Check Out Our Current Issue!
In the July 2026 Issue of the Iowa Sportsman
- Summer Foodplots & Projects
- Spot-And-Stalking Whitetail Deer
- How to Stay Safe and Prepared for Any Disaster
- Planting More Than a Plot: Why Fall Food Plots Matter
- Topwater Bass Fishing
- Finding Fish When the Water Heats Up
- Campfire Cooking Made Simple
- Waterfowl Habitat Keeps the Flyway Alive
Click Here To View This Issue Now!
Traits of a Consistent Beard Collector
Traits of a Consistent Beard Collector I love turkey hunting. It will be part of my spring routine until I can’t walk and when my trigger finger is too weak to set off a shell. Consistent Turkey hunting is the one hunt that a kid or an octogenarian can hunt with success regularly; there is […]
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Finding the Perfect Public Land Deer Hunting Spot
Whitetails 365: Finding the Perfect Public Land Deer Hunting Spot So, you want some more hunting ground, but cannot afford it. This is the case of most of us. However, you should consider using the publica hunting land available. Right now, you can start scouting these public areas in preparation for opening day. In fact, […]
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Turkey Nightmare Henned Up
Turkey Nightmare Henned Up A henned up tom is a nightmare that we as turkey hunters will ultimately face many times over in our turkey hunting career. For those that haven’t heard the term “henned-up”, it basically describes a situation where a tom has found a hen or group of hens and is very if […]
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Trout Stay-cation
Trout Stay-cation Stay-cations are all the rage now. Taking a vacation without investing lots of time and money getting to the destination just makes a lot of sense. After all, the less time you spend traveling to your destination, the more time you can actually spend enjoying your destination. So what if I told you […]
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Big Buck Profile: The 2025 Gandy Buck
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.
My land partner and I placed the farm into the CRP program and watched it grow over this summer creating thick bedding and cover. As part of that program, we placed an acre and a half into a food plot near a natural funnel from the timber that would hopefully incite deer movement into the plot in range for a shot opportunity. The plan worked like a charm.
Created By Iowans, For Iowans
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.
