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Listen Now! To the Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report

Watch the October 6th Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report!

Fishing: The fall bite is on! Panfish are still biting, the walleye bite is finally starting to pick up too.

Hunting: Congrats to all the youth hunters who were able to fill their tags. Bow season is now open, movement has been okay.

This week's sponsor of the Hunting and Fishing Report is Polk County Conservation's controlled waterfowl hunting program. Waterfowl hunting blinds at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt in NE Polk County can be reserved by calling the Chichaqua office at (515) 323-5395 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The twelve blinds are located in both marsh and woodland settings. Blinds cost $30 per day and hold up to four hunters. Reservations are available for both the early split (October 10 – 16) and late split (Oct. 24 – Nov. 30).

Click here to reserve your blind today!
https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/conservation/things-to-do/hunting

Iowa Hunting Fishing Report
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Check Out Our Current Issue!

In The Iowa Sportsman December 2026 Issue…

Winter brings fresh opportunities for hunters and anglers, and this issue of Iowa Sportsman has plenty to explore. Follow the trail in Whitetail 365: Tracking Goes to the Dogs, explore December Coyote Hunting, and bring your harvest full circle with How to Process Your Own Venison.

Keep your hunting season going with Hunting the Late Split and Where to Find Late-Season Pheasants in Iowa. For a closer look at your equipment, read Understanding Barrel Lengths, Profiles, and Twist Rates, then help your four-legged hunting partner prepare for colder outings with Winter Safety: Keeping Your Dog Warm.

Ready to trade the field for frozen water? Discover Why Anglers Head North to Devils Lake and explore A Minnesota Winter of Big Fish and Miles of Trails. Round out your winter preparations with Ice Augers for Every Situation and Budget.

Click Here To View This Issue Now!
Herbicide Applications

Herbicide Applications: Whitetails 365

Whitetails 365: Herbicide Applications: Why and How I got a call from a close friend the other night while I was watching You Tube videos about, what else, deer hunting. The phone conversation went something like, “Hey, I’m building a sprayer for my UTV. How do you know what kind of nozzles to buy? What […]

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End of Fishing Season Things To Do Ways to Rig Plastics Berkley Shares the Science of Fishing Lures

Ways to Rig Plastics

Ways to Rig Plastics Texas-Rig This is a mainstay for anglers searching for bass.  It can be used with any soft plastic that you want banging around the bottom of the lake.  NO matter the plastic you choose rigging is the same for each style of bait. Run the top of your bait over the […]

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Elevating Food Plots with Frost Seeded Clover and Alfalfa Simple Things Landowners can do to Improve Wildlife  Herbicides Now and Next Year's Tree Plantings

Simple Things Landowners can do to Improve Wildlife

Simple Things Landowners can do to Improve Wildlife One of my favorite things about hunting is watching different wildlife interacting and coexisting in one place. Whether you are an avid hunter or wildlife enthusiast, there are a few projects you can do to improve your land’s attractiveness to wildlife. Wildlife require habitat, water, and food […]

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The History of the Compound Bow

The History of the Compound Bow: How It Changed Archery Forever An overwhelming majority of archery hunters today use a compound bow as their weapon of choice. To many hunters surprise though the invention and history of the compound bow is relatively new in terms of weaponry. However, it is an invention that revolutionized archery [...] READ MORE

Featured Story

A Classic Evening with an Iowa Giant – Bowhunting Boone & Crockett Bucks

Does a plan ever fall into place the way it should? The months leading up to October and November are filled with daydreams of target bucks making their way in front of our stands. Perfect conditions, with a shooter buck coming in on a string, setting up for perfect shot placement. If only that was how it worked… but that wouldn’t be as rewarding, would it?

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Created By Iowans, For Iowans

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.