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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The Lone Star Tick and Alpha-Gal

The Lone Star Tick and Alpha-Gal You may think this is a story involving two characters in heroic quests in the outdoors.  I can assure you, there is nothing fun about this duo. Anyone that spends very much time outside understands what it is to have a tick bite.  In Iowa, we usually deal with […]

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Walleye regulations on Iowa Great Lakes

Walleye regulations on Iowa Great Lakes The brood stock lakes of northwest Iowa offer anglers excellent walleye fishing opportunities. In addition, Big Spirit Lake, East Okoboji, West Okoboji and Storm Lake are home to the female walleyes that give up their eggs each year so Iowa’s hatcheries can raise the millions of walleye fry and […]

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Henry’s First Turkey Hunt. Part II

Henry’s First Turkey Hunt. Part II When the April 7th youth season opened, we were ready. We hunted hard that first weekend, getting up early and staying out late, but the birds nor weather cooperated. I was impressed by Henry’s patience and stick-to-itiveness. He was a real trooper, especially on Sunday. Sunday started in the […]

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Mistakes that Spook Coyotes

Preventing the Mistakes That Spook Coyotes

When It All Goes Wrong: Preventing the Mistakes That Spook Coyotes It was all going perfectly to the plan. My friend and fellow Iowa Sportsman Magazine writer Nick Johnson had traveled down to film me calling coyotes for an episode of Iowa Sportsman Television a few years ago and his camera was rolling on the […]

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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.