Check Out Our Current Issue!
In this issue of the Iowa Sportsman December 2025
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- Iowa CWD & EHD Update 2025
- 5 Reasons to Ice Fish in Minnesota
- Essential Gear for Iowa Ice Fishermen
- A December Pheasant Hunt in Iowa
- Sight in Your Deer Rifle
- Safety Reminders for a Responsible Iowa Hunting Season
- Must-Have Equipment for Iowa Acreages
- Patience, Precision, and Power
- Raccoon Calling 101: Sounds, Setups, and Strategies
- 3 Killer Tactics for Hunting Iowa’s Gun Seasons: Whitetails 365
- Hooked on Ice: The Irresistible Allure of Devils Lake
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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 […]
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My Favorite Smallmouth Bass Techniques
My Favorite Smallmouth Bass Techniques As a child growing up, my summer vacations were filled with fishing adventures, from the local lakes and creeks to our annual family vacation to Catch’N Fish resort on Big Bass Lake (seriously, that was the name of the place). Early mornings in the pre-dawn hours, the dads would load […]
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Mistakes to Avoid while Fly Fishing Trout
Mistakes to Avoid while Fly Fishing Trout As anglers, we all know how much fun it is to fool a fish into taking an artificial bait. We tease bass, walleye, northern pike, and musky with flashy baits and plastic that mimic their primary forage. When it comes to fly-fishing for trout in a cold-water stream […]
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Get Ready for Pheasant Season 2025
Analyze Past Data First of all, I like to know a little about the pheasant population before going out. If numbers are strong, I can expect to see some good numbers on public or private land. If numbers are down, I might expect to see fewer pheasants, and I might not be disappointed if I’m […]
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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.
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.
