This is an unprecedented time in the world, and all walks of life have been affected, including the hunting industry.
When you stop to think about it, our industry has many components and supports the overall global economy in obvious and not-so-obvious ways. The concession fees must be paid, camps and equipment must be maintained, and the work of conservation must continue. But many of the staff at camp won’t be working—the trackers, drivers, camp cooks and housekeepers, bush pilots, commercial flight crews, taxi drivers, luggage handlers, hotel personnel from front desk to maintenance and housekeeping—anyone who works in travel and hospitality will be biding their time, waiting for guests to arrive again.
Also, COVID-19 precautions are having an impact on the taxidermists, shippers, packers, freight companies and even import inspectors, game wardens, and customs officers. These parts of the hunting industry are working on skeleton crews, if not closed for the time being, while essential goods and services take priority. Everything has slowed or stopped for a while and we must be patient and understanding.
COVID-19 is showing us hunters both our resilience and our dependence on each other and on an intricate web of people around the world. What hunters can do right here and now is focus on what is possible, what must wait, and what we can do to hasten the end of this global crisis. Call your outfitter, thank them for providing great service, ask them how they are doing. They will want to know how you are doing as well.
DSC is hard at work, doing what we do—gathering information, carrying out our mission, acting as community leaders for hunters, outfitters, and everyone associated with the industry. DSC is about building relationships with our global hunting community, supporting each other, and getting back to business as soon as possible. Together, we are better.
[box] Stand with hunters and show your support of our worldwide partners by sharing a photo of your dream hunt (past or future) on social media with the hashtag #PostponeYourDream. The 100th person to post will receive a one-year DSC membership. Postpone your dreams, don’t cancel them. [/box]
