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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Training Your Dog to Blood-Trail Deer 

Training Your Dog to Blood-Trail Deer 

Training Your Dog to Blood-Trail Deer  If you’re a deer hunter, you know the feeling of not finding a deer. Sometimes the shot is fatal, but the deer has superpowers, and they journey way beyond where they should have expired. There is a chance, the cover and terrain can mislead you or make it seem […]

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Early October Hunting Strategies Iowa’s Deer Forecast 2023-24

Early October Hunting Strategies

Early October Hunting Strategies  It is October and what is not to love? The temperature is right, the sky has an extra tone of blue that we all know indicates the changing of the season, and deer season has now officially kicked off! All in all, things are good.   A lot of ink has been […]

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Leveraging Deer Scents & Lures 

Leveraging Deer Scents & Lures 

Leveraging Deer Scents & Lures  I still remember waking up on Saturday mornings to the smell of bacon drifting up from the griddle downstairs. My mom made it almost every weekend, and that savory whiff was all I needed to hop out of bed and head straight for the breakfast table. Now imagine if that […]

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10 Beginner Tips for Hunting Iowa Geese

10 Beginner Tips for Hunting Iowa Geese

10 Beginner Tips for Hunting Iowa Geese  Every fall, whether I’m in the stand chasing whitetails with my bow or at work watching a flock of honkers work back to the roost at the end of the day, my eyes often follow that classical V-formation that has been mesmerizing me for years. Fast forward ahead […]

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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.