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Spring Food Plotting Q & A
Spring Food Plotting Q & A By Tom Peplinski By April of each year, if you haven’t already, you should be planning for the year’s food plots. The number one question I get each and every year is always centered on WHAT to plant? There are probably hundreds of specific scenarios that can play out for individual hunters, but generally speaking how good a food plot performs comes down to some fundamentals that don’t change much from farm to farm or hunter to hunting group. April is about spring planted food plots and really preparing for a good seed bed for your fall plots. Let’s get started! Q1: I am putting in a new small food plot outside the timber [...]
Creating a Catman
Creating a Catman By Brad Durick DISCLAIMER: While this article should be very informative for getting a kid into catfishing it is also a gushing proud dad moment. Nobody thinks getting kids to participate in the outdoors is a bad thing. If you use social media you have probably come across a meme that says “More tackle box and less xbox.” Or “Kids don’t remember their best days watching TV.” From the time he was born in 2010, I have hoped to god that my boy, Braden would love fishing as much as I do. He is only five and sometimes I wonder if he will be an outdoorsman and other times I think he really does have the outdoors [...]
Whitetails 365: The Kill Plot
Whitetails 365: The Kill Plot By Tom Peplinski • Sponsored by Hunt of a Lifetime I get a many questions about what to plant for food plots. It’s the biggest question whitetail hunters who plant food plots ask. More specifically, the question of what to plant for food plots inside timber. Small plots surrounded by cover, or logging roads? These small plots inside cover were given the label as “kill plots” some time ago and the nickname stuck. I call them interior plots. There was a time when I swore by the effectiveness of interior plots, but not so much anymore. So, should you plant small interior (kill plots) or not? And if so, what do you plant in them? [...]
Kayaks: Fishermen’s New Favorite DIY Project
Kayaks: Fishermen’s New Favorite DIY Project By Taylor Chansler Kayaking has become increasingly popular in the past few years in the state of Iowa. Kayaks have become much more affordable, and much more accessible with them being available at major box stores as well as your local outdoors store. With their increasing popularity, many folks have turned their kayak into the ultimate fishing boat making it a great tool to use on Iowa lakes and rivers. A few years ago I decided to purchase my first kayak with the intent to explore lots of new bodies of water throughout the state as well as fish. Being a college student at the time and not having much disposable income, I purchased [...]
Camp Culinary Essentials
Camp Culinary Essentials By Kent Boucher Pondering the motivation for modernizing daily human experience through the ages is interesting to say the least. No doubt the innate longing to behold what would lie beyond the next hill, mapping the flow of rivers and streams, or following the migrations of wild game carried our ancestors throughout the continental crust of our planet. But one thing has always fueled our progression- the pursuit of easier living. This of course can be seen in countless facets of modern life, and one realm of advancement that has been around since the first successful campfire is preparing food. It didn’t’t take long for kitchens to advance from the days of stone hearths to wood fire [...]
8 Kayaking Destinations Around Iowa
8 Kayaking Destinations Around Iowa By Jessica Graham Arguably one of the most underestimated and tranquil ways to enjoy the beauty of Iowa is kayaking. Kayaking can take you through some winding rivers in Northern Iowa or allow you to explore hidden coves of lakes. All parts of the state offer bodies of water for users to enjoy. Northern Iowa Iowa’s first whitewater park opened in Charles City in 2011.Offering challenges to kayakers of all skill levels, the park offers amenities for all water enthusiasts including fisherman. Located on the Cedar River, the city of Charles City has committed to developing the riverfront into a premier recreational destination for Iowans to enjoy. The park provides challenging chutes for experts and [...]
5 Favorite Campgrounds Across Iowa
5 Favorite Campgrounds Across Iowa By Jessica Graham When summer rolls around, campers emerge and begin looking for new camping destinations. Some stunning campgrounds are hidden across Iowa and closer to home than some may realize. Camping is an activity that will fit you, regardless of you interests and current chapter in life. And since the Covid pandemic, camping and finding respite outdoors has been as popular as ever. For a beautiful destination, check out these 5 campgrounds located in Iowa. 1.) Ledges State Park Located near central Iowa, Ledges State Park has been an Iowa favorite since its original debut in 1924. Since it is one of Iowa’s oldest state park, it is packed with history and is a [...]
Fly Fishing The Driftless
Fly Fishing The Driftless By John Chalstrom Nick’s heart tightened as the trout moved. He felt all the old feeling….Ernest Hemingway, Big Two Hearted River Part I. It is the Driftless region of Iowa. Located in the northeastern part of the state extending roughly from Manchester to the Minnesota border and east towards the great Mississippi, it is an area untouched by the last great glacial period. An area of rocky cliffs, rolling hills, and hardwood forests, it stands in stark contrast to the prairie landscape of the remaining part of the state. And it is the home of coldwater streams teeming with brook, brown and rainbow trout. Having been a fly fisherman for over thirty years, it was somewhat [...]
“Wrapped up World”
"Wrapped up World" By Bruster Beaty As my AeroMexico flight touched the runway at Campeche International Airport, I realized the first, and easiest, leg of this adventure had been completed. The quest was to finally wrap-up my Turkey World Slam. Having taken my Grand Slam (Eastern, Merriam, Rio and Osceola) during the 2006 calendar year in the United States, and my Goulds in Chihuahua, Mexico in 2015 for the Royal; I had only the secretive Oscellated to fulfill my World Slam dream. I had booked my hunt with Arturo Malo, owner of Baja Hunting. Arturo is an extremely organized and wonderful conservationist. He also runs a top-notch operation. I had been informed that one of his business associates, David Calderon, [...]
The Spawn Of Catfish
The Spawn Of Catfish By Brad Durick If there is one time of the catfishing season that delivers the most complaints, the most negative attitude and the most arguments about how to catch a channel catfish, it is the spawn and the post spawn. These times happen every year whether we like it or not and there are a few ways to capitalize on this time and not miss a beat in your catfishing. I think the reason these are such hated times to fish is that many people simply don’t understand the fish and how they move during this time, what they need to eat and how they react to conditions. Just understanding some of this can make this [...]
