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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Three Strategies to Taking a Giant this November

Three Strategies to Taking a Giant this November: Whitetails 365

Three Strategies to Taking a Giant this November: Whitetails 365 Last month, I stressed 3 tactics I use each October when trying to get in front of a giant whitetail. Taking advantage of bed to feed patterns, hunting active scrapes, and calling in October. October starts out all about food and bed to feed patterns, […]

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Top Tactics for Each State of the Rut

Top Tactics for Each Stage of the Rut

Top Tactics for Each Stage of the Rut By Ryan Graden I walked out this morning and it hit me! The cooler temperatures of the fall have finally showed up. Immediately, my mind went to my hunting memories. The smells, the sounds, and the scenery of my favorite hunts. The things that I have witnessed […]

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Catfishing with Ditty Poles

Whiskers and Ditty Poles

Whiskers and Ditty Poles One of my fondest memories of setting bank poles, or ditty poles as many call them, took place on the Des Moines River two summers ago. My friends Josh, Jarred and I fished for two nights out of Jarred’s big twenty foot flat-bottom and camped along the bank. It was one […]

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Water Conditions and How to Fish Them

Water Conditions and How to Fish Them

Water Conditions and How to Fish Them That crisp air that we feel each morning is a sign of things to come, fall is definitely in the air around the state of Iowa. This can be a welcome sign for hunters, hikers and anglers ready for cooler temperatures. The change in weather can also bring […]

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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.