Exhibitors at the Dallas Safari Club 2020 Convention and Sporting Expo reported quality traffic and brisk sales. Even with the threat of severe weather Saturday, the aisles were packed.
Steve and Elena Lamboy (center) owners of Intel Case Negrini Cases, receive a Sporting Classics Award of Excellence.
Jamy Traut, from Jamy Traut Safaris in Namibia (left) expects “great hunting” in 2020. “There were great game losses during the drought,” explains Traut, “but the important game areas kept their numbers because the game was able to move. The drought is over in many places and the game is back.” Traut reports lots of really good buffalo and leopard and looks forward to hunting this season the traditional way by tracking.
Scott T. Tirman, Steyr CFO (left), receives Steyr’s Award of Excellence from Doug Painter.
Amber Haynes, owner of McKenna Quinn, receives a Sporting Classics Award of Excellence.
Not long ago, Namibian Professional Hunter Danene Van der Westhuyzen (left) of Aru Safaris was invited by Emma Barnett of the BBC to discuss women and hunting. The pre-interview went great, but once live, Barnett ambushed Van der Westhuyzen with anti-hunting rhetoric. Van der Westhuyzen held her own, and made a great case for hunting.
In addition to using the ambush interview as a personal learning experience, Van der Westhuyzen teamed up with hunting ethicist Michael Sabbeth (right) to use it as part of seminar on “Hunting in the Media.”
“The media used rhetorical tricks against Danene,” said Sabbeth as he explained that by creating a “binary morality” of “do you hunt to eat, or just to kill,” Barnett was creating the moral logical fallacy of false choice.
As a skilled ambassador to the African hunting community, Van der Westhuyzen parried Barnett, saying she was asking the wrong questions. By doing so, Van der Westhuyzen turned the debate over to her terms.
It was a seminar that was both informative and infuriating because it further exposed the bias in the media, and is one that will hopefully continue and grow at future DSC Conventions.
David Everson, Eukenuba CMO (left), receives an Award of Excellence from Doug Painter.
