Online Service Powderhook Seeks to Connect Hunters, Anglers with New Opportunities
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.19.14
Lincoln-based Powderhook launched the beta version of its free online and mobile service this week. The company’s CEO, Eric Dinger, says it will help connect sportsmen with new opportunities. Powderhook is a start-up company with the purpose of building a one-stop marketplace for hunters and anglers. Sportsmen will be able to peruse lists of public and private lands open to hunting or fishing, while guides and outfitters are free to fill the marketplace with listings of their services.
The network may be in its infancy, but Silicon Prairie News reported that Powderhook has already expanded to 11 states with 20,000 hunting and fishing locations.
“This is all about making it easier for people to experience the outdoors,” said Dinger. ““A lot of what we’re doing is going to be a grassroots effort. We need hunters and anglers to help us improve what we’re doing.”
Information gets on Powderhook through crowdsourcing, and Dinger compared his creation to the travel website Expedia, which pairs up travelers with lodging.
“If you have a lease you don’t use as much as you’d like; if you’re an outfitter seeking more clients; if you have openings in your hunting club or if you’re a land owner who would welcome our vetted and responsible users onto your property, click here and create your listing today,” says Powderhook’s website.
Alternatively, hunters and anglers could visit the website to find opportunities near their location, although the selection is still limited. Currently Powderhook is serving Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas.
“There are over 13 million hunters and 37 million anglers in the United States, and 45% of them say they would go more often if it was easier to find a place to go,” the company states on its site. “Humans spent over $90 billion on the 700+ million trips they took to hunt and fish last year – just in the United States. That’s more than was spent on the NFL, NBA, NHL and NASCAR combined!”
Dinger said he came up with the idea for Powderhook as a result of his own experiences. Dinger spent his childhood in Redfield, South Dakota, where there was a large number of places open to hunting and fishing. After his move to Lincoln, Nebraska, Dinger said it was harder to find these places. With the launch of Powderhook’s beta, Dinger hopes that the service will provide sportsmen with the resources they need at their fingertips.
