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Northwest Neighbors January 9-15, 2004

Mark Mingain, a "geek with a gun," designs new Web site for RI hunters.

BY SETH BROMLEY Staff Reporter

BURRILLVILLE - Meet Mark Mingain the hunter. He'll spend hours staring at a stretch of forest, peering down the sights of a muzzleloader or a bow, waiting for the perfect shot.

Meet Mark Mingain the Web site designer. He spends hours staring at a stretch of CRT screen at a forest of characters, looking down the barrel of a blinking cursor, waiting for the 100 percent load bar.

One part sportsman, another part computer whiz, Mingain is self-described "geek with a gun.

A casual observer might not believe that the two hobbies could be combined, but Mingain found a way, through the design of a new Internet destination devoted to hunting and angling in the Rhode Island area. With the creation of rihunts.com, Mingain has managed to combine two of his most consuming pastimes.  And what's more, he isn't the only one, as the growing number of visitors to his site attests.

The idea for the site, said Mingain, was to try to combine a number of available resources in one spot, and try to build an online community of Rhode Island hunters who can gather electronically and learn about hunting in Rhode Island, share information, discuss techniques and equipment and trade stories.

"There used to be a comprehensive site that catered to the hunters, at one point the site was taken down and was put up for sale, the site is back on-line, but only offers a user forum," said Mingain, who works as a professional Web developer. He was frustrated when, despite considerable searching, he couldn’t find anything on the Internet that fulfilled the needs of hunters in the area.  “Finally I said the heck with it” Mingain said, “I'll just build my own.”

As Mingain started writing the code, he set out with an eye towards keeping the site very basic, but felt compelled to keep adding extra features as he went along.  "It got a little bigger than I expected,” he said of RIhunts.com, which went up in October. “The response has been very positive so far. It helps that I know what I'm looking for as a hunter.”

Mingain said he took up hunting about 15 years ago. He was introduced to it by co-workers when he was in his early 20s.  “I had always had a love for nature and the outdoors,” he said.  Mingain, who grew up in North Providence, moved to Burrillville in 1992.  "I was always coming up here to go fishing - it was kind of natural for me to move up here," he said.

It was several years later that Mingain first got involved with Web developing. He had been working at CVS/pharmacy corporate headquarters in Woonsocket as a network administrator when in 1997-he became the company's webmaster, and was responsible for maintaining cvs.com.

Mingain has essentially been a Web developer for as long as the profession has existed, and he enjoys it as both work and hobby.  "I like to be able to see the results of my work right away," he said. "The Web is a great tool, and incredible resource, and it's getting better."

Mingain has watched first hand as the medium bas gone from novelty to a major part of people's lives, and has kept up with the advances in capabilities of the Internet. “The software and the graphics are much improved, and you can reach more people than ever before” 'he said.

Even though Mingain enjoys connecting people through the Internet, he said that more than anything, it is the connection to the outdoors from which he derives much of his enjoyment when hunting, especially after spending most of his days in a climate-controlled room filled with computers.

“I love just being outside," he said, 'being with nature. I don’t have to get a deer every time to enjoy myself. Even if I just get time to reflect on things, it's worth it - it's like my church."  Mingain has traveled to Virginia and New Mexico for hunting trips, and has the trophies to show for it. He still thinks Rhode Island has a lot to offer, however, especially in the northwest section of the state.  Mingain does all kinds of hunting - he has tried archery, black powder, shotgun, and rifle hunting, and hunts for waterfowl, deer, and other game.  "It's all exciting to me," he said "I like the different challenges - sometimes stealth is the most important factor, other times it might be making a difficult shot.”

His familiarity with many different varieties of hunting, combined with his extensive programming knowledge, lends plenty of credibility to his work on the Web site. Right now the site includes an interactive calendar, which displays information on what is in season, and shows dates for upcoming special events. It also offers such as complete hunting abstracts and maps for every one of Rhode Island's Wildlife Management Areas. Visitors can sign up for an electronic mailing list that will send them updates on anything hunting-related in the Ocean State.

RIHunts also lists links and contact information for all of the local rod and gun clubs, plus links to sites for all kinds of related information. It also carries up-to-the-minute weather forecasts.

Mingain hopes that he will get local interest and involvement in the site. He said he hopes to support local vendors and incorporate Rhode Island businesses into the commercial aspects of it.

Mingain is still developing one of the most important parts of the site, the discussion forums. Mingain set up free user forums to encourage discussion or debate on almost every conceivable aspect of hunting or fishing. It’s also a great place to go if you have a question and want to get feedback from the hunting community.

A few discussions have cropped up, including one on how to get started in bowhunting, one on techniques for reloading, and one on the best fishing spots in Burrillville. This part of the site has the most potential for connecting people to a community of hunters who can really make the site come alive, and Mingain is encouraged that people are making use of it.  "Feedback so far has been positive," said Mingain. "I think a lot of people are glad that there is a resource they can rely on.”  Mingain said the site is basically completed, and then he is as, looking forward to see it grow.

"We're trying to get the word out, mostly through word of mouth," Mingain said. "Gradually it will start to pick up there were 2,300 visits in the last month."  Mingain pays expenses out of pocket to operate the site, although he hopes he'll eventually garner support in the form of sponsorships or advertising. He promises, though, that no matter what happens, he won't neglect the site.  "I don't see it going away," he said, "it's here to stay - I'm too passionate about it. Even if it‘s failed business it'll still be a great Web site."

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