The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 
The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 

The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats In the 80’s, my father and grandfather were “entry-level” deer hunters.  They had been invited to begin hunting a timber here in central Iowa that had a steady population of deer.  In their efforts to learn more regarding the tactics to use to fool a wise old whitetail, my grandfather and father would douse their boots with fox urine!  It was an effort to hide human scent when they were in the woods.  It goes without saying that those boots were not allowed in the house, ever! There is no doubt […]

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Summer Deer Season Preparation

Summer Deer Season Preparation It’s July and for bowhunters all across the state they will begin patterning summer deer and making plans for the upcoming bow season, youth season and early muzzleloader season. If you are like me, keeping low pressure on your hunting area is always a top priority. Mature deer do not tolerate […]

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Strategizing with Trail Cameras: Whitetails 365

Strategizing with Trail Cameras: Whitetails 365 The phrase “here he comes again” was a common displeasured utterance at my local Walmart photography department during my youth. Trail cameras that housed 35mm cameras were becoming all the rage and my brother and I had collectively received a unit for Christmas. We’d load the camera up with […]

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Dutch oven Campfire cooking

Dutch Oven Campfire Cooking

Dutch Oven Campfire Cooking Camping season is upon us and it’s time to think of what you’re going to eat. Sure, you could do the easy stuff like cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and roast a hotdog over the fire for dinner. But why not try something a little better? Who wouldn’t like a […]

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Kayak Bass Fishing in Iowa

Kayak Bass Fishing in Iowa If you are like me, you grew up watching bass boat tournaments on TV. Most people thought that looked like fun, but bass boat tournaments are a significant investment when you get the bass boat, truck, trailer, gas, and upkeep. Kayak tournaments are just as fun and more affordable in […]

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Featured Story

Iowa Public Land Hunting 

Every hunter wants to know where to go to harvest a great deer.  We often assume that there is some “honey hole” spot out there that a person can always go to and harvest a trophy year after year.  While having hope for that, we are always keeping our ears perked for that privileged information on where the best place to hunt would be.   

Now, let me ask you, if somebody had the perfect spot to hunt where they are harvesting trophy deer year after year, do you think that they would share that information with you?  Probably not.  Unless they are VERY gracious and kind.   

In this article, I will not share any “secret spots” with you who are reading.  Frankly, because I don’t have any secret spots to share!  However, I’ve lived in Iowa long enough to steer you to certain areas of our great state that might give you a great chance to fill a tag this fall and winter.  So let’s begin with some regions of the state to key into. 

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The Iowa Sportsman website and magazine are Iowa’s only privately owned media sources catering to hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts here in Iowa. Simply put, we are unlike other Iowa outdoor media sources: All our staff is from Iowa, from our publisher to our writers. We actually follow through on what we advertise; we provide knowledgeable content from people who know the industry or sport discussed.