Early Spring Trout Fishing
Early Spring Trout Fishing

Early Spring Trout Fishing Spring in Northeast Iowa’s Driftless Region marks the beginning of one of the most rewarding trout fishing seasons in the Midwest. This is one of the prettiest areas in Northern Iowa marked with limestone bluffs, spring-fed creeks, and rolling pastures. The Driftless Region contains a several cold, clear streams that flow steadily year-round. This creates perfect trout habitat, and spring offers fishermen peaceful days on the water. With stable water temperatures, increasing insect activity, and hungry post-winter trout, there’s no better time to explore these legendary streams. Why The Driftless Region? This region is a trout […]

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Fur Market Struggles During Uncertain World Events

Fur Market Struggles During Uncertain World Events

Fur Market Struggles During Uncertain World Events Covid 19 shutdowns in China, Russia’s savage invasion of Ukraine, oversupply and limited demand have all created the perfect storm to leave the fur market struggling to see an optimistic future this year. Uncertainty is the best word to describe current conditions on the global stage. Covid 19 […]

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Spot and Stalk Iowa Coyotes

Spot and Stalk Iowa Coyotes

Spot and Stalk Iowa Coyotes I peered out of our kitchen window seeing the burnt orange sky illuminated from the sun’s imminent rise framed between the old red corncrib and our picturesque red barn with Dad’s cattle lot centered in between. The school bus came very early to our driveway. Way too early for my […]

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Hunting the Late Archery Split

Hunting the Late Archery Split For bowhunters, it does not get much better than hunting the rut. Deer are active during daylight hours, anything can happen, especially if an estrus doe is in the timber. It amazes me how one doe can have a buck guarding her, chasing off other bucks that come too close, […]

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Selecting the Best Ice Auger for Ice Fishing Season

Selecting the Best Ice Auger for Ice Fishing Season The world of ice fishing has changed so much in the past twenty years that some do not even recognize the sport anymore. Gone are the days of a couple of poles, a handful of jigs, a five-gallon bucket and a hand auger. Today’s ice angler […]

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Featured Story

Big Buck Profile: The 2025 Gandy Buck

Ok, this first big buck profile is a little self-serving in that it is of a buck that I personally took this past deer season. While it is likely not the “biggest” big buck that we will profile this year it is definitely one of my most special deer ever.

Turning a Dream into Reality

As has been noted in several articles since 2023, my family and I finally put together the means to purchase our very own piece of Iowa ground. “The 32,” as we call it, has become a passion project to see if we could take an unassuming piece of real estate and harvest a mature deer from there by giving him all he needs in the way of habitat. This year was the first year that the farm would be huntable in the state in which we intended due to construction projects over the past couple of seasons.

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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.