I met Craig at the Maine Cabelas grand opening, I played hookie from work and he signed all my books.

Nice guy, there was only one other true rifle crank there to talk to him the rest were idiots.

He was nice to everyone, and answered a lot of really stupid questions, like ; "what's the most powerful cartridge available for bear?", "I want a bongo, cape buffalo, and gemsbok where can I go?", and of course the best "don't you wish they had whitetails in Africa"?

That's interesting since he's the Gander Mtn guy. I like the whitetail question...that took some real intelligence. The guy probably had to go home and take a nap after that.

They were interesting folks for sure. One guy had a 458 Lott cartridge signed, and told me "it's a big bore cartridge".

I said of course it is, and I asked him if he had hunted Africa, and he said no but he had spent $19,0000 on a custom rifle for elephant but didn't think he would ever take a safari as they were too expensive.

That reminds me of a Sean Connery film (The Rock) where he says to Nicolas Cage who lies about being a soldier..."Of course you are." You can visualize him with his Scottish accent...

I met him at the Ruger hospitality suite one year. Had to be during a NRA convention. He's not much of a poker player. If I remember right, Steve Hornady is something of a card shark.

Not sure what Boddington's role (General of infantry I think) was in the Marine Corps. He was still fit, though he looked a lot older than I had figured him to be, he was pretty sharp.

Nice guy, would have been neat to have Dad with me. Dad has become a fan as well.

I believe he retired out as a Full Bull; think there was some confusion about his being frocked before his Senate confirmation and he got caught in the fallout. If the Corp is like the Army once a man reaches general officer grade he stops being, infantry, artillery, etc., he becomes a general.

His latest book Tracks Across Africa (a great book by the way) goes into some detail about the whole incident with the Corps. My respect for him grew after reading about what happened. He strikes me as a man with a lot of self-discipline, which is something that I admire and respect.

He was editing a new Safari rifles book he had with him.

Can't wait until this one is finished. Your right his new one was good, explained a lot of what has happend recently.

His worst book is the one he did for Boone and Crocket Club called Fair Chase, just kind of preachy.

I told him he should do a mountain game book, he smiled and told me I was a bastard.

Craig Boddington is the hardest-working, most prolific and most knowledgeable outdoor writer alive or dead. Period.

He surpassed years ago the feats of such well-known gun and hunting writers from the last century as Whelen, Keith, Page, O'Connor and others. No other professional writer has hunted more countries on six continents and taken anywhere near as many types of game animals as he has.

I am proud to say that he has served as the African arms and ammo expert on my "First African Safari" seminar panel at the last 17 SCI conventions.

I cannot begin to list the stupidest questions he has been asked at those seminars, but if you follow the guns and hunting threads on the AR forums you eventually will come across a great many of them.

Incidentally, he wrote the foreword for my own book, "60 Years A Hunter," that Safari Press will introduce at the 2009 SCI convention in Reno in January.

Bill Quimby

I knew he was reworking the Safari Rifles book. Several of us would like him to do a book on sheep and goats. He has hunted them a LOT. We just don't hear much about it for some reason. I guess his Africa projects overshadow it.

Bill you amaze me, I'll order a copy when I see it up for sale.

Yes Craig is great, I didn't get to ask him that most obvious of questions for those in the know......

Do you think it's possible for a Retired Military General, long time gun writer, and rifle crank of some standing to win the Weatherby award on modest wages?

O'Connor did it years ago, but that was years ago before the Hummler's and Barnharts of the world made it a rich mans trophy.

I think the Mountain Hunting book was something he had planned. That was the reason for the bastard comment when I asked about it. I kind of hinted about O'Connor doing one at a similar point in his career. I actually had no idea on when O'Connor did his Mountain Hunting book, I just needed and intro and an example for the question so that's how I ran it.

What was really sad about Cabelas is every idiot that was there only knew of him from his TV show. Only one other guy even knew the man was a gunwriter.

"Do you think it's possible for a Retired Military General, long time gun writer, and rifle crank of some standing to win the Weatherby award on modest wages?"

Yes, but Craig has a handicap because he still is serving as the Weatherby Foundation's president. He certainly has taken more than the traditional number and types of species/subspecies on six continents and easily meets the service to wildlife conservation requirements.

He also is well-known, respected, and liked by the previous recipients who comprise the selection committee.

There was a long period after the O'Connor/Page era in the 1950s when international hunters involved in the "trade" (booking agents, writers and authors, etc.) were not considered eligible under an unwritten rule. In the last few years, however, that has changed and a taxidermist (Mike Simpson) and a hunting outfitter/guide (Jimmy Rosenbruch) have received the award.

I suspect Craig will be selected after 1) he gains more Asian mountain game experience and 2) steps down from his Weatherby Foundation post. He certainly deserves it.

Bill Quimby

He's a hell of a great guy, it would be fantastic to hunt with him some day. You know my father is almost as big of a fan as I am. Dad finally realizes that he's the new O'Connor and Keith.

I shared a flight with him out of Cameroon in 2004. That was shortly after he had made the list for General in the USMC and I had just been initiated as a Chief in the USN. He was a heck of a nice guy.


We sat next to each other from Cameroon to Paris and then from Paris to Atlanta. He continued on to California and I headed to Virginia. At no time did he strike me as being stuck up or in awe of himself. We talked for quite awhile about hunting, guns, countries visited and military deployments. He was a lot more down to earth than anyother flag grade officer I have ever dealt with, and I've been in the military for over 20 years.


I can honestly say that I don't agree with everything he has written, but for the most part I have enjoyed most of it. He has more actual hunting experience that any other gun writer I can think of.

I'd share a campfire or a safari camp with him any day.

Mac

As for Craig writing a book on sheep hunting: one day it may happen but he has to do it when his career allows him the luxury of writing a book that will not sell very many copies. In fact probably the fewest copies that any of his books will ever sell. (Not counting “limited to 1000 never to be reprinted†books.) As publisher of Safari Press I can tell you that sheep-hunting books have the smallest print runs of any of the many sub categories in the big-game hunting books niche.

The Weatherby Award is all about sheep and mountain hunting so Bill Q. has a point, but CB keeps on at it. Sooner or later he will be up for it—-if he wants it.

Dang—I did not know I had promised Bill his book out in January 2009, I better push the staff harder!

That new book CB was working on is the new and totally revised Safari Rifles II that should be out late this year. It is a 600 page plus monster and CB’s largest page count yet in any book he has done.

Best as I recall CB has two more books published now than JOC did when he died. However the comparison is not really valid: CB is not nearly as old today as when JOC was when he wrote his last book. In addition JOC wrote books in a time without the Internet and when there were about 18 million hunters in the US. So JOC had several advantages that we do not have any longer today. Mind JOC must have sold numbers of books that would make me see green with envy!

I think Ludo nailed it.

Ludo,

Do you want to clue us in on any other plans for the future for CB?

You know I would really like to see him do a DVD on African plains game, but I would be happy with a best of #2 dvd.

What did you think of Fair Chase in North America?

quote:

Originally posted by billrquimby:
Craig Boddington is the hardest-working, most prolific and most knowledgeable outdoor writer alive or dead. Period.

He surpassed years ago the feats of such well-known gun and hunting writers from the last century as Whelen, Keith, Page, O'Connor and others. No other professional writer has hunted more countries on six continents and taken anywhere near as many types of game animals as he has.

I am proud to say that he has served as the African arms and ammo expert on my "First African Safari" seminar panel at the last 17 SCI conventions.

I cannot begin to list the stupidest questions he has been asked at those seminars, but if you follow the guns and hunting threads on the AR forums you eventually will come across a great many of them.

Incidentally, he wrote the foreword for my own book, "60 Years A Hunter," that Safari Press will introduce at the 2009 SCI convention in Reno in January.

Bill Quimby

Amen! If any have any doubts, go to his web site and read his bio....he has served his country and the hunting community very well indeed.

I got to meet Mr. Boddington for the first time this year at Dallas' SCI. I purchased his 'Leopards' book and got his autograph. Waiting in line I couldn't believe how pushy some people got and how they wanted to extol their hunting experiences on him... But he was very patient with each one and very pleasant. I came away thinking he is indeed an officer and a gentleman. He's a real tribute to the hunting community.

Craig Boddington is the real deal.He is down to earth and will talk to you about just about anything.I use to email him and caught him on chat gun rooms.Its funny I told him about my 338-378 Weatherbys and he started asking me questions about it.Once there were only for guys on this hunting chat forum.They asked 4 short questions.Then I got two chat with him for an hour.I also met him at the Safari show.I have to get a full set of his books signed.The only thing he does that i dont like is push the small bore a little too much.But he likes the big guins too.I really like his books.I have yet to read one i didnt like.He is my favorite living writer.My favorite writter of all time is Elmer Keith.I wish I had gotten to meet him but I was too young or not in the write place.A friend og mine in Alaska got to visit Elmer Keith and they talked late into the night.Elmer told them to spend the night and they could go out shooting in the morning.Its the down to earth real person kinda guys i like.Craig Boddington is one of those guys also.I have about 7 of his books need to get all of them.Safari press does and excelent job on his books they are first class also.

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
That reminds me of a Sean Connery film (The Rock) where he says to Nicolas Cage who lies about being a soldier..."Of course you are." You can visualize him with his Scottish accent...

That may not be the first time Sean Connery has used that line. Isn't that what he said to Honor Blackman in Goldfinger when she said, "I'm Pussy Galore"?

I met this young lady at the SCI Reno Convention. Charming 22 year old from Texas. She was about to graduate from gunsmithing school in Oklahoma, and they brought a busload of students to Reno to pass a few resumes out. I was talking to somebody and mentioned his name. She was standing there and said in an awestruck tone "You actually know Craig Boddington?". I said yes, and she tells me she had been trying to work up the nerve to go over and introduce herself and ask him so sign a book or two. So, I did. Craig treated her like royalty, personally inscribed two books, and spent probably twenty minutes chatting her up about her choice of careers, etc. I walked her out to her friends and wished her well. When I went back to say thank you, he asked if she were a family friend or something. I told him I had dropped his name talking about Africa, and she asked for the intro. Craig is about the nicest person to talk to you can imagine. He makes every person he talks to feel like that conversation is the most important thing in the world, right then.

Rich
Buff Killer