Hunting
The Basics of Waterfowl Spreads
The Basics of Waterfowl Spreads As the temps cool and the last of the leaves finish turning from brilliant yellows, reds, and oranges into a dull brown, the energy builds for the waterfowl hunters in Iowa. Iowa falls into the Central Mississippi Flyway and Iowa hunters are lucky enough to have access to nearly 50% […]
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Keeping Warm When the Hunt is Cold
Keeping Warm When the Hunt is Cold Normally you purchase one of the fair-weathered early muzzleloader tags. Historically it’s been such a good season to hunt, but this year you had an ill-timed work conference that ate up most of that choice week. Preferring the length of a muzzleloader season, you settled on hunting the […]
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Whitetail Rut Q&A
Whitetail Rut Q&A 1. Is using a decoy worth the risk or hassle? It seems like a lot of work and risk to maybe have a buck come in closer. If so how do you maximize your results? Personally, I don’t hunt with a decoy setup. I’ve tried it in the past and have not […]
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When the Waterfowl Disappear, Late Season Waterfowl
When the Waterfowl Disappear, Late Season Waterfowl Iowa just seems to be in that perfect position on the continent that hardly lends itself to be a waterfowl hunting destination state. Maybe imperfect is the better word and many local hunters will refer to it as “The Fly Over State”. Okay, this might be a little […]
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Rut Essentials for Long Sits
Rut Essentials for Long Sits Sweet November, as they say, is finally here! If you are like me, you’ve likely already taken to the woods with your archery equipment in hand. However, if you’ve been saving up days for the magical Iowa rut, then you have a lot to be excited about. Here are a […]
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Harnessing the Power of Scents: Whitetails 365
Harnessing the Power of Scents: Whitetails 365 As experienced hunters, we know that successfully hunting deer goes beyond just having the right gear and a steady aim. Whether it’s to attract bucks during the rut or mask your presence, using scents can make all the difference. In this article, we’ll delve into scent control, selecting […]
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Hunting Savy Pheasants
Hunting Savy Pheasants Half-way through the Iowa upland season, the weather starts to break, our bird dogs start to hit their peak that they had at last season’s end. Along with this, those veteran roosters have been further educated on how to survive all of the conditions they are dealt throughout the year. In my […]
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Lethal Shots and Deer Recovery Tips
Lethal Shots and Deer Recovery Tips: Aiming for Success The use of tracking dogs originated in Europe in the 1800’s. Recovering wounded deer with the aid of a leashed dog became a legal method in Iowa in 2020. A total of 6,216 deer were recovered by United Blood Trackers/Iowa Blood Trackers members across the nation […]
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How To Call Bobcats
How To Call Bobcats A doe peacefully munched soybeans in the field out in front of me as I sat hidden in the shadows overlooking the field behind my calling partners Larry McKnight and Mark Johnston. Sounds of the agonizing wails of a dying rabbit pierced the air every few minutes as Larry called from […]
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10 Tips for Iowa Rut
10 Tips for Iowa Rut Time-is-a-ticking, and before you know it, you’ll be pinned down, eye to eye with that old mature doe. The stomps seem like days, and days feel like weeks. But this time you took the week off and dropped her with the “if she blows, she goes’’ motto. You sit down […]
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