Hunting

2018 Iowa Upland Roadside Survey Report

Provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Every August the Iowa DNR Enforcement and Wildlife Bureau conducts the Upland Roadside Survey. The survey generates data from approximately 215, 30-mile routes on pheasants, quail, gray partridge, cottontail rabbits, and white-tailed jackrabbits. Counts are conducted on cool mornings with sunshine, heavy dew, and no wind. These […]

Whitetail Traffic Control: Detour Ahead!

Okay here is a scenario that I for one have experienced and I am sure many of you have before: You have a piece of property that you hunt here in Iowa that is littered with deer sign. Everywhere you look there is a beaten down deer path that is constantly being used as a […]

The art of hunting afoot

Let’s not kid ourselves. Hunting a whitetail deer on foot is a major challenge. In Iowa, some hunters might even think it a little…hmmm…crazy. Yes, that’s the word, crazy. Oh yeah, and trying to do it with a bow? Ha, you’ve gotta be joking, right?! You’ll be up against the following: extremely good hearing, extremely […]

Top 5 Broadheads From ATA Show

The Concept of Hunt Plots

Three years ago I stumbled across an article in a hunting and fishing magazine that was talking about “Hunt Plots”. I immediately asked myself what the heck was a hunt plot? So I read the article and deemed it useful and from that moment on I have been implementing hunt plots on our family farm […]

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This

Little did 14-year old Dalton Christoffer, a freshman at Estherville Lincoln Central in northwest Iowa, know when he headed for northeast Iowa to participate in the youth dear season that a trophy buck just might be in the picture. He was pretty sure that he’d have a chance at a nice buck. After all two […]

Back to the Basics: New Gear Gives You No Guarantees

It seems like only yesterday my father and I were making a trip to Cabela’s in Owatonna, Minnesota to check out hunting gear. I was twelve or thirteen and had been planning my first deer hunt for a while through hours of watching and learning everything I could from the hunting channels we had on […]

Fallback Stands For Archery Season

Have you ever been sitting in a treestand and seen a large mature whitetail buck coming your way only to have it skirt your stand by 70 yards for no apparent reason? I have fallen victim to this scenario more than once. It is a frustrating ride of mixed emotions; one minute your heart is […]

Food Plots: Are They Necessary in Iowa?

I have often heard many deer hunters say that there is no reason why they should plant a food plot in Iowa. After all there is already plenty of food, with the over abundance of corn and soybean fields in our state. Half of that statement is true; the part about our state has a […]

Early Season Bow Hunting Mistakes

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 the season. Getting busted, missing a duffed shot, not seeing deer, or coming down […]