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Iowa River Monsters: The Quest for Flatheads
It’s not too often that I get to write an article about an actual fishing story. I’m not talking about the tale of Catfish Hunter or a story that grows with age, but rather a story of adventure, taking place right in the heart of Iowa. An annual adventure that started a few years back that has brought many lessons of success, failure, and the trials and tribulations of being a flathead catfish angler. It all began with a college buddy of mine named Josh Bruegge. If you look up the term “River Rat” in the dictionary his name follows in parenthesis. We joke with Josh that he walked out of the river as an infant to live a terrestrial [...]
Tips For Wingshooting Success – Podcast
Welcome to another episode of The Iowa Sportsman Podcast! On this weeks show Dan Johnson is joined by Joel Johnson to discuss tips on how to become a better and more consistent shot when pursuing upland and waterfowl game birds. The guys get into topics such as different styles of leading your targets and shooting the correct ammo as well as firearm. If you are new to wing shooting or just need some advice on becoming a better shot this is a great episode to listen in on.
Quail Resurgence
We’d witnessed Casey point plenty of pheasants before but on this point all four of her legs trembled uncontrollably like cold jelly. What lay in the weeds in front of her nose couldn’t be a pheasant? It was something she wasn’t sure of and to tell you the truth, neither were we? Our other hunting dog Patches stood frozen in her tracks more than 20 feet away from Casey honoring her hunting companion’s point like she always did and like no other dog I’ve ever hunted with before, only this time she was probably thankful that it wasn’t her so close to the unknown quarry. As we advanced towards the shaking Brittany, wings exploded from the grass in the form [...]
Public Land Success: Tips to Bagging a Mature Buck on Iowa’s Public Hunting Land
I’m proud to be an Iowa hunter! In fact, I’m a fourth generation Iowa hunter. Most of my hunting skills have been sharpened by the hours I’ve spent on the acres of public land that are offered to Iowa residents and non-resident hunters. Here in Iowa there is, currently, over 450,000 acres of public access hunting! That’s right, almost ½ a million acres there for you and I to use for outdoor recreation and hunting. So, if you’re thinking that you have nowhere to go and hunt, you’re dead wrong! There are excellent hunting spots all across our great state. It just depends what you are trying to chase! With the fall coming up, many of us have already begun [...]
Fall Bass Tactics
October in Iowa… nature, as a whole, begins to transition from summer to fall. Average daytime highs will reach 68 degrees while lows will fall to the upper 40’s. By then end of the month we will see a 10 to 15 degree drop in those averages. As the water temps drop bass know that cooler weather and winter is not far off. Early in October, bass will be on the prowl, fattening up before Mother Nature slows things down for them. Many bass anglers will put down there fishing gear and transition themselves from fishing to other outdoor pursuits like hunting. But many hardcore bass anglers rate October as their favorite bass-fishing month, because the fish are active and [...]
Preview Of Iowa’s 2019/20 Deer Hunting Seasons – Podcast
Welcome to another episode of The Iowa Sportsman Podcast. ON this episode Dan is joined by Ben Leal as they discuss the upcoming 2019 Deer Hunting Seasons in Iowa.
Harvesting Does
As October 1st, 2019 looms on the horizon, hunters across the state are preparing for opening day of the whitetail deer hunting season. Licenses and tags along with extra doe tags, where they are available, will be purchased. State goals for the Iowa deer herd have been to reduce the deer population to numbers matching levels that existed in the mid 1990’s. Iowa’s hunters have done an excellent job of reducing deer numbers to the goal developed by the deer study advisory committee in 2009. This level provides a good balance between the desires of hunters and the concerns by citizens about overabundant deer. Each year the Iowa Department of Natural Resources releases the number of extra doe tags that [...]
Purchasing a Waterfowl Gun
Even if I have been to the sporting goods store twice in a given week, I cannot leave without a visit to the gun counter. I have shouldered and looked at virtually every shotgun they have in stock, but for some reason I feel compelled to do it again, and again. On one hand I enjoy comparing the look and feel of each shotgun. On the other hand, what I enjoy the most is the conversation with the person working the gun counter and possibly other customers that happen to be nearby. Ultimately it ends up being a great conversation about the pros and cons of different guns; whether it is features that are liked or disliked about a specific [...]
The Changing of Scenery: Where to Place Your Stand at Different Times of The Season
Let’s face it, archery hunting for whitetails isn’t always easy, in fact most of the time it’s the exact opposite. I mean, sure, sometimes you have great luck and you’re in the right place at the right time. But, those situations are few and far between. (At least for me!) And that’s what keeps me doing this year after year after year! I have four daughters who are quickly becoming skilled whitetail hunters. As they hunt, they are realizing the same truth that I just stated. Some seasons, you have to work for your harvest. You’ll spend many days in the stand, spend hours with preparations, endure the weather and anything else mother nature throws at you. But, it is [...]
Night Eyes: Fall Techniques for Catching Walleye at Night
Fall is a transition time for many species of fish, especially predators like walleye. This is the time of year when feeding becomes heavy and big fish are a realistic goal. Presentations change as the season progresses and the water temps cool but that is one of the beauties of Fall fishing! Night time is a great opportunity to catch walleyes this time of year and the best part is you can do it from shore, in waders, or from a boat and all are successful when the right conditions arise. Early Fall Early in the fall the walleyes are still very much in their summer patterns. By-in-large they are deeper, seeking out cooler, oxygen rich water and they feed [...]
