It’s a far cry fromthe small events at a local country club when the Sportsmen’s Club of Fort Worth began in the 1950s. On Thursday, Feb. 29, the club held its Wild Game Dinner, an annual fundraising banquet, at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth. This year, more than 1,200 tickets were sold with an empty seat being nearly impossible to find.
Guests walked-through a hallway with hundreds of silent auction items before entering the big arena, where they were able to visit with some outfitters from around the world.
The buffet-style meal was easy and held no long lines and the prime rib was delicious. The live auction started around 7:30 p.m. and everything sold went for almost twice the value, including a fallow deer hunt at the Squaw Mountain Ranch hunting with Dallas Cowboys Tyron Smith selling for $50,000; a West Texas mule deer hunt for $28,000 and a Namibian photo safari for $13,000. A four-gun set of Winchester rifles brought $18,000.
Like at many hunting auctions, raffle sales conducted by the Julie Freeman Agency were setting records, while participants traded hunting stories, with some hoping for business connections during the event.
One board member said the event was the biggest ever and raised more money than they ever have.
The Fort Worth Sportsmen’s Club is an all-volunteer organization that raises money for area nonprofits, focusing on youth in the outdoors, including supporting youth involvement in hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation.
