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This is the time of year for cookouts, family vacations, and savoring the last days of another short Maine summer. Fishing in general has slowed—with trout and salmon hiding deep in spring holes and the striped bass vacating coastal waterways. Sure, fishing deep in the rivers for smallmouth bass can produce some action. Top water lures cast amongst lily pads for largemouth bass on hot summer evenings can be productive. But for the most part, fishing gear is gathering dust. The last hunting season ended months ago with spring wild turkey, and the bear season and expanded bow season for deer are still far off on the horizon, though the cooling nights hint of their arrival. Unless sporting clays, skeet, or target practice is a passion, your shotguns, rifles, and bows, like mine, are taking a late summer’s nap. What’s a hunter/fisherman to do?
Nowadays, we outdoors people with a taste for consumptive sports can often be found crouched over their keyboards, especially at night, when the summer sun has set. For the traditional sportsman with a computer, surfing the Internet, and particularly becoming a member on a sporting bulletin board or two, can ease the long wait until hunting and fishing seasons are back in full swing.
There is no doubt that the Internet with its plethora of pop-up ads, banal blogs, and distasteful porn sites exposes the negative side of humanity. But it is also rich with resources for sportsmen. A Google search can provide sites focusing on any individual’s recreational pursuits. Some of these boards are run better than others, and the best are highly moderated with strict “netiquette rules” that keep troublemakers and spammers from soiling the sandbox. Some bulletin boards are public, meaning anyone can register to participate and the forums can be viewed by anyone in the world. Others might be private, invitation-only boards and viewed only by members. Some are free, some require a subscription, and others rely on member donations to maintain a presence on the Web.
The key is to be selective with where you go and what you join. Spend some time reading (or “lurk”) the forums and get a feel for the tone of the discussion and how it is moderated before you register. There are many boards that are like a Wild West saloon and require a very thick skin before walking through the swinging doors. Some are too general or inactive to bother with. There are others that are substantive, yet foster an atmosphere where anyone can feel comfortable to raise their hand. Once you become a member (which usually requires typing in your basic contact info and then being authorized) you are able to communicate with other members on the forums and off-board through personal messaging systems, chat rooms, and board e-mail functions.
Joining the right bulletin boards will give you access to hunters and anglers from all over the world. You can learn to tie a fly, train a hunting dog, learn wild game cooking, find the value of an heirloom shotgun, or plan a hunting or fishing trip with someone you never knew existed, all with the click of a mouse.
One more caveat: Be aware that a high-speed connection has become mandatory nowadays with streaming videos and uploaded photos on bulletin board forums. Unless you have the patience of Job, dial-up will make you curse Al Gore for having “invented” the Internet.
That said, if you are careful and do your research, you will be sure to find yourself an online community that allows you to shoot the breeze via keyboard, learn from like-minded and knowledgeable people, and even establish some lifelong friendships in the process.
Oh, and here’s the most important part: It’ll also help you make it through til hunting season.
Brad Eden is an artist, writer, Registered Maine Master Guide, and owner/editor of the online magazine www.uplandjournal.com.
Nowadays, we outdoors people with a taste for consumptive sports can often be found crouched over their keyboards, especially at night, when the summer sun has set. For the traditional sportsman with a computer, surfing the Internet, and particularly becoming a member on a sporting bulletin board or two, can ease the long wait until hunting and fishing seasons are back in full swing.
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There is no doubt that the Internet with its plethora of pop-up ads, banal blogs, and distasteful porn sites exposes the negative side of humanity. But it is also rich with resources for sportsmen. A Google search can provide sites focusing on any individual’s recreational pursuits. Some of these boards are run better than others, and the best are highly moderated with strict “netiquette rules” that keep troublemakers and spammers from soiling the sandbox. Some bulletin boards are public, meaning anyone can register to participate and the forums can be viewed by anyone in the world. Others might be private, invitation-only boards and viewed only by members. Some are free, some require a subscription, and others rely on member donations to maintain a presence on the Web.
The key is to be selective with where you go and what you join. Spend some time reading (or “lurk”) the forums and get a feel for the tone of the discussion and how it is moderated before you register. There are many boards that are like a Wild West saloon and require a very thick skin before walking through the swinging doors. Some are too general or inactive to bother with. There are others that are substantive, yet foster an atmosphere where anyone can feel comfortable to raise their hand. Once you become a member (which usually requires typing in your basic contact info and then being authorized) you are able to communicate with other members on the forums and off-board through personal messaging systems, chat rooms, and board e-mail functions.
Joining the right bulletin boards will give you access to hunters and anglers from all over the world. You can learn to tie a fly, train a hunting dog, learn wild game cooking, find the value of an heirloom shotgun, or plan a hunting or fishing trip with someone you never knew existed, all with the click of a mouse.
One more caveat: Be aware that a high-speed connection has become mandatory nowadays with streaming videos and uploaded photos on bulletin board forums. Unless you have the patience of Job, dial-up will make you curse Al Gore for having “invented” the Internet.
That said, if you are careful and do your research, you will be sure to find yourself an online community that allows you to shoot the breeze via keyboard, learn from like-minded and knowledgeable people, and even establish some lifelong friendships in the process.
Oh, and here’s the most important part: It’ll also help you make it through til hunting season.
Brad Eden is an artist, writer, Registered Maine Master Guide, and owner/editor of the online magazine www.uplandjournal.com.
