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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Voyageurs National Park Winter

Voyageurs National Park Is A Winter Wonderland

Voyageurs National Park Is a Winter Wonderland Voyageurs National Park cloaked in its winter array is a beautiful, dramatic landscape of  glistening snow, frozen lakes and frost-glazed pines. There are few places to experience a winter vista largely free of roads and buildings, and it’s worth a trip to Voyageurs, along Minnesota’s northern border, to […]

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Aim Low Miss Small

Whitetails 365 – Aim Small/Miss Small

Whitetails 365 – Aim Small/Miss Small If you’ve never been there, you’re lucky! But most archery hunters have experienced that deep guttural feeling when you release an arrow only to see it drive into a deer way off mark. That sick feeling knowing you didn’t make a good shot. Will you find the deer? Will […]

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Doe Harvest Timing

Doe Harvest Timing

Doe Harvest Timing I would argue that having a doe population strategy is as important as any other tactic if you are managing a farm for whitetail deer. High population farms are not good for the herd, for native plants, and surely not good for local farming. They can be exciting to hunt for young […]

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5 Tips for Season Opener

5 Tips for Season Opener

5 Tips for Season Opener #5 Tree Stand Inspections – Every year in late August, around the time I put my fall plots in, I do a complete inspection of every tree stand and ground blind set that I have. I make sure all the climbing sticks and the stands are tight and secure. While […]

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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.