Hello Everyone!
About Me:I'm currently working on a CS degree, majoring in Computer Programming. I've got a few languages under my belt, but I'm most proficient in Java. During my downtime over the Summer break, I want to further evolve my skills (specifically Java), and I thought that developing my own application with multiple features and uses would be the way to do this.
I was bit by the bug that is Turkey Hunting about two months ago, just before my state's season opened. It started as nothing more than a simple question from my wife's stepfather, "Do you want to go turkey hunting?". Of course I said, "Yes!", having no idea how much that single word would change my life in such a short amount of time. We had about a month before the season started, so I began to research what it takes to be a successful turkey hunter. I began reading, listening to, and watching every single thing I could find about the subject of hunting gobblers. Within a few days, I was totally consumed. I researched tactics, weapons, calls, the anatomy and behavior of turkeys, and (the most important research of all) the mistakes other's have made/how it changed their hunting techniques.
We're now three weeks into our season, which ends on May 15th, and I've been out in the Turkey Woods as many times as my schedule allows. Sadly, my busy schedule has only awarded me with 5 total days to hunt so far, all of which have fallen on the weekends. I've hunted every single weekend since the season began and I'm happy to have that time, no matter how little it may be. I intend to take a few days off of work/school in the upcoming weeks to get as many days in the woods as possible before our season ends! I've never really experienced this before, as I've never been a hunter until now, but being out there and surrounded by the sights, smells, and sounds of the wilderness is nothing short of incredible.
It's the ultimate form of therapy for someone with such a crazy schedule, full of work and classes, computers and cellphones. Turning all of that off, removing it from my mind, and taking in real life while sitting quietly out there on a cool spring morning has given me a new lease on life. I don't feel stress like I used to, nor do I get frustrated or angry near as easily. My new-found obsession with this sport is why I'd like to develop an application that revolves around it; it lets me continue to obsess/learn about turkey hunting, while also benefiting my education!
On to the important stuff. What business does a rookie like me, who has only been into the turkey woods 5 times, have creating an application for turkey hunting? What knowledge or experience do I have to contribute? The answer is, not enough, which is why I need your help!
How You Can Help:I'm looking for any or all of the following to help contribute to this project:
- Experienced Hunters/Old Schoolers: I will need your expertise and veteran experience to ensure that the tips/tricks included in this application are "tried and true" and as accurate as possible. The Tips & Tactics section of the application will include the following sub-sections: Blinds (store-bought & natural), Tracking (roost location, scat, tracks, patterns), Calls (calling, building, call reviews), Weapons (primitive, shotguns), Decoys (setups, reviews). We can add any additional sections that you guys would like to see or think would be useful. Any advice provided will be credited to the user(s) that provide it.
- Turkey Biologists and/or Experts: I would love to have some advisement from experts in the Anatomy & Behavior section. This includes: Visual Traits (size, colors, beards, spurs, feathers), Sounds (males, females, juveniles), Habitat (per season, nesting, roosting), Behavior (feeding, flocks, mating rituals, nesting, roosting, dominance, hunting pressure), and anything else you may find important within this section. Any advice/research provided will be credited to the user(s) that provide it.
- Programmers, Web Devs, Data Management: This will be an open-source project and anyone that would like to contribute is welcome! I will be breaking ground on the coding this evening. Once I've got the general layout/design documentation complete, I will create a GitHub repo and post it here. The bulk of this project will be written in Java, using JavaFX for GUI design. I also need devs for: SQL, HTML/CSS, Rails, or Django.
This is going to be the largest project I've taken on so far and will require a fair amount of time, effort, research, and discussion to complete. However, I know that we can create something pretty cool together. If you'd like to contribute to this project, post your thoughts, ideas, tips, and suggestions here. You can also email me at: jgloftin@gmail.com
Below, you will find the "Project Status", which indicates the stage of the project in terms of completion. This will be updated as a new project status is reached. Once coding begins, I will also include a project outline, which will give an overall look at the sectional layout of the application.
Project Status: Design Stage - Pre-developmental outline of application