If you're the only hunter in your family, or if you just want to connect with other hunters to brag, share stories and get tips from fellow sportsmen, the Internet is a great way to find people who share your interests. It may sound odd - after all, hunters are generally the last people you'd expect to make "cyber friendships" on AOL, MySpace or Friendster. But just like people who share a passion for a band, an author, a TV show or a hobby, there are ways to meet other hunters online and join an enthusiastic community of like-minded outdoorsmen via the World Wide Web.
MySpace (www.myspace.com) is one of the most popular online networking services, and it's not just for teenagers. You can sign up for a free account and immediately search for people who enjoying hunting and fishing, add them as friends and start talking about your most recent adventure. You can add photos, videos and add weblog entries about you favorite spots to hunt deer, elk or bear, and look at other hunters' photos and blogs, too.
Friendster (www.friendster.com) is a similar service that lets people connect with other folks all over the world who read each other's pages, form interactive communities, post pictures and discuss their interests. The information about members with Friendster accounts, unlike on MySpace, is viewable only by the people who are linked to you within the service - you can read and share with people in your network, and you can look at the Friendster pages of their friends, and friends of friends, etc. The math of it all is a bit overwhelming - if you have 26 first-generation friends, you can access over 440,000 people. Not all of those Friendster members will be avid deer and elk hunters, of course - but by starting off with "hunting" when you list your interests (as well as more specific search terms like "bowhunting," "black powder," "elk hunting," "guided hunts") you'll find hundreds of hunters to add as friends.
There are also a number of active message boards on hunting-related websites that allow hunters to talk about outdoor sports, guns, ammo, great hunting locations, and other topics. You have to register to get a screen name to use and a password, but there's no charge to join. At sites like Outdoors.com (www.outdoors.com), Fish and Game Finder (www.fishandgame.com) and The Hunting Trail (http://www.hunting-trail.com), hunters can log into forums dedicated to specific types of game, hunting in different states and provinces, and share first-person reviews of guns and other hunting equipment. There are also message forums dedicated to buying and selling hunting gear.
With the immense popularity of hunting and the growth of Internet use, it's only natural that hunters would find a way to connect online to share their interest. By joining an online community of hunters and meeting new friends, you'll have a wealth of resources for information on your favorite sport.