Discover the unique advantages of direct investment in private oil drilling projects.

Discover the unique advantages of direct investment in private oil drilling projects. With today’s strong oil prices and the potential for exceptional profits, investors have an unprecedented opportunity to build wealth while benefiting from significant tax advantages. Vertical Petroleum Industries (VPI) will guide you through selecting the right project, understanding the 100% tax write-off available on initial investments, and exploring how strategic diversification can help reduce risk and enhance returns. Join us to learn how VPI’s proven approach has driven success for both the company and its investors.

Hunters importing a trophy must comply with federal regulations, including those administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Failure to follow these regulations can lead to delays in clearing your trophies, or worse—their seizure! USFWS personnel will help you avoid mistakes by walking you through how to comply with relevant regulations, including Endangered Species Act requirements.

Engaging Youth and Young Adults

This gathering is designed to engage youth and young adults during the convention by introducing them to the SCI Young Hunter Award and its role in recognizing outstanding young individuals who exemplify leadership, conservation ethics, and a passion for hunting. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear firsthand experiences from past award recipients, gain insight into the application process, and ask questions in a welcoming, informal setting. Beyond education, this event also fosters community, allowing young hunters to network, share stories, and build connections with peers who share similar values and interests in the hunting and conservation world.

Minority Hunters – their numbers and impact on the hunting community and how to increase SCI Membership.

This is an interactive seminar that will discuss the numbers of minority hunters, their economic impact, and strategies to increase SCI membership.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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!