Saturday was the last day of the convention which ended with another dinner event at the Peppermill.  Obviously, tonight would be the grand finale because Sarah Palin was going to be the keynote speaker.  She's been the hottest ticket in town.

We finally had a day to sleep in and lose a little money at the tables after two straight days of running the convention floor all day long.  I was beginning to see african art in my sleep.  (Luckily, I didn't make it down in time to bet on the aggies against nebraska today.)

Five people from my group had tickets to tonight's event in the Tuscany ballroom. 

Just like last night, the place was jam-packed with suit-n-tie wearing hunters from all over the world.  What I found interesting about a lot of the guys I talked to was that most of them will leave the country for three or four months to hunt, and they'll travel to 4 or 5 different countries during that time.  No wonder every award winner that stepped to the podium that night thanked their wives first.

SCI presented the Hall of Fame award, the International Hunter of the Year award & the Diana award (for an outstanding female hunter) to get the night going.  I'm starting to realize that there's a whole different level of hunting that goes on around here.  At least different than what I'm used to.

One of the night's surprises was Larry Potterfield.  He gave a rousing speech about the direction of our great country and the important roles that the people of the Safari Club and the NRA should play in leading it.  I always thought Larry was just some gunsmithing guy who paid for a lot of Midway USA commercials on the Outdoor Channel, but he was really inspiring.  He even had to assure the audience that he wasn't running for office.  It was that kind of speech.

The bar was set for 'former' governor Palin to come out and she hit the stage running.  She talked mainly about hunting, conservation and politics of course.  Without taking many breaths, she continued the theme of making our country better and what she believes it'll take to get that done.  She took a few swings at the current regime in Washington, much to the delight of this crowd.  She also talked a lot about her upbringing in Alaska and how connected her family is to the land.  It's no wonder that hardly anything the media dishes out phases her.  She walked off to another standing ovation.

And that concluded our weekend with SCI.  We left before the auction started.  I think the first item was a guided hunt with Jim Shockey.  I doubt it would've been in our price range. 

It was a whirlwind weekend to say the least, and I'd feel remiss if I didn't thank the Safari Club Foundation for creating an award in the very obscure field that we call 'disabled hunting'.  Thanks to you and all the donors that support your programs, Oelofse Safaris, Sandhurst Safaris, Highveld taxidermy, Fauna & Flora and Cabela's.  We're going to be able to reach more people than you'll ever know.

Wonderful.  I have held an old Remingtion 1911 that still had the origional box and paperwork with it.   Very high quality weapon.  I'll have to make it a point to get one of these to go with my other Remingtons. 

NRA offers a HUnt Club liability policy.

James,

I do agree with you that insulting one another does not accomplish anything constructive, and I've hopefully not done that.  And, for the record, one side of my entire family is Democratic, and have been since FDR.  There was a time not too far in the past where this party brought some admirable, defendable ideas (in terms of the Constitution) to the table.  But, let's face facts...the Democratic party of today ain't the Dem party of JFK and FDR.  That's not negative and that's not insulting,  those are just the facts.

For example, JFK was an NRA life member.  THAT democratic party would never had tried to confiscate our guns and intrude on our right to hunt.  That is, not until 1968 when the 'new breed' got in control.  As well, THAT democratic party would never have tried to ram a bunch of social engineering programs down our throat like 'don't ask, don't tell', 'hate crimes', 'separation of church and state', or the like.  That Democratic party believed in civil rights, liberty, and justice for all, not intimidation and forced coersion by a few.  In fact, recent legislation initiatives have been handled more like examples from a Karl Marx textbook than legislative process.

I say all this not to pick on Democrats but to point out to you that things aren't what they used to be (I know, the repubs sure aren't either).  At some point we all have to realize that and get away from the constant propaganda we're hearing day in and day out.  When we do, I think we'll have a lot more common ground that what you'd think.  I'd also like to think we'll wake up and see the desperate plight we're in.  Not only in the areas of hunting and self-defense, but in a number of other areas too.

Hahahahaha...You can bet your guns that I'm still supporting Obama and won't turn my back on a president that wants to do something for this country other than seeing how much he can steal from this country. I never said that Obama was not going to come after our guns...I said that Obama will never be able to take our guns because there are too many of us that will fight to keep them. I also said that the post of David's about Obama causing the shortage of ammo was a blatent lie by the righties,single minded NRA and the ignorant who only vote for their guns while this countries economy is destroyed, we are lead into a war that is a total lie and the guilty are set free. See the thing is that I have a much broader view than the people who will destroy this country with their vote just to keep their guns...which in my mind is more reason for the Dems to try to take them. If our guns were gone then the playing field would be level and the vote would be for who can help the country...and we know what side that will be because the proof is right in front of us. We need to vote for progress in this country not just for a single issue. If you vote with the single issue of keeping your guns then you are directly responsible for the destruction of our economy. Lets think of America not our guns. Lets think of job creation, international affairs and peace instead of guns and war. The truth will come out and you will see that the Bush admin was by far the most destructive, underhanded, deceitful...well disgusting admin in the history of our now not so great country...thanks Mr. Bush. Bush's push for the war in Iraq has put him in the catagory with Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and all the others who have commited Genocide on another country's innocent people. As I said I will fight for my guns but will not vote with only a single issue in mind because our country deserves better. It's simple to me...elect a republican and American's worry about losing everything they have worked for their entire life or vote Democrat, keep your job, house, car, credit, savings, retirement and only worry about losing your guns...which in my opinion just is not going to happen...never has...never will. Have a great day.

No, I have not hunted that place but I would like to. It's 60 miles from my companies ranch In Brackettville. I have scouted a small portion of it last year.

I haven't  had  trouble  buying  a  gun yet  either. I have learned  not  to put  myself  in positions  where  I might  have  an "episode" and  hurt someone. I have  been out  since  dec 2004  and I can honestly  say that yes  i'm still keyed up. I have  really  been reading alot  about  this  and  its  already  caught  some  guys. They were  "too honest" as  it was said. Some  states have  the  state form as well as the ATF forms we all fill out. The  bill was a tradeoff that the NRA backed so yesterday I called  and canceled my subscription I have  had for  so long. I know  that  the  suicide  rates  have  soared among the  branches, and  its  very sad. These  guys  didn't knock over a  liquor store, they just have problems. I see this as a stepping stone  in gun control I think. Get to one step and then take another. My  wife  will tell you  that  I'm a  nut job, but I never ever want  to have  to hurt anyone ever again. I aviod places  it  could  happen. I haven't been in a  bar  in years now. I could  never turn my  back on another Marine  or  brother veteran, we  depend  on each other too much. I don't  know  of  too many  guys  that  ask for  this  war. For  those  of  us  who did  go, we  lived a part of  history. That  does make  me  proud. Semper Fi

To attempt to answer 1 & 2:

1.) The only way you can legally move guns through the mail that I know of is from FFL license holder to FFL license holder.  Gunbroker.com (link and likely others) has a list you can use to find folks in your area.  The FFL dealer will charge anywhere from $25-$50 for the transfer.

2.) The rules for transporting guns in the air are summarized by the NRA here.  It's well worth reading.  The basics are these:  Firearms carried as checked baggage must be unloaded, packed in a locked hard-sided container and declared to the airline at check-in. Only the passenger may have the key or combination. Small arms ammunition must be placed in an appropriate container: "securely packed in fiber, wood, or metal boxes, or other packaging specifically designed to carry small amounts of ammunition. " Under TSA regulations, ammunition may be packed in the same locked container as the unloaded firearm, but airline rules may differ. Do not label your case as containing a firearm.  You should contact the airline in advance, obtain a written copy of the airline policy from a reservation clerk or the airline's website, and bring it to the airport in order to answer any questions that arise at check-in.  I'd also contact the TSA for their written policies.

Hope this helps.

Yes...but the two main problems are a place to consistently practice at that distance, as well as the escalating cost of ammunition when you can find it. 

What few ranges we have in the DFW area usually go out to 100 yards, with a couple of private ranges out to 200 yards.  There is a thousand yard private range in Stephenville (100+ miles away from us) and a new, private 800 yard range in Whiteright we just found on the NRA's website (35 miles N of DFW).  We're checking on that one.