San Diego Safari Club International – Guest Speaker: Craig Boddington

CBE-325 Craig Boddington is a world renowned hunter, author, TV show host, All-American Trapshooter and a decorated Marine Corps Veteran. He was born and raised in Kansas, where his early big-game experience included pronghorn mule deer and whitetail. A member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity, he attended the University of Kansas on an NROTC scholarship, graduating with an English degree and a regular commission in the United States Marine Corps.

His outdoor writing career began in college and continued while on active duty. In 1979 he joined Petersen Publishing Company, where he served as Associate Editor, GUNS & AMMO magazine; Editor, GUNS & AMMO Specialty Publications; Executive Editor, Petersen’s HUNTING Magazine; and from 1983 to 1994 Editor of Petersen’s HUNTING Magazine. His current position with InterMedia (former Petersen’s and Primedia) is Executive Field Editor of Outdoor Sportsman Group (formally InterMedia Outdoors) including GUNS & AMMO, Petersen’s HUNTING, and RIFLESHOOTER. Craig and his wife, Donna, divide their time between the California Central Coast and a small farm in Kansas.

Featured in numerous hunting videotapes, including Swarovski Optics’ “Affordable Africa” series, Weatherby’s “Cape Buffalo” video, etc. From 2005 to 2011 served as host of Tracks Across Africa on The Outdoor Channel. Currently co-host of Guns & Ammo TV and Petersen’s Hunting Adventures TV; host of The Boddington Experience on The Sportsman Channel. Together with Safari Classics Productions produced Boddington on Buffalo, Boddington on Leopard, Craig Boddington’s African Experience, Boddington on Buffalo 2, Boddington on Elephant, Boddington on Lion DVD’s.

Event Details:

Date: July 22, 2016
Time: 5-6pm cocktails, 6pm dinner
Location: Bali Hai – 2230 Shelter Island Dr, San Diego, CA 92106
Cost: $50
Gun Give-A-Way: Savage Arms Long Range Hunter 300 Win 26`

More about Craig

NORTH AMERICAN HUNTING EXPERIENCE:

Hunted big game in 29 American states, seven Canadian provinces, five Mexican states in all regions of North America. This experience includes nine Alaskan hunts, 22 Canadian hunts, 14 hunts in Mexico, whitetail deer hunting in 20 states, and extensive experience in the western U.S. for 40 years. Successfully hunted all varieties of North American big game except jaguar and walrus. Two Grand Slams of North American wild sheep.

INTERNATIONAL HUNTING EXPERIENCE

110 African safaris, including hunting in: Kenya, Zimbabwe, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Central African Republic, Chad, Cameroon, Ghana, Tunisia, Liberia, and Uganda.
25 European hunts, including hunting in: England, Scotland, Greece, Finland, Hungary, Spain, Austria, Iceland, Greenland, Sweden, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Macedonia, Romania, France, and Estonia.
Additionally has hunted in Azerbaijan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Siberia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Philippines, Argentina, Australia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, and Peru

SHOOTING EXPERIENCE:

Former All-American trapshooter. Collegiate and inter-service smallbore and centerfire rifle and pistol competitor. Qualified “Marine Corps Expert” with rifle and pistol for 20 consecutive years. Participant in most target shooting disciplines, big bore, smallbore, and long range rifle shooting; “bullseye” and practical pistol shooting; sporting clays, trap, and skeet shotgun shooting. Avid handloader since 1964. Writing frequently includes technical firearms subjects and evaluation of firearms, optics, and ammunition.

MILITARY EXPERIENCE:

31 years service as Marine Corps infantry officer. Served as infantry platoon commander, company executive officer, infantry company commander, headquarters company commander, battalion logistics officer, battalion operations officer, battalion executive officer, regimental operations officer, infantry battalion commander, Assistant Chief of Staff/G-3 (Operations) on brigade staff, Group commanding officer. Activated in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm in 1991 and Operation Vigilant Warrior in 1994. Recalled to active duty for six months in 1997 and six months in 1998 to serve as Current Operations Officer for I Marine Expeditionary Force. Recalled to active duty to serve as Marine Forces Pacific Liaison to U.S. Central Command from January through April 1999. Recalled to active duty March-August 2000 to serve as Current Operations Officer, I Marine Expeditionary Force. Recalled to active duty March 2002—February 2003 to serve as Commander, Combined-Joint Task Force Consequence Management, headquartered in Kuwait. Decorations include: Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Meritorious Service Medal (Gold Star in lieu of second award), Navy Commendation Medal (Gold Star in lieu of second award). Promoted to Colonel USMCR October 1996. Selected for promotion to Brigadier General USMCR in April 2001. Retired September 2005.

WRITING EXPERIENCE:

In excess of 4000 magazine articles published. Author of 26 books on hunting and shooting:

AMERICA–THE MEN AND THEIR GUNS THAT MADE HER GREAT (Collection, Caroline House, 1981)
CAMPFIRES AND GAME TRAILS (Winchester Press,1985)
FROM MT. KENYA TO THE CAPE–TEN YEARS OF AFRICAN HUNTING (Safari Press, 1987)
DEER HUNTING COAST TO COAST (with Bob Robb, Safari Press 1989)
SHOTS AT BIG GAME (Stackpole, 1989)
SAFARI RIFLES (Safari Press, 1991)
HUNTER’S HANDBOOK (Mallard Press, 1992)
AMERICAN HUNTING RIFLES (Safari Press, 1995)
WHITETAIL MEDICINE (Derrydale Publishing, 1995)
WHERE LIONS ROAR (Safari Press, 1997)
MAKE IT ACCURATE (Safari Press, 1999)
SEARCH FOR THE SPIRAL HORN (Safari Press, 2002)
THE AFRICAN EXPERIENCE (Safari Press, 2001)
THE PERFECT SHOT (Safari Press, 2002)
AFRICAN HUNTER II (with Peter Flack and others) (Safari Press, 2004)
FAIR CHASE IN NORTH AMERICA (Boone and Crockett Club, 2004)
LIFE ON SAFARI (by Geoff Broom with Craig Boddington) (Mission Trails, 2005)
BUFFALO! (Safari Press,2005)
LEOPARD (With Tim Danklef and Dave Fulson)(Mission Trails, 2007)
TRACKS ACROSS AFRICA (Safari Press, 2007)
SAFARI RIFLES II (Safari Press, 2008)
BIG GAME ARGENTINA (Patagonia Publishing, 2009)
ELEPHANT! (Safari Press, 2011)
AMERICAN HUNTING RIFLES II (Safari Press, 2013)
HUNTING: WHAT YOUTH NEED TO KNOW (Conklin Foundation; 2014
DEADLY ENCOUNTERS (Safari Press, 2015)