Property/Gear

Rut Essentials for Long Sits

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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Choosing Ammo for Iowa Deer Season

Choosing Ammo for Iowa Deer Season

Choosing Ammo for Iowa Deer Season We are approaching one of our favorite times of the year – deer season! The anticipation and preparation for deer seasons can be as much fun as the hunt itself. Be aware of your state’s regulations pertaining to legal firearms and ammunition. As you know, several of our Midwestern […]

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Selecting Loads for Pheasant Season

Selecting Loads for Pheasant Season

Selecting Loads for Pheasant Season It’s that time of the year again, when many of us dream about opening day for hunting the wily rooster pheasant. For nearly 60 years, which starts to date me, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed chasing the old rooster, almost always behind my favorite dog. We have always enjoyed the experience hunting […]

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Sportsman Trauma Care

Sportsman Trauma Care

Sportsman Trauma Care Iowa is blessed with multiple opportunities to employ shooting sports for enjoyment, hunting, and competition. Unfortunately, weapons capable of harvesting game are also capable of life-threatening injury to sportsmen and their companions. We are blessed that gang-related gunshot wounds are rare, so most wounds we refer to medically as “penetrating trauma” are […]

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Combating Heat Stress in Dogs

Combating Heat Stress in Dogs

Combating Heat Stress in Dogs We’ve all probably heard at least one heat stress horror story with a dog. Unfortunately, some of us have experienced this trauma. If we don’t want our dog to be a statistic, it’s important we are aware of the dangers heat and humidity can have on our dogs’ health. During […]

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Gun Safety Tips for the Field

Gun Safety Tips for the Field

Gun Safety Tips for the Field When a person mentions safety, some may shrug their shoulders and write it off as a dry subject. However, it never hurts to open your ears to a few commonsense reminders. After working a career in the DNR, I will comment on a few basic field safety reminders and […]

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Upland Game Drills

Upland Game Drills

Upland Game Drills If we desire to improve our skills, we need to be ready to put in the work. Rather than just showing up to the field opening day of upland season, hoping our dog is just a natural rockstar, we can deploy some simple strategies. If we want our dogs to feel comfortable […]

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Long Range Shooting Basics

Long Range Shooting Basics

Long Range Shooting Basics Long-range shooting is a specialized skill that requires a high degree of precision and accuracy. Long-range shooting involves hitting targets accurately at distances beyond 500 yards, and it requires a comprehensive understanding of ballistics, environmental factors, and marksmanship fundamentals. High-Quality Gear The foundation of long-range shooting is the rifle, and it […]

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Planting Switchgrass for Cover

Planting Switchgrass for Cover “Switchgrass on my property would be a great way to bring in the pheasants”. This is what I told myself, an avid pheasant hunter, after I bought a small acreage in northwest Iowa. However, I knew enough about plants to know that I was no agronomist, and the thought of planting […]

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Summer Prep for Trapping Season Success

Summer Prep for Trapping Season Success

Summer Prep for Trapping Season Success A successful trapper never stops learning or pursuing to be more successful. And a successful trapper is an efficient trapper. As I think about some of my first years trapping, I remember putting down a bunch of traps, driving a bunch of miles, and using up lots of hours […]

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