The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 
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 old whitetail, my grandfather and father would douse their boots with fox urine!  It was an effort to hide human scent when they were in the woods.  It goes without saying that those boots were not allowed in the house, ever! There is no doubt […]

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Master These Skills to Improve your Bird Dog

Master These Skills to Improve your Bird Dog

Master These Skills to Improve your Bird Dog So, you want to upland hunt with your dog, huh? I want to applaud you. Your dog has natural hunting abilities, but if you just plan on taking them to the field on opening day, hoping they’ll just figure it out, you might get surprised, but even more […]

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Introducing Youth to Shooting Sports

Introducing Youth to Shooting Sports

Introducing Youth to Shooting Sports  I can still remember the day my mom told me we had to watch the next episode of “Buckmasters TV.” Being an oblivious five-year-old, you can only imagine how excited I was to see my picture pop up as their weekly winner of a FREE Buckmasters Daisy Model 840 BB […]

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Mastering Summer Catfish 

Mastering Summer Catfish 

Mastering Summer Catfish  When I first ventured into the world of catfish years ago, like any novice, I faced my share of frustrations. During those sweltering summer months, hooking a catfish was often a rare event, and landing a sizeable one felt like a true anomaly. I consistently found myself employing the same tired tactics […]

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IOWA’S WINERIES & BREWERIES 

IOWA’S WINERIES & BREWERIES 

IOWA’S WINERIES & BREWERIES  If you are a wine aficionado, you probably have a good idea of where Iowa’s wineries are. My wife and I have traveled throughout central Iowa and the northeast part of the state, visiting and sampling some of the best wines Iowa has to offer.    IOWA’S WINERIES  In 2000, Iowa only […]

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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. 

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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.