Hey all!
I am making my first trip to Reno for the convention this year.
What my goal is, is to book a hunt for my 40th B-day coming up in 2 years.
I have been searching the Auctions they have up for grabs and wanted to know if anyone here has purchased one. If so what did they think? Was it a good investment or would you rather have paid the Guide directly?
Also I noticed in the terms and conditions of the Auction, that SCI reserves the right to take back any hunt that does not go for at least 50% of the stated value. Do you see that a bunch? Or is it just a safety net for SCI on the more expensive stuff?
Any hints or tips would be greatly appreciated.
I already have my scheduler filled out and noticed I will have to miss Boddingtons talk about Leopards in order to attend the "First time in Africa" seminar. Other than that bad timing it looks like I will be able to attend all the ones I want.. WHEW busy time coming up!
I will be staying at what used to be the old Hilton. Is there any parties a guy must attend?
It looks like I will be attending by myself, as my wife has to work, but is really encouraging me to do this. Tickets are booked, and I will be attending the whole show. My goal of this whole thing is to book a hunt one way or another and I have always figured it was best to meet the fellow face to face before throwing $$$ at him. After all everyone has a great Web site on the net and this board has so much great information it gets confusing.
Anyhow, like I said any help and or tips would be appreciated.

Thanks
Calgary Guy
BTW.. Any great poker tournaments planned? Like I said I will be going stag, so I wont be feeling guilty about playing cards. LOLOL

Calgary Guy,

Make sure you plan on being at the Giraffe Bar Friday 3:00 p.m. for the AR get together.

Enjoy the show!!!

Don't plan on getting any bargains on hunts at the auctions at the Reno SCI convention. I was at all 4 evening auctions last year and for the most part, the hunts (all the Africa hunts as I remember) went for as much or more than the amount they were valued at.

They day auctions may be a little better; I don't know; I didn't go to any. Relative to the number of people that attend the convention, the hunts to be auctioned are few and there is a lot of competition. I've found the local chapter SCI auctions to be much better in this regard.

auctions, ahhh.

as Grulkin said, the night auctions generally go for the retail amount and then some. They are ahoot to watch as in some cases it is most certainly a "whose is/are bigger than whose" contest. For that matter we could be talking about their "wives" too.

The day time auctions on the other hand...

You can get extrememly reduced hunts. In fact, over the past few years, both at reno and local sci events that I have attended with friends from africa, these auctions are becomning a major thorn.

Last year a RSA 10-day for two hunters including trophy fees for six good critters went for under $2200! I watched this one specifically as it was donated by one of my friends. This is one of many that went for well less than 20 cents on the dollar.

Never again says my friend. In fact, he, along with other acquantices in the safari business are thinking long and hard about this donation this. They may, and most likely do support sci but when it is costing them thousands of $$ just to display, and then sci askes for a a 10-day hunt and 3500 in Trophy fees besides, it gets a bit ridiculous.

\If you do choose to purchase at auction READ and understand the entire offer. There may be a lot that is not included-- like transfers, booze, field prep, dip/pack, soda, govt fees, laundry and the like.

The number of plains game safari donations is quite high, and therefore do not command a high dollar. That, and the fact that most folks at reno, or at a local sci event for that matter, have probably already been to africa on at least a plains game hunt, and therefore do not wish to spend a lot.

have a ball, the reno gig is a hoot, but, as always, caveat emptor.

"I already have my scheduler filled out and noticed I will have to miss Boddingtons talk about Leopards in order to attend the "First time in Africa" seminar. Other than that bad timing it looks like I will be able to attend all the ones I want.. WHEW busy time coming up!"

I'm the moderator for the "First African Safari" seminar on Thursday morning from 10 to noon, and Craig Boddington is one of the panelists. I don't know when his leopard seminar is scheduled, but I'm sure it's another day or another time.

Bill Quimby

Everybody is looking for a bargain. They forget that SCI is a charity organization. Most of the buyers grousing about the offerings and the outfitters grousing about lost revenue don't support SCI's goals - they're just there to sell/buy hunts. Bad deal all round.

CalgaryGuy - I have never bought a hunt at auction, but if I were thinking about it, there are a couple of things I think I'd do before hand.

First, I'd look over the entire auction list as far in advance as possible and decide which hunts I'd be interested in. Then, I'd personally contact each outfitter to get all of the details/exclusinons/additional costs of the hunt; as well as get a feel for the operator and ensure that my expectations would be realistic for that specific hunt.

Next, I'd ask for references, especially the name and contact information of the person(s) who have purchased this same hunt at a previous auction and call them.

After that, I'd meet personally with each operator at the show before the auction and I'd set my highest offer before the excitement and emotion of the auction sets in.

Good luck, I hope you are successful.

Billrquimby
Your right thanks for noticing that. They seminar that conflicts is the one By Jim Shockey (Best Hunting Adventures From Around the World). Though I wanted to see Jim speak, I think your's is more important for me.

I am in a bit of a conundrum, It's basically a toss up between going to Africa or going to Alaska for Brown bear. One day I am going East, next day I want to head west.
Bears have always held a special place in my heart, but the idea of going to Africa seems irresistible. My wife wants to go to Africa, and bring our kids. My Dad is willing to go to Africa, but has always dreamed of a Alaska Brown bear hunt. I think the experience for the kids in Africa would be amazing, but the cost to get all 4 of us there might be prohibitive at this point. With the way my 6 year old Son talks of Africa, I would feel really guilty about going with out him. But if I don’t push Dad to go on a major hunt he will never go. So who's wishes do I put first. My wife’s, My Dads, My Sons, My daughters, My Bankers or mine.
My daughter doesn’t seem to have any burning desire to go, but perhaps something like this would be great for her. The kids will be 10 and 8 respectively when I want to go, perhaps that is too young?? Perhaps its best to wait till they are older, but who knows what life will bring while I wait for them to age a bit. My wife really wants to go, but I don’t think she would go with out the kids.. And like I said I would feel really guilty about going with out my Son. That kid knows more about African Animals than I do. Dad is also up for a trip, but wants to chase Cape Buffalo, Myself I would be happy Chasing Oryx, Kudu, Zebra and Leopard. Cape Buff sounds wonderful, but it really adds to the price. But then Dad and I both agree on a Brown Bear Hunt

Confusion, Confusion, Confusion.. (But in a great way)

But that’s the reason I am going. I will get my head straight and make a decision at the convention.

Calgary Guy

over the last 15 years i have bought at least a dozen SCI auction hunts and never been disappointed. the day auctions invariably go for a lot less than the evening auctions. 7 of eight african safaris i have taken were auctions and as far as plains game hunts go, i never paid more than 50 cents on the dollar. my buff hunt in the Selous cost $3000 less than retail, my leopard/ plains game hunt with hounds in Botswana cost $5000 less than retail. as far as SCI being a charitable organization dedicated to raising money, if no one else bids against you after a certain point, there is nothing you can do about the price a hunt goes for. i have bought a lot of SCI auction items over the years for a lot less than 50% of retail value and never had the club refuse to sell the item to me . i always make it a point not to bid on a hunt unless the donor has a booth there so i can talk to him first and get a feel for the basic quality on offer. after that i go for it if it looks OK.

I have bought hunts at Reno and at chapter fundraisers. I do my homework and have never been surprised or dissappointed.

For the most part, the hunts at chapter fundraisers do go for less cents on the dollar than even the day auction hunts at Reno. There is simply less competition. But not all chapters offer a big selection of hunts to choose from. The money you can save will greatly offset a little travel to the right chapter event.

But- the key is do your homework in advance. Research the hunts. Know what is included and what is extra. Check references. Communicate with the donor before the auction. Know what you are buying.

Taking your Dad to Africa and seeing giraffes, elephant , Zebra, listening to hippo in the rivers... This trip wil cost but all will remember forever...
My wife is pineing to go back to Africa...

Mike

Any guess as to what kind of crowd to expect at the Giraffe Bar? This will be my first Reno trip and I'm looking forward to meeting whoever is there.

Quite honestly, I fail to see how SCI can claim charitable status. - I appreciate that they are an organisation that represents the rights and opinions of hunters etc and I take my hat off to them for that. - However, the HQ strikes me as nothing more than an enormous tribute to self aggrandisment that must have cost an absolute fortune and the hunt donation system as nothing more than blackmail, that in the long term could well mean the demise of the hunting industry itself.

I'm not suggesting SCI don't take part in any philanthropic programmes etc, but I've travelled a large part of Africa over a period of close to 30 years and have never, ever seen a single sign of any good works sponsored in whole or in part by SCI.

I'd also like to know how much money they raise from their various donations and what exactly they do with the money raised. - Or more precisely, what percentage of their profits goes to charity.

For a family trip that you will all remember for ever, go to Africa. I took my two children when they were 14 and 12. They had a ball.

I don't think even the day auctions at SCI are a good idea for a first trip. Although some of these trips do go very cheap, you end up with operators who are less than thrilled to have you in some cases. Additionally, virtually every one of theses "deals" has some sort of exclusion, limitation, etc., and unless you are familiar with the safari business you can easily overpay, or at least not understand what you are getting. SCI basically strong arms many of these operators into making a donation they wouldn't make otherwise, so their all sorts of "extras" added you wouldn't deal with when negotiating a regular hunt contract.
Go to Reno and enjoy the show, talk to lots of operators and learn what it is that you want. Be extremely cautious purchasing any of these auction hunts.

Bill

I'll also add that all the while they continue to accept bookings and donations from a certain company whose name shall remain nameless but is the same as a famous film, (most of you will know who I'm talking about) their integrity must be doubted in the extreme!

Shakari; If you would care to review the facts, Charity Navigator gives SCI a four star rating, which is the highest level of achievement. 75.6% of revenue goes to program expenses, 16.3% to admin and 7.9% to fundraising expenses.

Charity Navigator - SCI

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:
they continue to accept bookings and donations from a certain company whose name shall remain nameless but is the same as a famous film, (most of you will know who I'm talking about) their integrity must be doubted in the extreme!

Mighty Joe,

You may well be right..... Although from what I can see on that page, there is no report of what caharitable work they do or where they do it.- my point is that in all they years I've been kicking around Africa, I've never seen or heard a single shred of evidence that SCI are involved in any charitable work in Africa. It could well be that they're operating in different places to me, but if so, perhaps you can tell me where? - It could be that they are doing work in some parts of Africa, but believe me, there's an awful lot of Africa they're not doing anything in. - In all honesty, I'd love to see them doing good works of some sort - I truly would. - But frankly, as I said, all the time they continue to accept donations from the company I didn't mention, their ethics simply have to be doubted..... and that in turn, simply must reflect doubt on their charitable works and everything else about them.

Shakari,
Very well said. If SCI continues to accept money from at least one very well known slimeball, it shouldn't surprise them when some of it rubs off.

Bill

Shakari; I would appreciate it if you would PM me and give me the specifics of the issue that has caused your foremost concern, and I will try to dig into it and at least try to understand what the issues are and communicate what I find out. If SCI is wrong, then they are wrong, but if there are other issues to be considered, I would like to know that too.

I can do some leg work and give you some information about the extensive work SCI does, but this is probably not the forum. I will try to find a summary that may satisfy your disbelief. Regards, MJ

"I'm not suggesting SCI don't take part in any philanthropic programmes etc, but I've travelled a large part of Africa over a period of close to 30 years and have never, ever seen a single sign of any good works sponsored in whole or in part by SCI. I'd also like to know how much money they raise from their various donations and what exactly they do with the money raised. - Or more precisely, what percentage of their profits goes to charity."

Steve:

Mighty Joe has answered your question on the percentage of profits going to charity.

As to SCI's programs in Africa, you can thank SCI and no one else for your continued ability to import bontebok and Big Five trophies into the USA.

When there are threats to hunting and hunters, don't hold your breath for some other organization to step up to protect your rights. Others may say they will but they simply do not have the political clout, knowledge, Washington-based staff, money or mandate to do so.

Actually there are three SCIs: Safari Club International, the SCI Political Action Committee, and the Safari Club International Foundation. (The SCI Foundation is the only 501(c)(3) charitable organization.)

As for SCI's headquarters above the International Wildlife Museum in Tucson, you may find the history of the building of that museum interesting. As I related in my book, "The History Of Safari Club International," it is the No. 1 reason the club's founder was fired.

Bill Quimby

What about myriads of SCI Blue Bags that have made their way to Africa with SCI members over the years filled with medicines, educational materials, etc.? Does that count for something charitable?

Bill,

I appreciate that MJ has answered part of the question, and I'll be sending him a PM as he suggested, but my point is really where do they spend that money? - As I said, I've never seen any evidence of their charitable works in Africa. It might be there, but I've never seen it and despite my making this point many times, no-one has been able to show me proof of it. I truly wish they could, and I'd be very happy indeed to see some SCI charitable programmes etc ...... Bugando Hospital in Mwanza for example, is a prime candidate for charitable investment, but I've never seen any evidence of anyone sponsoring them other than churches.

I appreciate that SCI do a lot of work to support hunting and hunter's rights, and as I said, I take my hat off to them for that. - but it cannot be denied that their HQ must swallow a huge amount of membership money for no other reason than self aggrandisment. - I was interested to hear your comment about the SCI HQ...... but they could always sell the place, buy ordinary offices and use the extra money for charitable donations......

UEG

The blue bag programme is indeed a good idea, although whether they go to the most deserving causes, might possibly be questioned sometimes. -BUT surely, although SCI might provide the bag, - and as I understand it, and I'm more than happy to be corrected on this, the individual member has to provide the contents. Even if the bag itself is provided free (I don't know if it is or not?) SCI could buy an awful lot of blue bags for the money garnered from memberships, show cost profits, donations/auctions etc.

The reason I didn't comment on the 'What do you think of SCI' thread is that I felt the question was a little sweeping. (IMO) SCI do a great job of defending hunters rights, and the individual members are (from my experience) really good guys - but I'm afraid I do have to question two things about the management of the organisation. Firstly their ethics on how they can accept donations and provide booth space etc to certain companies who have repeatedly been proven to be crooks in various ways and secondly, the charitable thing for the reasons I've stated above.

Don't think I'm criticising individual members, I'm not. I'm questioning the management, and the ethics of the management at it's highest level (and only it's highest level) of the organisation in general.

While trying to figure out who P.J. Fouche is, I stumbled across something SCI has actually done in Africa: http://www.safariclubfoundatio...df/antipoaching2.pdf

Open question, actually two-------
1. Is it possible that the Hollywood movie safari company has cleaned up their reputation in the past couple of years?
2. Does the American dollar valued against some of the African currency makes these hunts extememly lucrative for the safari companies, despite some of the Reno bids of 50% face value?

If you are loking for a bargain hunt your best bet is to go to your local chapter fundraiser-Dinner. Chances are you will find fewer "highrollers' There than you will in Reno

quote:

Does the American dollar valued against some of the African currency makes these hunts extememly lucrative for the safari companies, despite some of the Reno bids of 50% face value?

Absolutely. First of all some of the auction items arean't really good deals at all and secondly, I'll bet that the majority that go on an SCI auction hunt end up shooting a lot more than is included in the auction hunt package.

There is a certain safari operator offering a hunt at my local chapter. If you're a sucker enough to bid on it and get it, you'll pay their full price for trophies which are about twice the price of what you could get them for elsewhere. If you visit said safari operator's booth in Reno, you'll be offered a big discount that brings trophy fees down to what everyone else is charging. In short, this operator will not lose any money for his "donation."