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I just got back yesterday from the Safari Club International Convention in Nashville. 

I thought that it’d be a fun article for you to read about what goes on there. Ever since I began conducting seminars at the SCI Convention it has been held in either Reno or Las Vegas but this year it got moved to Nashville.

I don’t know if changing the venue livened things up or what but everyone that I talked to agreed that it was a lot livelier and fresher this year. All of the guides that I talked to had strummed up more business than normal and I had the best attendance in my seminars than ever before. 

But what happens in a convention of this nature? In a nutshell, there are guides from all over the world in attendance. If you’re wanting to book a hunt or fishing trip this is the place to go. I stopped by to visit with Chummy & Lorane with Plummer’s Artic Lodges. Kolby and I fished with them a couple of years ago and had a blast. 

There are also a lot of knife manufacturers such as Diamond Blades, which makes the elite hunting/fishing knives in the world and Knives of Alaska which offers great hunting/fishing knives. 

They have the best boning knife for the outdoorsman-The Professional Boning Knife. KOA is also offering a new chest spreader this year. No longer do you have to break off a stick to keep the chest open. 

It can be opened up to three different widths. It comes in a kit with their Professional Boning Knife. Then if you want to get a nice Damascus knife, Charlton Ltd. was there. 

The premier airgun company-Umarex had a booth there. Scott and Breanna with Umarex helped out with my AIRGUNS: HUNTING FOR BIG GAME seminar. Scott covered the ballistics for their new .50 cal. Hammer and Breanna explained the new “SCI Airgun Record Book”. So, if you ever wanted to get in a record book, now would be the time she explained.

PHONE SKOPE had a booth and I got them to come to my “GLASSING FOR BIG GAME” seminar and demo how their gear could attach to Vortex spotting scopes allowing you to take pictures or film through your spotting scope. You might like one of them.

Then there are a lot of cool mounts. Katy likes to go every year just to look at the mounts. These taxidermists are true artist. They have some awesome displays.

Then there are a lot of auctions, concerts and dinners. I had an interesting dinner one night with Sporting Classics magazine. Setting beside me was Joe Julian, the President/CEO of Julian & Sons, who makes unbelievable elegant gun rooms. 

I visited his booth the next day. I’ll be testing some of his small bags that can triple as a chest bag, slung over the shoulder bag, leg bag or worn as a backpack. I think I’ll use it for flyfishing when I’m backpacking. It would be compact and super handy. He also recently bought Russell Moccasins.

Then of course you see a lot of old buddies. I knew Mia Anstine, who is an outdoor writer and licensed guide was going to be there. She’d already promised to loan me her husband Hank to help me out in my seminars and as an added treat their daughter Lea, who is a rodeo photographer took pics for me.

 For years I’ve wanted to take my wife Katy and daughter Kolby to Alaska fishing. The first year it got canned for the Plannedemic. 

Last June we cancelled because Koko’s wedding got moved up and two weeks ago we got the great news that she is six weeks pregnant. 

I hope Katy doesn’t read this article or she will kill me but I’ve got to at least get a Texas striper trip, South Louisiana red fish and an Alaska fishing trip lined up for us right fast before the baby which is due in October hits the scene!

But I told Kolby that I was working on a turkey hunt in Mexico down by Guatemala in a jungle and she assured me that she was up for that! I’m betting that when Katy catches wind of my plans that me and my new son-in-law will be doing most of these trips by ourselves.

Tom Claycomb is a hunting enthusiast and writes a bi-monthly column for Great Basin Sun.