I know this is a lot of reading but I think this could be beneficial to a lot of people.I’m in the process of getting this put onto a survey website which will make it easier to read and respond.
There are two communities of people that generally don’t communicate with each other, the hunters and trappers and those who don’t hunt or trap. There are often many times when people from both sides could benefit from connecting with those from the opposite side. What if there was a website that connected hunters and trappers who are looking for wild game, to those who don’t have the means or desire to hunt or trap pest animals that destroy or damage land, crops, livestock or even buildings?
I have friends and acquaintances on both sides and I often frequent online forums from both sides. I am constantly hearing and reading about people who have pest animal that they need to get rid of but aren’t the kind of person to do it themselves. On the other side, I hear and read about hunters and trappers constantly looking for game and places to hunt. I see people needing raccoons removed because they are getting in their rabbit hutch or deer in their garden or coyotes killing their house cats or fox in their chicken coops, etc. There are plenty of people who would jump at the opportunity to get their hands on more game. The problems seems to be, the two sides aren’t in the same social circles and don’t know about the other ones problems or needs.
What if there was a website that could help both sides? The site would be set up in a very simple manner. On the website there will be a picture of the US divided into states. The user can click on the state they want to view. Within each state, the map would drop down to counties. So again the user can click on the county (or multiple counties) they are interested in. At this point the site will be set up to enter a posting for either someone needing pest animal removal or someone looking to remove pest animals. It would need to be set up in a way to keep every user anonymous in order to ease people’s fears of becoming a target of anti-hunting and trapping groups like PETA or HSUS.
The user will then be able to enter a post which will only be identified by a number and will appear in a color correct box. The posts will be color coded with one color on one side of the screen for those needing pest animal removals. While those looking to help with pest animal removal being in another color on the other side of the screen. The post box will contain information regarding things like species of animal, needs, wants, locations and requirements. This way, people can easily communicate what they are comfortable with in order to help the right people find each other. There will be a messaging option in which a user can message another user. This will be a message system completely contained within the site which will not use anyone’s personal information nor email addresses. This way, people can exchange messages without the fear of someone obtaining their personal information. I know some people are more than willing to post their personal information on the internet and may think that this is over kill. Unfortunately there are people that do not agree with hunting and trapping and will go to great length to cause trouble for others.
At some point users will need to exchange contact information. This will be done via the messaging system which allows people to determine if they want to contact the other person. Now this does not mean that trouble makers will not go through all this just to get someone phone number or address or something. But I believe it will greatly reduce the risk. Those that need pest removal will not generally be the target of anti-hunting/trapping organizations and they should be able to give their information to a potential hunter/trapper with little risk.
I have just a couple final thoughts. The site will clearly explain that it is just a site for people to connect and it will be completely up to the users to abide by all laws pertaining to the removal of the pest animal. This website could be used by amateurs as well as professional pest animal removers. Also my intention is to make the site free to users because I am not sure if people would actually pay to use it. This would mean that in order to fund the marketing of the website, it would have to rely on advertising funds. Therefore the site will need a lot of traffic to support the advertisers.
At this point, I need everyone’s input. I believe this potential site needs to be marketed across the entire US. I would greatly appreciate any information you are willing to give. I have attached a survey and would be very interested to know what people think.
1. Do you feel you would use a website like this? Y/N
2. How many people do you personally know that you feel would use this website?
a. 1-5
b. 5-10
c. 10-15
d. 15 or more
3. Which category would you identify with?
a. I need pest animals removed
b. I would like to help remove pest animal
4. If you would opt to use this site would it be because
a. You have pest animals and would prefer to have a local hunter/trapper help you remove them
b. You have pest animals and would prefer to pay a professional to remove the animals
c. You would like to find game closer to your current location
d. You would like to find game farther from you because you are willing to travel to obtain the game
e. You are paid to remove pest animals and you feel you could find potential clients
5. What state and county do you live in? ________________________
6. Would you opt not to use this website because of fear from anti-hunting and tapping organizations? Y/N
7. Are you interested in being a part of creating and marketing this website? Y/N
a. If so what would you like to contribute?
8. What suggestions would you have that would ensure you would use this website? __________________________________________________
__________________________________________________
