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Locating Summer Smallmouth
By Nick Johnson A sought after fish in Iowa no doubt, the smallmouth bass holds a special place in angler's hearts where they are found. Often targeted in streams and rivers, many fishermen forget about lakes to get their fix on these feisty bass. Indeed many lakes in Iowa are devoid of smallmouth but a select few can certainly offer up a healthy dose of bronzeback bouts. Lakes such as West Okoboji and Big Spirit are historic smallmouth factories and have the potential to produce fish of colossal size. Other lakes such as Big Creek and Brushy Creek also contain smallmouth but not in the numbers that the Iowa Great Lakes do. Finding them in the summer months can be [...]
The Hunting Community – Podcast
Welcome to another episode of The Iowa Sportsman Podcast! On this episode Dan is joined by Joel Johnson and they get into a discussion about how hunters need to represent the hunting community. Joel goes into how we has hunters have the responsibility to hold ourselves to high standards so that we can uphold our traditions and heritage provided to us by our ancestors. The guys get into how misinformation, malicious social media posts, rumor spreading, and unlawful acts of a small portion of the community have a negative impact on the whole community.
Iowa Dove Hunting: A Beginners Guide
Mourning Dove season is one of the greatest hunting seasons in my books. It’s that time between spring Turkey season and Whitetail deer season when you start to get the jitters, or withdrawals, as my friends say. It marks the start of football season for some, but for a lot of us, it starts a 5 month long hunting season for a variety of different animals. It allows us to get together, hone in on some shooting skills, and partake in some of the tastiest little vittles man-kind has come to put on the smoker. In short, Mourning Dove season, well, it’s just plain fun! If you’ve never hunted for Mourning doves before, don’t sweat it, it’s fairly simple if [...]
Preparation = Early Season Bow Hunting Success!
By Ricky Kinder It goes without saying that preparation leads to success, and this couldn’t be truer in terms of bow hunting early season whitetails here in Iowa. If you want to harvest a mature whitetail buck during the early parts of bow season you need to get to work right now! Some of the most serious hunters that I know undoubtedly say that there past early season success stories has been a direct result of the summertime preparation work they put in during some of the hottest and muggiest days of the year. Below I have compiled a few preparations every hunter should be performing now or very soon to get himself or herself equipped for the fast approaching [...]
CLEAR LINE FOR CLEAR WATER? Maybe Not
By Bob Jensen The line that we put on our reels when we go fishing is a very important consideration. Your line is the only connection between you and the fish. If your line doesn’t do the job, you don’t land the fish. But the line you choose, in the minds of many, will also play a role in getting a fish to bite the bait attached to your line. I spent a couple of days on the waters of Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin with my friend Mike Gottheardt recently. Mike can catch smallmouth bass with the best of’em. His tournament successes prove that. Mike spends a lot of time on Sturgeon Bay because Sturgeon Bay is one of the [...]
Purist or Progressive. Where Do You Stand?
Progressive or Purist? Which one are you? Chances are that you probably lean towards one of these categories but your stance may vary on each end of the spectrum. In my 30 years of hunting I have had the privilege to see the sport come a long way! What I mean to say is, in all of the “categories” within the realm of the hunting sport, there have been some genius advancements that have allowed hunting to become what it is today. Weaponry, electronics, camouflage patterns, you name it, it’s changed! Now don’t get me wrong, a lot of those changes have allowed us to become better equipped to hunt different quarry around the world! You could argue that it’s [...]
August Fun In The Sun
Iowa is one of those States that can definitely boast the four seasons. By the time January rolls around we are in a deep freeze with temps averaging in the mid-20’s to mid-30’s. Spring rolls around and things thaw out, temps rise and the rains come. Spring gives way to summer and things heat up. We’ve enjoyed the spring and early summer bit, and then August greets us full on…in a word…HOT! Historically temps in Iowa run between 80 and 85 degrees on average. Heat indexes can push the temp to over 90 degrees and sometimes passing the century mark. Water temps follow and surface temps will reach into the 70’s. Increasing water temps will have a direct affect on [...]
Snipe Hunting Defined
Snipe Hunting Defined By Nick Johnson Its dark out, you have your burlap sack and are prepared to make a series of loud, unnecessary vocalizations in hopes of luring the elusive snipe of lore you were sent out to capture. Your hoots and hollers shatter the dark silence of the forest, but no snipe shows. The only sounds are the rapid retreat of woodland creatures making a hasty exit and the faint but generous laughter of friends and family, overjoyed with their successful trickery. Jokes on you! Yes, going on a snipe hunt is a fabled joke to play on the young and gullible, but in fact, the snipe IS a real creature. A migratory bird fairly common throughout much [...]
Through the Eyes of the DNR
Through the Eyes of the DNR Top Ten Most Common Violations Seen During Hunting Seasons So, you went to school and you made it happen. After, you saw what you wanted, you jumped through the many hoops, and luckily became one of the few hired in this much desired profession you went through a lot more training and though some of it concerned you, as to how it would be implemented on the job, you sucked it up and passed with flying colors. No one said it would be easy and, after all, it’s a dangerous job. Then, came the badge. You were now a game warden as your father used to call it. One of the few who would [...]
Keeping Your Youngster Entertained
Creating a great experience when taking a child turkey hunting, involves more than just a successful hunt with a dead bird. We all want the hunt to be successful whenever we have a child along, but the ultimate goal is simply creating a positive experience that will instill in them the desire to want to go again! Kids are obviously much more impatient, so planning ahead of time for ways to keep a child entertained is paramount. A hunting blind is a great investment if your future hunting excursions are going to include children. It gives them the freedom to move a little and stay warmer so they can stay longer. Bring along the things that they enjoy. Electronic games [...]
