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Listen Now! To the Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report

The August 7 edition of the Iowa Hunting & Fishing Report highlights how much-needed rain is improving Iowa’s dry conditions while summer heat continues to impact fishing. Aaron McKinney shares fishing updates from bait shops across the state, with anglers finding success on panfish, bass, and catfish by fishing early, targeting deeper water, and using the right bait. The episode also features a quick look at the easy installation of the Tactacam Defend 360 cellular camera and previews coverage from the Iowa State Fair, with more fishing reports, hunting updates, and outdoor adventures coming each week.

Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report

Check Out Our Current Issue!

Tactics for Calling Shy Toms

Tactics for Calling Shy Toms This hunt is going to be over before even starts! One of the best feelings is when the tom in the tree a hundred yards in front of you is hammering at everything from songbirds to the soft tree yelps you are throwing at him. Ten minutes later, you hear […]

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Foraging for Iowa Mushrooms – A Hidden Treat

Foraging for Mushrooms – A Hidden Iowa Treat It dawned on me a few years ago that “hunting season” doesn’t have to end on January 10th every year here in Iowa. It’s true! Yes, most of the animals that we pursue as hunters are no longer legal to take, however, your “hunting” tactics can be […]

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What Knife is best for you this Season?

Making the Cut: What Knife is best for you this Season? When it comes to hunting, there is no shortage of age-old debates that hunters like to dive into: archery vs. firearms, meat hunter vs. horn hunters, fixed blade vs. expandable broadheads, 6.5 Creedmoor vs. B-52 bomber to name a few. One debate that seems […]

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Exploring Iowa’s Water Trails

Exploring Iowa’s Water Trails Iowans are blessed with many rivers, creeks, lakes and reservoirs that are perfect paddling whether they choose a canoe, kayak or even an inner tube. These waterways will take you through a variety of areas that are significant to our state whether from a historical, cultural, geological, or ecological standpoint. Indeed, […]

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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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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.