by The 2026 Safari Club International Hunters Convention was a big success. Now in its fourth year in Nashville, attendance was up 14.4% over 2025 and first day attendance was up almost 20%. Having attended all four days of this year’s convention as well as all the SCI conventions since 2022, I can attest that each year it seems to grow bigger and bigger.
From the Safari Club International release on the event’s success:
SCI leaders said the growth reflects strong engagement at a time when hunting faces growing legal,
regulatory and political challenges. Thousands of hunters, conservation partners, outfitters and
industry representatives gathered in Nashville for the four-day event.“This level of growth reflects the resolve of our members,” said Jeff Meyerl, president of Safari Club
International. “Hunters understand what is at stake. They are organized, engaged and committed to
protecting our heritage and ensuring conservation decisions are guided by science.”…“The 14.4% growth in registrations and Wednesday attendance shows clear momentum behind
SCI’s leadership,” said W. Laird Hamberlin, the organization’s CEO. “As anti-hunting litigation
increases and policy battles intensify, our members are showing up. This convention helps support
the advocacy infrastructure needed to defend hunting access, protect state wildlife authority and
promote sustainable-use conservation around the world.”
The event had over 900 exhibitors ranging from outfitters from around the world to custom furniture makers. I even saw some hunts being advertised for Iran. Of course given current events, I might put a hunt there on hold for a bit regardless of how large or unusual the animal!
Beyond bringing hunters and conservationists together with outfitters, a major goal of the convention is to raise money for conservation, outreach, and advocacy. According to the SCI website, over $20 million was raised. By my own estimate, the various SCI entities raised almost $8.8 million from their day, silent, and evening auctions. A pair of yacht-based Alaskan mountain goat hunts with Donald Trump, Jr. sold for $400,000 each! It was not all big dollar auction items as you could have picked up some good South African plains game hunts for $2-3,000. For an event like this to be successful you need both so that you get buy-in across the spectrum for your conservation and advocacy goals.
While the Complementary Spouse and I had attended a number of these events, my brother-in-law Larry who was assisting us had not. He was awed by the scale of the event in both size and money. While he had attended some hunters’ shows in the Cincinnati area, there were nothing like that of SCI. He talked to a lot of vendors and did see some items that he might want to add to his own hunting property.
From my own perspective, I am extremely happy that SCI moved their convention from Las Vegas and Reno to Nashville. Not only is it within easy driving distance for me but it is within driving distance for a larger percentage of the US population who can and will attend. That is a win-win in my book.
