Don’t let the inspired nature blogs fool you. The year is 2011 and it is not only possible to embrace nature and technology, it’s necessary. Modern life is full of contradictions such as the lack of the local farm as a reliable hunting spot and the Internet as an informational tool. For a moment the internet was even used as a hunting tool. Oh the agony! Thankfully you can no longer shoot a deer from your work station in most states. Sites like the duck hunters forum www.duckhunter.net provide a national and international connection point for outdoorsmen that have never existed before.
Books and magazines were and are a one way connection. The internet is two ways or maybe better yet, it’s a thousand ways. Not only can you read about a location, you can discuss it with the locals (once you earn “trust”). Not only can you read about African wild game, you can research trips and even book a hunt.
As I have said before there are major drawbacks as well as opportunities. The internet is often a faceless forum without punishment for individuals who are without scruples. Yes, I have learned this the hard way! For the most part though, the advantages outweigh the risks. Just don’t overlook common sense and warning signs.
It is now common to meet your girlfriend or future wife online and it’s no different with hunting. Thousands of hunts each year are arranged between internet friends or guided hunts booked mostly online. It’s been ten years since my first internet duck hunt. There was some trepidation meeting “strangers” with guns in a far off place to hunt. Now it’s become standard once or twice a season. I have ended up on several world class hunts free of charge since that first trip.
In some ways the internet humanizes the world. As counterintuitive as it sounds at first, human interactions have been greatly enabled by modern computing. Just google your specific type of hunting and sign up.
