SCI’s longest-running seminar, now in its 30th year.

Panel discussion led by Craig Boddington. Experts guide you through the pitfalls of shopping for and planning your first African safari. Booking options, taxidermy, trophy care, and shipping. What to expect from your outfitter…and what he/she expects from you. The hard questions you should ask. Packing and travel tips, guns and loads and shooting tips, more. A must for members considering a first African hunt.

Challenges of traveling with firearms

This is a “must-see” seminar and panel discussion on the considerations and challenges of traveling with guns. Primarily geared to international travel, panel members are seasoned experts: world traveler and hunter Craig Boddington, Jacky Keith, President of Esplanade Travel, Anne Gaines-Burrell of Hunter’s Support services in. Johannesburg, Barbara Crown, head of SCI Hunter Information Services, and selected industry representatives will present and answer audience questions. The Moderator will be Bob Keagy, World Hunting Award winner and having hunted in over 30 countries.

Would you like to know the score of an animal you took on a recent hunt?

Come learn why the SCI scoring system is the one most used throughout the world and famously known for its 100% gross scoring methodology. SCI’s scoring methods give an animal credit for everything it grew and does not penalize antlers or horns for differences in symmetry. The SCI Official Measuring Course is a one-of-a-kind class covering all topics on measuring big game animals found anywhere in the world. The course is 4 hours, including time for questions. Participants are provided with an Official Measuring Kit that includes a measuring manual, exam, measuring tape, calipers, cable, calculator, conversion card, and a complete set of the latest measuring forms. After the course, members can complete the exam on their own time and if they pass with a score of 80% or more, they become Official SCI Measurers. Please call (210) 985-HUNT, option 5 for any questions regarding the course or to register.

Learn How To Sharpen A Knife!

We only need 3 designs of knives to skin and process all of our big game, and yet there is a plethora of options on the market. Come to this seminar and I’ll teach you what designs to select when buying your next outdoor knife. I’ll also teach you how to sharpen your knife. 100% of the outdoorsmen use a knife and yet I bet less than 5% can sharpen one. Learn how to sharpen a knife and you’ll be able to even impress your guides.

A Model for Creating Conservation Literacy in Public Schools

The South Carolina Waterfowl Association operates the nation’s largest wildlife education center.  SCWA worked with conservation minded state legislators to pass the South Carolina Conservation Education Act.  This act will provide funding for all 4th graders in South Carolina to attend a 1 to 3 day outdoor conservation education camp featuring a class on the North American model of wildlife conservation.  This presentation will highlight the impact of the act and how it can be a model for all states.  The presentation will also present an overview of SCWA Wildlife Education Center programs.

Are you a Lumper or a Splitter? This year’s seminar focuses on the expansion of the Rex Baker Super 40/50 and other species as they relate to GSCO’s milestone programs. Both Lumpers and Splitters are encouraged to attend.

Discussion to prepare you for an international hunt and the regulatory processes involved in importing your hunting trophies into the United States.

SCI and GSCO milestone programs serve as a road map to incredible hunting opportunities. This seminar will compare and contrast the two programs as they relate to the mountain species of the world.

Crack the code. Beat the odds. Live the dream.

Think drawing a premium elk, mule deer, or sheep tag out West is just luck? It’s not. With the right strategy, those hunts are within reach—and Dan Adler is the expert to show you how. Dan is the founder of Diamond Outfitters and Zero Outfitter Fees, the largest outfitter in North America, and was named Arizona Chapter SCI Hunter of the Year in 2017. A former host of The Best of the West TV and a featured SCI speaker for nearly two decades, Dan has helped thousands of hunters draw tags most people only dream of. In this seminar, he’ll break down:

• All the different points systems—and how to use them to your advantage
• Which states are worth your time–which aren’t (and why)
• How his clients draw premium tags—sometimes in the first year they apply
• Hidden youth hunting gems for your kids and grandkids they cannot miss
• Over the counter and landowner hacks

You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll walk away with a real edge from a real professional. One of his most popular speaking engagements globally!

Grizzly Bear Management in Western Canada

Join Mark Hall, from Wild Origins Canada for an eye-opening seminar that digs deep into the realities of grizzly bear management in Western Canada. While hunting bans in B.C. and Alberta were established to protect these remarkable animals, they have sparked a host of unexpected challenges—including surging grizzly populations that put rural food security, public safety, and local livelihoods at risk and the elimination of science-based management. Instead of fostering coexistence, current policies have led to high numbers of grizzlies being destroyed, often without consideration for sustainable solutions.

This session will amplify the voices of those most affected—First Nations, outfitters, ranchers, rural residents, and local hunters—who have largely been left out of the conversation. Mark will reveal the science around sustainable harvesting and the status of grizzly bear populations, dissect the political roadblocks to sustainable wildlife use, and explore how anti-hunting campaigns in the Yukon and mounting pressures on rural communities are shaping the future.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how wise policy, respect, and shared stories can pave the way to sustainable hunting as a way to restore balance between people and grizzly bears.

PRNP Variants Drive CWD Resistance in White-Tailed Deer

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a highly infectious prion disease that has spread among cervid species including white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus). Among CWD-positive wild WTD, protein-altering mutations in the prion protein gene PRNP have been detected at substantially lower frequencies in CWD-positive than in negative deer, indicating that these mutations advantage deer against CWD. Management seeks to minimize the incidence of CWD among WTD, while also minimizing the genetic vulnerability of the population to CWD. Here, we take a population genetic perspective that considers: (1) the degree to which deer are protected against chronic wasting disease by variants of the prion gene and protein; (2) the impact of the frequencies of these variants on the potential increase in genetic protection of IL WTD against CWD; (3) detectable actual increases in the genetic fitness of WTD across time; (4) the inferred susceptibility of WTD in various populations across the US; (5) how gene flow may alter genetic susceptibility to CWD; and (6) how local differences in variant frequencies may affect the spread of CWD. Potential management implications of each of these factors will be discussed.

Why Every Gun Owner Needs a Firearms Estate Plan

It is impossible to overstate the benefits of having a formal estate plan directing the orderly disposition and/or monetization of your firearms. Unlike many asset categories, the unique nature of firearms makes accurate valuation difficult, legal requirements overwhelming and logistics nearly impossible to understand. The time and effort invested in developing a formal estate plan removes this extraordinary burden from family and friends, ensures realization of full monetary value, protects the estate against opportunistic buyers and clarifies both personal gifting and charitable contributions. This seminar will present the planning and preparation steps necessary to ensure that everything is handled according to your wishes

Lifetime Achievement Awards and Chapter Awards

Learn about SCI’s awards programs, including Lifetime Achievement Awards and Chapter Awards.  SCI Vice President Stephanie Spika Hickey will explain the various awards programs and processes and then answer any questions you may have.

Lifetime Achievement Awards are open to SCI members, through a nomination and application process.  These awards include:  C.J. McElroy, Diana, Hall of Fame, Young Hunter, International Hunting, North American Professional Hunter of the Year, and International Professional Hunter of the Year.

Chapter Awards are open to all SCI chapters in good standing.  These awards include:  Top Gun, Chapter of the Year (250+ members), Chapter of the Year (<250 members), Diamond Conservation, Community Impact, Digital Presence, Publications, Revenue Growth, and Membership Growth.  Chapters may also apply for the Veterans Award.

Past award winners and SCI staff will also be in attendance to offer guidance on the awards process!

Grand Slam Club/Ovis Conservation – Moving the needle for conservation. An open discussion covering GSCO’s conservation projects, selection criteria, and overall mission. Speakers: Darren Tucker, Mike Pilch

The Role of Hunters In Managing The Species

Feral hogs are an invasive species but also present a popular hunting opportunity. Managing feral hogs is important to prevent crop damage, protect native wildlife, and reduce disease risks, including important diseases that affect wildlife. This seminar addresses the role landowners and hunters play in managing the species, and how to best achieve what may be considered opposite results. Hunters play a critical role in protecting ecosystems, and their involvement is necessary for any management to succeed.