When the Houston Safari Club Foundation convention opens on Friday, Jan. 23, it will begin a three-day gathering that blends hunting opportunity, education and conservation funding into one of the most influential outdoor events in Texas.
The annual convention runs Friday through Sunday, Jan. 23–25, at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center in The Woodlands.
While the expo floor, auctions and banquets draw immediate attention, the real impact of the weekend lies in what it generates long after the doors close.
“It’s easy to look at it as a show, but everything we do follows along with our mission statement,” said Joe Betar, executive director of the Houston Safari Club Foundation. “If it supports conservation, education and our hunting heritage, then it’s something we’re going to consider.”
The convention schedule is anchored by live auctions on Friday and Saturday nights, with raffles running throughout the weekend. Saturday also includes the Gazelle’s Ladies Luncheon from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., along with a full slate of exhibitor activity and educational programming.
A hunter education classroom course is scheduled for Saturday morning, reflecting the foundation’s emphasis on recruiting and training new hunters.
At the center of Saturday night’s auction is one of the most sought-after permits in Texas hunting: the Texas Desert Bighorn Sheep tag. The permit is awarded by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to select conservation organizations on a rotating basis, typically every five to six years.
“Ninety percent of the funds raised go back to the sheep program in Texas,” Betar said. “I consider it to be our generation’s wild turkey program as far as the success of it.”
The hunt location associated with the tag is determined after biological surveys identify areas with the strongest populations and best management opportunity. Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area has been a frequent location for past hunts.
“The whole thing is, on Saturday night, we’re going to auction off that sheep tag,” Betar said.
“They will do a survey and figure out where the greatest hunt opportunity is and where the population is the most robust, and that’s where the hunt will take place.”
In addition to the sheep tag, the live auctions feature a wide range of hunting and fishing packages, along with custom firearms and specialty items. One of the signature offerings is the annual President’s Rifle, a custom firearm commissioned each year and auctioned on Saturday night. This year’s rifle is paired with a South African buffalo hunt and taxidermy.
“We’ve put together quite a few packages this year that are unique,” Betar said.
“I think our live auction is probably stronger than it’s been in a long time.”
Raffles also play a major role in fundraising. Instead of a single luxury item, this year’s grand raffle centers on an Ultimate Whitetail Hunters Package that includes a blind, feeder, feed and accessories designed to provide a complete hunting setup.
Conservation dollars raised during the convention extend well beyond sheep. The foundation provides grants supporting projects such as the Texas Rice Project, Katy Prairie Conservancy and Texas Parks and Wildlife initiatives. Internationally, funds have supported anti-poaching efforts, including the purchase of motorcycles for game wardens in Africa.
“We’ve funded everything from the sheep program to buying motorcycles for anti-poaching patrols,” Betar said.
“It’s a little bit of everything.”
Education remains a cornerstone of the foundation’s mission. The Houston Safari Club Foundation has awarded 722 scholarships totaling more than $3.38 million to students pursuing degrees in wildlife biology, range management and related fields.
“They have to show us how hunting is considered a conservation tool to them,” Betar said.
“That’s kind of what makes us unique.”
Youth outreach continues to expand, including the hiring of a full-time youth education programs manager and plans for a conservation summer camp at DEA Ranch between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.
“We’re going to be teaching them everything from how to identify animal scat, to tracking, to what it takes to run a ranch,” Betar said.
For newcomers to hunting, the convention is intentionally designed as a welcoming entry point.
“I personally think it’s the best place to go,” Betar said. “You can meet people there who have hunted all over the world, and you can get pointed in the right direction.”
As the weekend unfolds from Friday through Sunday, the convention serves as a reminder that conservation funding often begins not in the field, but in rooms filled with people willing to invest in wildlife’s future.