Last week, I took a big step toward fulfilling the vision of what I setout to build in 2020. After a bunch of conversations with Jeff Balch, CEO of BaseMap, it became apparent we shared the same vision. Access to hunting information is too dispersed, there are too many platforms and apps. Ideally, a well designed single application should be able to help you find opportunities, research strategies, learn new tactics and plan your hunt. It should also be your companion in the field to check wind, terrain, elevation, etc... You get the idea. One app for everything hunting, which isn't just a season with a handful of days in the fall. The hunting season lasts 365 days a year for many of us. Given our shared vision, it just made sense to team up and work on building that vision together.
What does this mean for HuntScore users and subscribers? In the short term, there are no immediate changes. We are working on updating draw odds for all states, we've rolled out a new map search and new unit page design, both of which work nicely on mobile. A new search page is in the works and should be rolled out in February. Long term, we are working on integrating all the data and information into BaseMap. You can expect to see an initial launch of hunt planning in the app in March!
I'd like to thank all the HuntScore users and subscribers! Over the last 3 years, HuntScore has changed a lot! We've added a bunch of features, redesigned some and added a lot more data. The site went from kind of covering 5 states to covering 15 states (with the other 35 in the works)! Many of you have provided feedback either directly or indirectly (through your visits and time on site), helping me figure out how to build a better product. This helped immensely. It hasn't been easy, I bootstrapped HuntScore with my own savings and spent 2 years without literally making a penny. However, new visitors kept coming, subscriptions increased, and I knew I was at least moving in the right direction.
So thank you for using the site and I hope you all will continue to support HuntScore and BaseMap as we work on building the most complete hunting app.
Sincerely,
Matt Habiger
