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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The Evolution of Muzzleloader Hunting in Iowa Improving Your Marksmanship

The Evolution of Muzzleloader Hunting in Iowa

The Evolution of Muzzleloader Hunting in Iowa A group of does meandered their way through an open field past the edge of a tree line. They were now about 50 yards away from my Dad and me. One doe stopped broadside. I placed the crosshairs behind her shoulder, that’s where my Dad had been telling […]

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The Cost of Getting into Ice Fishing

The Cost of Getting into Ice Fishing

The Cost of Getting into Ice Fishing Last year’s pandemic was a boon for people heading to the outdoors. It was the one place that was safe. Fishing numbers and licenses in the state of Iowa were up by over 50 percent. Some were anglers getting back into the sport of fishing, while others were […]

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Importance of Harvesting Wisely

Importance of Harvesting Wisely Growing up, my deer hunting experiences consisted of the same group of guys gathering early at a farm for opening day of shotgun season. We’d plug in crock pots in the garage which would become the gathering area for the next four or five days as we hunted. A variety of […]

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Hunting Quail in the Snow

On The Hunt For Quail

On The Hunt For Quail As my hunt for a covey came nearer to its conclusion, I noticed the sky beginning to clear to the west under the overcast blanket of clouds above me. Just then, the sun’s powerful rays peeked below the cloud line as it came closer to setting and merging with the […]

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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.