Outdoor Wisconsin host Dan Small welcomes you to his special on-line sanctuary. This week, Dan's your guide for a field day on line. Tour the best hunting and fishing information spots on the Web, starting right here at Dan's World.

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Hunt, Fish, Shoot, Scoot Online!

by Dan Small

If you've spent any time surfing the Internet, you may have noticed there's quite a bit of information out there for hunters and anglers. Too much, even, some would say. I recently logged on to the Internet, typed in a few keywords and got some pretty staggering results. "Hunting" generated 148,878 matchups; "fishing," 241,065; "shooting," 170,856; and "boating," 53,005. Needless to say, I didn't have time to check out all these leads. Probably wouldn't if I were laid up with a broken leg all winter. But a quick search can net information on a vast array of subjects.

Check out www.hunting.net, for instance, and you'll find info ranging from tree stands to training retrievers, from booking outfitters to online chats (sort of a virtual crackerbarrel where you sit around and chew the fat with other virtual hunters). Hunting Net claims to be the largest hunting-related web site on the Internet. One resource on Hunting Net is www.whitetaildeer.com, with info on deer biology, hunting methods and a database of pertinent state information (in case you want to hunt in Georgia or Montana).

Then there's www.sportingdogs.com, with info on choosing, caring for and training a canine sporting companion. Hunting Net offers a lodge directory with 1,500 listings, columns by nationally known pro staffers, hunting tips and strategies, a peek into visitors' trophy rooms, classified ads, swaps for gear, hunts, dogs, etc. "We're not using our website for an 'editorial splat,' says Hunting Net president Todd Graf. "We're investing money into quizzes, trivia questions, pictures, video, sound, animation and real-time chats." Graf says his goal is to "impress upon everyone, particularly young people, who visits our site the fact that hunting should be done in a humane, responsible and safe manner." Sounds like a worthwhile mission. By the way, look here for more beautiful hunting dog paintings like this one by L. S. Irish!

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) has several websites, including www.nssf.org, its main website, and www.wheretoshoot.org, its directory of over 1,380 public shooting ranges, sportsman's clubs and hunting preserves, listed on a state-by-state basis. Each facility listing includes travel directions, types of ranges available, activities and tournaments, instruction, and special services and features such as equipment rental and handicapped access, as well as address, phone and fax numbers and a contact name for more information. Graphic icons are also linked to fact sheets for more information about each discipline featured at a given range. Click on the sporting clays icon, for instance, and get a complete run-down of the game, including history, rules, equipment needed, and more. The directory is updated daily. Clubs and other hunting or shooting facilities that wish to be listed may contact Gary Kolesar at (203) 775-6653, garyk@i84.net; or Bert Bourgeois at (603) 778-4720, gab@shooters.com.

Fish Fax just introduced its network of professional fishing guides and marina operators who contribute detailed fishing information for its "Fax on Demand" service, which includes lake biographies, multi-species game fish reports and guide's picks of marinas, resorts, engine repair services, restaurants, etc. Call toll free (800) 331-7998 or visit www.fishfax.com to explore Fish Fax's information page.

Wisconsin's DNR also has a website where you can get info on personnel and offices; parks, trails and recreation; wildlife and fish regulations and more. Print out your own copy of hunting and fishing rules, if you like.

Log on and you can have a virtual field day!

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