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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Dominate the Field with Premier Gundog Gear

Dominating the Field with Premier Gundog Gear

Whether you’re an avid pheasant hunter or just getting started with the sport, I bet you’re like me: when you get ready to head to the field, you want gear that will keep you safe and comfortable, right? If we are safe and comfortable when we chase birds, our dogs should be too. After all, […]

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Waterfowl Hunting Iowa

Waterfowl Hunting Iowa

Opening day of Iowa’s waterfowl season is more than just a date; it’s a revered tradition for hunters. It embodies the exhilaration of the pursuit and, of course, feeding our families from the wild. Yet, no one seeks to spend a crisp morning gazing at an empty expanse of sky. Success hinges on meticulous planning […]

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Treestand Safety

By Jacob Dean September is Treestand Safety Month. If you’re an avid Iowa hunter, chances are high that you hunt out of a treestand. Treestand hunting gives us advantages, but it comes with some risks. Falls from treestands are a leading cause of serious injury and death among hunters. Estimates for fatalities from tree stand […]

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CWD and EHD in Iowa

Challenges posed by CWD and ED As conservationists and hunters, we are deeply invested in the health and sustainability of our wild deer population. Our deer face significant threats from emerging and spreading diseases like Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). While directly treating individual wild animals on a large scale isn’t […]

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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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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.