Columnist Paula DelGiudice: 30th Hunters Convention planned for Las Vegas

Paula DelGiudice

Thursday, March 7, 2002 | 10:09 a.m.

Paula Del Giudice's outdoors column appears Thursday. She can be reached at desertdenizens@aol.com.

Safari Club International is putting the finishing touches on its 30th Anniversary Hunters Convention to be held in Las Vegas March 20-23. Many seminars are scheduled.

"The High Performance Reloading Edge: Techniques for a Successful Hunt" will be administered by Jessica Treu, chief of operations, and Tim Janzen, research & development engineer, for Barnes Bullets.

Rick Parsons, SCI's director of governmental affairs, will talk about the hot issues with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Some of these include polar bear regulations, the lynx hair hoax in Washington state and SCI's probe of the Service's handing of wildlife conservation dollars for state agencies.

Another seminar for those interested in learning more about hunting trophy deer is set for Saturday, March 23 from 3 to 4 p.m. Experts will be on hand to help hunters learn some of the techniques for calling and rattling deer.

A major highlight of any SCI convention is the auction. The preliminary list of auction items is impressive and includes a black onyx sheared beaver vest with black fox trim, donated by Paparazzi Fur. This donation is valued at $3,000.

During the conference, Sr. Adrian Sada of Mexico, an SCI life member, will receive the Weatherby Hunting and Conservation Award from former President George Bush. The Weatherby Award, first presented in 1956, recognizes an individual for lifetime hunting achievement, outstanding support of wildlife conservation, hunting preservation and outdoor education, and exemplary personal conduct as an ethical sportsman and hunter.

Impressionist Rich Little will entertain conference-goers on Friday evening.

To register for the convention, go online to: www.ShowSCI.com or call (888) SHOW-SCI.

This year's winning painting will be featured on Nevada's 2002-2003 duck stamp that hunters are required to have when hunting waterfowl. Funds generated from the $5 stamps are used on waterfowl conservation projects in the state.

Entries for this year's contest are being accepted through March 15. Contest rules and entry forms are available at most Nevada art supply stores and from the NDOW at 1100 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512.

Sponsored by the Nevada Division of Wildlife, the seminar will focus on the many changes in the application process that are taking place this year. Don Sefton of the Wildlife Administrative Services Office in Fallon, which handles the drawing, will give a presentation on filling out applications and how to avoid errors.

This event was kicked off by a January cleanup by more than 60 members of Family Campers & Rovers (FCRV) of Nevada, who came together at Las Vegas Bay Campground at the Lake Mead National Recreation Area.

During the kickoff, the group logged more than 250 hours and filled 438 trash bags. This is the 10th year the group has conducted a cleanup at the campground and by all measures, this appears to be the largest and most successful.

Individuals, groups or businesses interested in participating in the Great American Cleanup should contact Shannon Swann 293-8985.