Find a Hunting Club

Internet matchmaking isn't just for love connections anymore. I found a couple of interesting links on this news article which I thought was very appropriate for my Pennsylvania blog. It's always more fun to hunt with buddies or be a part of a hunting camp. That's half the fun of hunting is partying after you have gone out hunting for the day is to find folks who you don't mind sharing a hunting camp with.

Find a Hunting Club.com was a great idea, but appears to no longer be in service.

Early in 2005, as Beau, 32, of Madison, was watching TV, he happened on a show that featured couples who had met on an Internet dating service.

"They talked about how it had helped that the service had found so many levels of compatibility and that it had definitely helped them find a mate," Beau Starkey said. "That's when it hit me. Why can't that be done between hunters and hunting camps."

Hence, FindaHuntingClub.com, which went online in early February.

Hunters pay a $9.95 annual fee to establish their profile and clubs pay $49.95 a year. Eighteen clubs and 100 individuals have joined.

A computer program, similar to ones that match couples, then uses different criteria and finds the best matches.

"That criteria can include such things for hunters as location of camp, whether it's still or dog hunting, whether it's family oriented, if they allow an occasional poker game and even if they allow an after-hunt cocktail," said Gary Starkey. "It can include size of club, number of stands and type of terrain. Anything that can help a hunter find the right club."

The hunter is then given a list of clubs that fit his or her criteria, and they are ranked by most criteria matches.

Beau Starkey said that at first, it was just thought of as a hobby.

"Then when we started telling people about our idea, they said, 'Hey, you can make money doing that,' so we set it up that way," he said. "We're hoping it works here in Mississippi and we can expand it to other states.

"We're also looking at kicking off another site, FindaHunt.com, to help hunters and guides (outfitters) get together."

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