Safari Club International Convention 2022 - Turning Dream Chaser into Dream Maker
By: Joe Byers
The world abounds with exciting hunting adventures, and many share a common launch point. What Cape Canaveral used to be to NASA space exploration, the Safari Club International Convention is to hunting. If it roars, bulges, grunts, runs, or hides, SCI has a hunt to catch it.
Walking the isles of the 2022 SCI Convention was an adrenaline rush. I felt like a kid at Disney World. Many of the amazing taxidermy displays were of animals I have hunted, and I wondered how to share this incredible opportunity and adventure with Global Outdoors fans. With so many incredible hunts, how do I narrow the field?
After shaking hands with several outfitters I’d shared amazing hunts with, the answer hit me. Why not focus on those businesses with which I was totally satisfied when fulfilling adventure hunts? They not only offered great outdoor adventure but survived two years of devastation by the pandemic. If they were still in business, it is testament to their business model and their loyal customer base.
The time to put a deposit on your hunt-of-a-lifetime is now. Outfitters are not immune to inflation, and their prices are starting to go up to compensate for the increasing costs. Reserving tomorrow’s hunt today, assures that the price is locked in, even if it is a year or two in advance.
The following outfitters offer excellent hunts and are people I know and trust from a lifetime of adventure hunting. Check them out, and make that dream hunt a reality.
Larsen Bay Lodge offers hunts for Sitka Blacktail deer and Kodiak Brown bear.
I hunted there with Jim Zumbo and quickly learned how amazing this fishing and hunting lodge had become. Late season hunting in Alaska is part adventure and part endurance, but not at the Larsen Bay Lodge. You can hunt Sitka bucktail deer during the day on Kodiak Island and return to a gourmet meal and your favorite cocktail before retiring to a warm and cozy cottage. Deer tags are over the counter, and you can hunt multiple animals during November and December when deer leave the high, craggy mountains to feed along the beaches. Additionally, you can hunt sea ducks or fish for halibut for a change of pace.
I once hunted the far end of Kodiak Island, a short hop by float plane from Larsen Bay, where I slept in a tent and worried constantly about bumping into a brown bear. Larsen Bay offers brown bear hunts on Kodiak Island and will soon begin booking hunts for 2025. This is one of the best bear hunts in the world, where adventuresome men and women may see forty bears in a single day. www.larsenbaylodge.com
Wildman Lodge is the perfect place to catch your first king salmon on a fly.
Alaska is an amazing hunting destination, but anglers can enjoy an equally amazing experience. I caught my first king salmon on a fly there twenty years ago, and the excitement needle has only increased since then. Wildman Lake Lodge is located on an artesian river that flows from the mouth of an extinct volcano. This stream teams with trout all year and always flows crystal clear thanks to its unique underground origin.
Lodge guests begin their adventure in Anchorage, where they board a twin-engine plane that flies directly to camp. Located in a remote section of the Alaskan Peninsula, the only fishermen you will meet are the ones you had breakfast with. You can fly fish or spin cast for all five species of salmon, as well as catch steelhead, rainbow, Dolly Varden, and Arctic char.
Unique to this location is a walrus “haul out”, a section of beach where these giant sea mammals climb upon the beach by the thousands. “We had a record number last year,” said lodge owner Butch King, “a good sign for the environment.” King flies his guests to this remote spot where they can sneak close enough for National Geographic-style photos and videos without disturbing this amazing sanctuary.
The Alaskan Peninsula is also home to some of the largest brown bears in the. Just as lodge guests catch amazing amounts of salmon, so do the bears, a food source that allows them to grow to monstrous size. Guests have the opportunity for bear and wildlife viewing, as well as hunting. https://www.wildmanlodge.com/
Wingshooting in Uruguay is beyond most hunter's imagination for dove and ducks.
Much has changed in South America since the inception of River Plate Outfitters in 1986, but the amazing wing shooting for five species of birds is not one of them. I hunted a few years after its inception, and I had had to consult a world atlas to locate Uruguay, my wing shooting destination. On the eve of the first duck hunt a staff member brought a case of shells to our room, and my mind could not comprehend that much waterfowl action.
I would soon learn why avid wing shooters travel to Argentina and Uruguay. We hunted ducks for two days and then traveled to the pampas area to hunt perdiz, dove, and pigeon. Perdiz flush and fly like Bob White quail and are similar in size. On the first flush, I remembered the rush of hunting wild quail as a young boy when the birds were numerous and the coveys plentiful.
Dove shooting near roosts offers action that will challenge the action of any autoloading shotgun. Doves swarm in flocks like mosquitoes and the shooting action is nearly constant.
Aside from the incredible wing shooting, visitors stay in luxurious “estancias” that have been updated with modern amenities for great comfort and convenience. Meals are sumptuous and delicious and are the perfect companion to robust days in duck blinds and open fields. https://www.riverplatewingshooting.com/
New Mexico and Arizona offer incredible hunting oportunities, but you may need a savy outfitter like Van Hale to access them.
Some of the biggest trophy elk, mule deer, and antelope live in Arizona and New Mexico, and few outfitters can top Van Hale’s success for trophy animals. Rules have changed from year to year in the Southwest, and only an outfitter that stays ahead of the game can get his clients into the best areas. Top areas include draw units, where the odds are long for drawing a tag. Hale overcomes these long odds by finding honey-holes with difficult access. He gets his hunters into the sweet spots where the competition doesn’t go. Additionally, he guides archery, muzzleloader, and centerfire hunters to increase the odds of drawing a license.
Hale also hunts numerous private ranches where landowner tags can be purchased and thus avoids the lottery license situation. These hunts are more expensive, but they give hunters certainty that a quality hunt will occur.
Hale also guides for antelope in Arizona, where some of the largest bucks are found. He guides hunts for giant mountain lions in the winter and black bears that roam the Southwest. If you are looking for that hunt-of-a-lifetime in the Southwest, Hale is your man. www.trophyoutfitters.com
Watt's Trophy Hunting specializes in customized hunts in a wide variety of price ranges.
Many hunters dream of hunting in Africa, and as odd as it may sound, South Africa offers the most cost-effective hunt in the world today. For the price of one guided Western hunt, you can fly to South Africa and hunt three to five species in fully guided camps. Watts offers safaris in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Uganda, Mozambique and Zambia, so wherever your dreams may take you, Watts will guide you.
I hunted Cape Buffalo with a muzzleloader twenty years ago with Charl Watts, and we relive that amazing experience every time we meet at sporting shows. He has been able to stay in business, even through the pandemic, by offering the kinds of hunts that people want. For example, his starter safari includes four animals over six nights and five hunting days and guides and accommodations for only $2,800. Believe me, every day in Africa is an adventure, and whether you are hunting game animals or photographing them, the experience is a pure adrenaline rush.
A big game safari is like a cruise for hunters. You will stay in very comfortable accommodations, dine on delicious American-style meals, and be guided and escorted on every adventure. Once your game is down, your animal will be promptly skinned according to your taxidermy requests, and the meat will be processed such that every morsel is eaten by you, camp staff, or by locals. Nothing goes to waste on an African safari. Airfare to Africa is now less than $1000 on major carriers. There is no better time to plan a trip than right now. https://wattstrophyhunting.com/
Jamy Traut offers amazing safari hunts in Namibia for plains game and has a new option for giant Cape buffalo.
Namibia is the land of giant hunting concessions, many stretching twenty to fifty thousand acres or more. Their horizons stretch as far as the eye can see, and although most are surrounded by high fences, they are more to keep poachers out than animals in. It is not uncommon for a hunter to take a trophy that no guide or tracker has seen before. Their vast size allows for elephant, lion, and rhino conservation and hunting.
Traut offers several camps in Namibia, some of which are specifically designed for bowhunting with large sunken and elevated blinds that accommodate up to three people. This setup lets you share the experience with a friend or loved one. It also allows you wear out your digital camera with incredible close-range video and still shots of the dozens of animals that visit your blind each day. When “Mr. Big” appears, someone can video the memory.
If a Cape buffalo is your dream, Traut just received permission to hunt the Waterberg Plateau National Park for buffalo. As you might expect, this 156 square mile section is loaded with huge old bull buffalo, the past-their-prime animals that professional hunters seek. In addition, Traut hunts the Caprivi Strip, which is one of the most sought-after areas in Africa for dangerous game. Check out all of his amazing adventures at www.jamyhunts.com
Someday is the most lethal word in hunting and is the graveyard of most outdoor dreams. Check out these great hunts and visit a local outdoor show this spring. Prices are only going higher and now is the time to stake your claim and change “someday” into opening day.
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