Hunting
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 […]
READ MOREDon’t Overlook The Small Tracts
The story of David and goliath crossed my mind as I maneuvered through corn and tall grass toward the tree where my quarry awaits. Three doves perched unsuspectingly in the weathered black locust on the northwest end of the one acre drainage creek. As I inch closer, I am thankful that I have such an […]
READ MOREEncountering Iowa Bobcats
By Troy Hoepker When Bret Paulsen filled his archery tag with a 155 inch, eleven point bruiser of a buck in mid November, some would call it a very successful fall already. What he didn’t know at the time was just how incredible his month of November for 2011 was yet to be in Iowa’s […]
READ MORECompound Bow 101: What are the parts of your bow?
By: Nick Jedlicka Okay, count me as one of the guilty! I was not always totally up to speed on what the various parts and functions of my compound bow were. Maybe this was not such a big deal. For a beginner, it may not be essential to know every tidbit of info – but […]
READ MOREColder Weather Coon Trapping
By Joshua Jones Picture this scenario as a trapper: It is Friday night before the opening day of the trapping season in Iowa and you are loading the truck with all equipment you may need for the next day. Hammers, trowels, wire, bait, gloves, etc. Everything that is on your list and checking it twice […]
READ MOREOpening Week ‘Coon Sets
By Josh Jones In this article I will go over some “Opening Week ‘Coon Sets” that you can use to catch more ‘coon and give some tips that may help catch other fur like mink or muskrats. Set #1—The “Pocket” Set. To make this, you dig a horizontal hole anywhere from 3-4” to 12” in […]
READ MOREThe Elusive Mink
Why is it that many trappers can catch truck loads full of coon but only a few mink? Is it because they make sets that aren’t attractive to a mink or is it the way the trap is set so they miss the short legged animal? The male mink can get up to about 2-3 […]
READ MOREWaterfowl Lingo!
Have you ever walked outside and listened to the Snow Geese or Canada’s and wonder what on earth they could be screaming about? Or how about a group of mallards working a marsh and all you can hear is chuckling or that lone hen screaming out a cadence. What about the whistle of Woodies screaming […]
READ MORESmall Spreads Take Limits Too
By: Nick Johnson I can remember the first band I ever shot like it was yesterday. I was hunting by myself at a public marsh in central Iowa. I had scouted the evening before and found there to be a small group of geese coming back to roost after the evening feed, maybe 20 or […]
READ MORECoyotes: Shotgun Style
By: Troy Hoepker We had a coyote up and running just moments earlier, but for the time being, he had seemingly pulled a typical “Houdini” trick on us. Just like they’re so good at doing, this coyote had just disappeared. Grandpa pulled the truck into a field down by the end of a timbered finger […]
READ MORE