Hunting
Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund and its impact on Iowa’s Natural Resources
Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund and its impact on Iowa’s Natural Resources By Steve Weisman Over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk around the state about the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its budget. Basically, there are two areas of revenue: (1) The Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund […]
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Early Season Bow Hunting Mistakes, and How to Avoid Making Them
Early Season Bow Hunting Mistakes, and How to Avoid Making Them By Jason Smith Bow season rolls around the same time every year, but it still catches many sportsmen under and ill prepared. It seems like if mistakes are going to be made, they’re more likely to happen early, than at any other point during […]
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Waterfowl Boat Checklist
Waterfowl Boat Checklist By Ryan Eder Most hunters are “gear guys”; we want to have the right equipment for every situation and even if we do not need it, it helps us sleep at night knowing we are prepared anyway. The duck boat is a special place. It is a mobile hide that we essentially […]
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Tips for Maximizing Youth Deer Hunting Success
Tips for Maximizing Youth Deer Hunting Success I started taking my daughters deer hunting when they were 10 and 12 years old. Back then, it was relatively easy to find time to hit the woods. Fast forward a few years, and like all teenagers, their increasingly busy schedules can make finding time to hunt challenging. […]
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Top 4 Bowhunting Mistakes: Whitetails 365
Top 4 Bowhunting Mistakes: Whitetails 365 As in all things in life, if you want to get better at something, a good plan is to repeat the things that work for you, and stop doing or change things that aren’t working. It sounds like pretty easy common sense, but it can be very hard to […]
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Born to Duck Hunt
Born to Duck Hunt To say a diehard duck hunter is a breed of its own is, well, definitely not an understatement. After all, who else would be excited about waking at 3 am in the morning, facing below freezing temperatures, battling strong northwest winds than one of those crazy diehard duck hunters hoping that […]
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Exploring Iowa’s Pheasant Heritage
Exploring Iowa’s Pheasant Heritage I venture to guess that Iowa residents of Black Hawk, Grundy, Butler and Bremer counties in 1901 and 1902 had to wonder, “What is this mysterious bird that seemingly appeared on the Iowa prairie almost overnight?” It’s large chicken-like size, beautiful plumage and distinct white stripe encircling the male’s neck made […]
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Why Prescribed Burns are Essential
Why Prescribed Burns are Essential Each spring we can see clouds of smoke billowing up from both state wildlife areas and on private tracts of grassland all across northwest Iowa. Oftentimes I will hear people questioning or complaining about the fire eating up the spent grasses from the previous year or even several years. For […]
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Common Wing Shooting Mistakes
Common Wing Shooting Mistakes Wing Shooting is a fantastic outdoor sport that many of us grew up having the privilege to partake in. For some, myself included, pheasant hunting was what led me to love the sport of hunting, apply hunter’s safety and respect wildlife. Pheasants are definitely a popular choice for wing shooters, although […]
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A DIY Preseason Game Plan for Gundogs
A DIY Preseason Game Plan for Gundogs In my football playing days the preseason was one of the most intense times of the year. Although the coach’s calendar would say the preseason officially started sometime in early August, in reality it began months earlier during the summer weight lifting and conditioning program. We would spend […]
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