Iowa’s Venom, Oil and Toxic Sap
Iowa’s Venom, Oil and Toxic Sap

I once struck up a conversation with a man from Australia and while talking I asked him the question most people want to know about Australians, “how many times have you been bitten by one of your crazy spiders you have down there?” His answer was shocking, “Oh not many, probably less than 20 times.”

I once struck up a conversation with a man from Australia and while talking I asked him the question most people want to know about Australians, “how many times have you been bitten by one of your crazy spiders you have down there?” His answer was shocking, “Oh not many, probably less than 20 times.” My coworker and I laughed in horror and amazement and counted our blessing of living in the relatively venom free state of Iowa.

I once struck up a conversation with a man from Australia and while talking I asked him the question most people want to know about Australians, “how many times have you been bitten by one of your crazy spiders you have down there?” His answer was shocking, “Oh not many, probably less than 20 times.” My coworker and I laughed in horror and amazement and counted our blessing of living in the relatively venom free state of Iowa. But only relatively venom free, within Iowa’s borders there are a handful of flora and fauna that if encountered can leave an unlucky Iowan itchy, burning, swollen, scarred and in the worst of scenarios, permanently incapacitated or dead.

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Dangerous Plants and Animals in Iowa

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Taxidermy Field Tips for Better Mounts The Dangers with Being too Good

The Dangers of Being Too Good: Whitetails 365:

Whitetails 365: The Dangers of Being Too Good I was watching a pretty well-known hunting show a few years back and the host of the show was talking about habitat improvements on his farm. Through the segment, he was explaining why he was creating the best habitat on every acre of his farm. The explanation […]

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Turkey Taking Tips: From some “Not-so-Pro” Hunters! Reasons why you won't Harvest a Turkey this Year

Turkey Taking Tips: From some “Not-so-Pro” Hunters!

Turkey Taking Tips: From some “Not-so-Pro” Hunters! There are a lot of “give-Me’s” the creator worked into our daily lives. The sun always rises. The sun always sets. Spring heats up to Summer, mellows out to Fall, cools off to Winter, before warming back up to Spring again. There are thousands of examples of things […]

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Proper Fishing Drag Settings

Proper Fishing Drag Settings for Big Fish

earneProper Fishing Drag Settings for Big Fish During the process of outfitting a customer new to the sport of angling, there was nothing more gratifying than seeing the looks on their faces when I would show them the properties of their new drag system. I would stand behind the counter holding their rig and instruct […]

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Tips for Iowa Turkey Season

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The Turkey Season Dilemma There is nothing like a cool crisp morning in the Spring. A gentle blanket of dew, or possibly frost, on the ground, the sun slowly warming up the sky, and the silence that is shattered by a tom turkey sounding off from his roost. A gobble will get a hunters heart […]

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Featured Story

Springtime Panfish-Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill

Spring is in full swing here in Iowa, and what can be more pleasant a reminder than the sound of birds, the sight of flowers blooming, and the feel of a warm afternoon? I can think of at least one more thing…Panfish!

I can remember it like yesterday, our family would all meet up at the lake house. There was work to do. The yard was to be picked up, the cabin cleaned, and the dock had to be put in. But then, after the work was finished, it was time for all of us cousins to fish! We would all go out to the garage to pick out a few old rods and tie on a hook and sinker as best we could.

The next order of business was to hunt for worms. Flipping anything that we could find stuck in the ground in hopes of just finding a few crawlers. Once the bait was secured, we were ready to fish. We would go out on the dock and cast, vertical jig, and even troll along the side of the dock. We usually did pretty well use those tactics, but my all-time favorite was walking along the rocks on shore and dropping the bait down every little crevice, not knowing what was going to come up next.

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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.