The Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has historically provided a “Where to Hunt” section in their printed Hunting and Trapping Guide; however, it is basically a laundry list of public hunting areas with a general description of facilities and hunting opportunities. The DNR wanted to improve this service by creating a GIS map-based system that would be both interactive and intuitive.
DNR built a web-based GIS application that gives sportsmen the ability to search for public lands open to hunting in Indiana and access information about those areas: facility information, species-specific hunting information, property boundaries and aerial photography. The map was further customized to include the ability to search for hunting areas, species to hunt, and counties. Information popup windows describe in more detail the properties that can be hunted, including a hyperlink to a website for further information.
Results
The project has been a huge success. Prior to the development of this application, a sportsman would have had to gather maps and information from numerous sources on their own, spending time and money in the process. With the development of the interactive Where to Hunt application, DNR - Division of Fish & Wildlife has now provided its customers with a wealth of information related to public hunting opportunities, accessible for free via the web, with interactive tools allowing for custom searches. Numerous sportsmen have called DNR expressing appreciation for the Where to Hunt application, and it has also received favorable promotion on Indiana hunting and wildlife forums.
