Once again, friends, Rock Island Auction Company was privileged to attended and sponsor "The Greatest Hunters Convention on the Planet."  If you missed our blog on it last year, rest assured, it is one of the most well-run, high-end, dedicated, events you would likely ever attend.

The Dallas Safari Club's goal is to promote and protect conservation, education, and hunters' rights.  They have funded numerous conservation programs for too many kinds of flora and fauna to list here, they sponsor three primary youth-based programs, and advocate hard against legislation that would negatively impact habitats, hunting, and the 2nd Amendment.  They are an extremely important ally for things that many of us hold dear.  How important of an ally?  How about the ability to raise $1 million dollars in about 60 seconds for youth outdoor education?

These folks don't just have a hobby, they have a lifestyle, a dedication, and a passion for the outdoors the likes of which are seldom seen.  While it's difficult to capture photos to show those qualities, it's NOT hard to take photos that show everything else at the convention.  There are acres of booths containing all manners of safaris, guided hunts, firearms manufactures, ammo manufacturers, gun safes, taxidermists, furriers, jewelers, painters, sculptors, leather workers, outfitters, gear shops, hunting equipment, outdoor vehicles, conservation groups, Aussies, Brits, South Africans, photography, optics, firearms accessories, and more.  It's quite a spectacle and there's never enough time to give all the booths there the attention they deserve, so we've amassed some photos showing just a fraction of the sights from Dallas Safari Club 2015 Traditions Convention.  Enjoy!

Note:  Many of these photographs were taken before the convention had opened to the public, right as it had opened, or just before closing.  So if you see photos with barely any people in it, be assured that is not an accurate representation of how PACKED this show was.

Well Known People Visit RIAC Booth

Collector Guns on Display at Rock Island Auction Booth

For those curious, all the firearms that we displayed at the DSC Convention will be up for bid in our April 2015 Premiere Firearms Auction, with the exception of the 1877 Gatling gun.  This is really the first glimpse anyone has had into that sale, so feast your eyes on some of its offerings.

Taxidermy

Convention Hall Tour

Wildlife Art

Artists of every kind brought their creative talents to the DSC Traditions Convention.  Here's a extremely small sample of what was present.

Farewell Dallas Safari Club

That's all from Dallas Safari Club!  Hopefully, that should give a pretty good idea of what's at this show, but it will never capture the passion these folks have for their wildlife and the habitat that sustains it.

To help out DSC, next time you make a purchase on Amazon, please do so through this link and they'll receive 4% of the purchase.  That's a pretty substantial donation for just shopping as you normally would and they'll definitely put it to good use.