Queen Elizabeth II on her visit to Texas in May, 1991. | |||
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I attended Wednesday and Thursday and thought the show was very good, but definitely spread out. I walked my ass off both days, but was able to talk to most of the people I wanted to meet. I noted that Charl of Infinito was much busier yesterday as I wandered by his booth 3 times and he was busy every time. Good to see that. Got to meet Steve Ahrenberg, good guy! Wish I'd bumped into more AR members. I've got my duck club property up for sale, now just need to get it sold and I'll be booking some wonderful African hunts. Also, have to take my son fishing for Peacock Bass in Brazil. Brennan, I'm keeping your family in my thoughts. With all the advances in oncology, your daughter has better odds now than ever before. Hang in there, better times are ahead. | |||
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You are right about the walking! According to my wife’s Fitbit, we are covering about 4+ miles the last 2 days. Bought an auction hunt yesterday- plains game with Tholo in Botswana. Getting a late start today with nothing special on the agenda and home 8 AM tomorrow. Prayers for your daughter’s recovery. Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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I couldn't help but be perplexed at the people, obviously in poor health, who were riding scooters at a HUNTING show. They obviously can't walk much, if at all but they want to hunt. I guess maybe SCI is the perfect place for them. There seem to be options available for everyone, regardless of physical ability or ethics, or lack thereof. Jerry, I missed bumping into you by about a minute at Walter Enslin's booth. I'm interested in possibly having Walter arrange a trip such as he did for you and your wife. Might PM you about that. | |||
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After 3 days of this, I have to say I think the venue sucks. Awful on many levels. The food court in particular is bad. There are very few places to sit. The meals I have had were awful. The monorail to the convention center is a disaster. It didn’t run in prime time. I heard someone say that with stops,it took 45 minutes one way. The crowds built daily. I have heard a variety of results ranging from best ever to very slow. There also seems to be a great deal of confusion over the status of things with the USFWS. Lots of rumors floating around. | |||
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Let's hope Reno really shines next year! Larry - keep us in the loop with the USFWS rumors :-) "At least once every human being should have to run for his life - to teach him that milk does not come from the supermarket, that safety does not come from policemen, and that news is not something that happens to other people." - Robert Heinlein | |||
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I have no idea why it seems so many members complain about the food. Why can't the organizers do something about it? | |||
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After two days at the show, there are a few things I liked and a few things I didn't. First off, I liked how most of the gun makers were centralized around the main entrance but I did find it odd that Holland and Holland were nowhere near the rest of the gun makers. Also, I didn't like the venue this year as much as last year. It was a pain in the ass to catch a cab to the convention but we did start using Uber on the second day and that wasn't too bad. Since this was only my second show, I don't know the history of the convention floor setup but I think it would be nice to have vendors segregated into the same general area instead of being spread out. My uncle was looking into a stag hunt in Argentina and it took us a while to get around to all the outfitters. I guess that did help us see the majority of the show floor though. Just my 2 cents. Tyler | |||
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"I couldn't help but be perplexed at the people, obviously in poor health, who were riding scooters at a HUNTING show. They obviously can't walk much, if at all but they want to hunt. I guess maybe SCI is the perfect place for them. There seem to be options available for everyone, regardless of physical ability or ethics, or lack thereof." The SCI convention is more than a trade show selling hunts and gear. At age 81, COPD, congestive heart failure and pseudo-gout make standing and walking tiring and quite painful so my hunting is limited to cow elk near my cabin whenever I can draw a tag. (It doesn't matter because I took nearly every animal I ever wanted from six continents when I was younger.) I skipped the last two SCI conventions, but will be riding one of those scooters in Reno again next year so I can attend the evening functions and see old friends. I suspect many of the people you saw scooting around the hall were there for similar reasons. BILL QUIMBY | |||
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Controlled by the convention center not the convention. | |||
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. Bill, you're quite possibly right. I certainly don't mean them disrespect but I'm perplexed how people in poor health who dont appear able to walk 100 yards want to go on hunts. | |||
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And I bet the convention center management would bend backwards if this was raised during the negotiations! | |||
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I totally understand why they want to go on hunts. I don’t understand how they can go on hunts. | |||
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I can appreciate them wanting to hunt, within their limits. I have heard numerous stories of disabled or partly disabled hunters. Some were the epitome of being gentlemen. One or two I have heard were utter idiots, and tried their best to make life in camp as miserable as possible! | |||
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I saw one African outfitter offering oryx hunts in the United Arab Emirates! Vote Trump- Putin’s best friend… | |||
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Mauritius Hunt looked like fun " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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Bad behavior is never acceptable. God knows how many years I been coming to the convention. Probably 30. I have watched a lot of people age. Some more gracefully than others. I am now 62. I have been super active my entire life. I look at some of these people and hope it will never be me. I can’t imagine not being able to go as hard as I go. I have to admit that it concerns me. | |||
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I called it “ go cart convention “ I can totally picture myself one day like that if health goes pear shape So far so good but sometimes no matter what we do, age hits us like ton of bricks " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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There is a lot you cannot control, like some forms of cancer or other disease, but you can always control whether you smoke or drink too much alcohol. You can always control your weight if you choose to. Those who are overweight choose not to. Not to sound insensitive, but I have never seen a picture of a fat guy in a Nazi concentration camp or heard of any dying from alcoholism. Viktor Frankl, himself a Holocaust survivor, once wrote "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way." That quote is apropos whether we are talking about our health, a hunt that doesn't turn out just right, SCI, or our daily lives. | |||
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Just got back last night after 3 days. The footprint of the show was, indeed, more spread out than it was at the Mandalay. The aisles were bigger and there was generally more room for the traffic flow, which I found more comfortable as an attendee. But the convention center is certainly not as nice as the Mandalay, and as stated above, the food was terrible. I stayed at the Westgate, which is right next door, making it a short walk to the show. That was the only positive to the hotel. It's a pretty tacky place. Had I known, I'd have stayed elsewhere. Certainly won't go back. Argentina wingshooting outfitters I spoke with said business was good. Mixed reviews from the Africa guys. Overall, I'd say it was your typical SCI, held in a lesser venue. Felt sorry for the exhibitors who were stuck in the North Hall. They were isolated from the main hall and their exposure to the main body of attendees was limited. Surprised to see the Acoma Pueblo Governor's Elk tag go for 25K, and the Navajo "Special" Mule tag 17K. Bought some art and a shotgun, booked another bird hunt. Prayers for your daughter. 114-R10David | |||
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First time at the show (and in Vegas) for me. I was a bit overwhelmed. Stayed at the Westgate and can do nothing but echo TWL's comments. Restaurants in the hotel were ok, but very crowded. Elevators were terrible. 10+ minute waits going up AND down. Proximity to the convention center was the only perk. In the future, I'd stay somewhere nicer along the monorail and buy the 3 day monorail pass. Walked 9 miles Wednesday, 7 Thursday, 3 Friday (did a bunch of seminars). I thought it was incredible to see that many hunters in one place. I had a great time just meandering around talking to outfitters even though I had nothing specific in mind to book. Spent a good bit of time talking with Arjun and Vikram Reddy about hunts in France, Bulgaria, and Burkina Faso. Probably going to be looking for an elk hunt in the next two years. The firearms exhibits were stunning. The taxidermy present was pretty awesome. Had the pleasure of meeting and having lunch with Larry Shores and his wife, both fantastic people. Spoke at length with Craig Boddington, bought some of his books, attended his seminar on buffalo hunting in africa, and am trying to set up to get him to be a guest speaker at our SCI chapter fundraiser for 2019. As a newly active (at the chapter level) SCI member, the show was a wealth of networking for me. I attended a great seminar on chapter fundraising that gave me some great ideas for our upcoming fundraiser. I'm looking forward to next year's convention. I've never been to Reno, so that will be another new experience for me. | |||
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True dat I’m almost paranoid about weight and physical shape and lately possible injuries and it has always been for one reason only, which is, being able to get to my hunting spots ( read hellholes ) We’ll see how I can manage into a later years ( 56 this year ) " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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....As he talked about adult life, marriage, responsibilities, obligations and aging, the Father thoughtfully looked into his glass and cast a clear, sober look on his Son. "Never forget your friends," he advised, "they will become more important as you get older." "Regardless of how much you love your family and the children you happen to have, you will always need friends. Remember to go out with them occasionally (if possible), but keep in contact with them somehow." "What strange advice!" thought the young man. "I just entered the married world, I am an adult and surely my wife and the family that we will start will be everything I need to make sense of my life." Yet, he obeyed his Father, kept in touch with his friends and annually increased their number. Over the years, he became aware that his Father knew what he was talking about. In as much as time and nature carry out their designs and mysteries on a person, friends are the bulwark of our life. After 60+ years of life, here is what he (and you) will have learned: Time passes. Life goes on. The distance separates. Children grow up. Children cease to be children and become independent; many do not. And to the parents, it breaks their heart but the children are separated from the parents. Jobs come and go. Illusions, desires, attraction, sex....weakens. People do not do what they should do. The hearts break! The people die. Colleagues forget the favors. The races are over. But, true friends are always there, no matter how long or how many miles away they are. A friend is never more distant than the reach of a need intervening in your favor, waiting for ou with open arms or in some way blessing your life. They may be the one who married you or sang at your wedding! When we started this adventure called LIFE, we did not know of the incredible joys or sorrows that were ahead. We did not know how much we would need from each other. Teach all you meet of God's Grace, Forgiveness & Love! Love your parents, take care of your children, but keep a group of good friends. Dialog with them but do not impose your criteria. These friends help you in so many wake make sense of your life. Seeing my daughter where she is now.....God, my wife, my grandchildren, and my FRIENDS are all thats left to me. Thank each of you for posting. | |||
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It’s exactly what I’ve been telling my friends and people I know Keep your friends and keep in contact as so many can be bad in that regard " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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Hi Guys I don`t know you guys, but, I must say that it stroke me, that you guys don`t show the older guys some respect. Remember that they probably hunting high and low, before you guys even was born, but just was a wet spot on the sheet. the old guys that using the Cart on the convention, still have great joy of seeing all the people and fellow huntsmen, because they have lost some of the mobility, they have the same rights as you guys. So get into the tracks and tell us other what you did see and about the news at the convention, I`m 60 years old, and I will easy walk your shoes of in the mountain... SCI Official measurer. | |||
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Easy there Rune It is mostly applied to rudeness of some to regular walkers " Until the day breaks and the nights shadows flee away " Big ivory for my pillow and 2.5% of Neanderthal DNA flowing thru my veins. When I'm ready to go, pack a bag of gunpowder up my ass and strike a fire to my pecker, until I squeal like a boar. Yours truly , Milan The Boarkiller - World according to Milan PS I have big boar on my floor...but it ain't dead, just scared to move... Man should be happy and in good humor until the day he dies... Only fools hope to live forever “ Hávamál” | |||
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I have been thinking about your ordeal and how tough it must be. Your post reminds me of something I think about as my parents age: you always love your children more than your parents. I only have one daughter; she runs software development for my software company. In November, coming back from the deer shack, she told me she wanted to pursue her music career, to get her masters and then PHD. I just want her to be happy, but I am going to miss talking to her every day through our business. Sure, I could call her every day, but as you say, children need to live their own lives. I don't know what I would do if I were in your shoes...but I am thinking of you, whoever you are bcolyer... | |||
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I guess I am odd again. Westgate is a hotel. I didn’t have too many issues or too long of waits. Yes, it’s not that luxurious and prices were obscene, but the room was clean and since I’m mostly deaf I had no noise concerns. I chose it due to proximity and it looked like a lot of the PHs were staying there. I didn’t care for the lack of signage at the convention center. First day, I got lost and the convention center staff were unhelpful. The bag that sci gives you was chintzy and the lack of carrying strap was noticeable. It seems that this year they ran the convention a lot cheaper. They didn’t give me the directory or the auction guide, only later I found out I was supposed to go elsewhere and pick it up myself... lack of planning or lack of paid help? Dunno. The physical layout was ok except that they had a group in a separate (North?) area. If it wasn’t for really looking and asking where Uganda Wildlife safaris was, I would never have known about it (no directory!) I’m not as happy with Vegas as I had been. This was probably one of the worst organized conventions I have been to. Lots of folks were talking about how Reno has to be better. As to the motorized carts, there should be a way of getting rid of the carts for certain people. I saw some idiot and his middle aged girlfriend/wife racing and almost tip the things and a half dozen folks bumped into me with the damn things when a crowd was blocking the aisle. One was bad enough I have a bloody abrasion on the back of my heel....and that asshole (intentional use of profanity) had the balls to tell me that I needed to get out of his way... the older guys who are considerate are fine, but if you are under 50, skip it or use a walker instead. Most ph’s told me they were doing great. Some of the outfitter types said it was so-so. I heard rumors that FWS is going to shut down all elephant next year(including SA and Namibia)... but it was a rumor I heard from 2-3 folks in the business. I had a lot of fun, met a bunch of folks, and hope to be in Reno next year. | |||
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