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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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

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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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5 Easy Mistakes to Make Fly Fishing for Trout in the Fall  4 Keys To Being A Good River Angler

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5 Easy Mistakes to Make Fly Fishing for Trout in the Fall  Not only is fall one of the best times to fly fish for trout in Iowa, it’s also my favorite!  The sweltering heat of summer begins to lose its grip, making the fishing much more comfortable and also making catch-and-release a much less […]

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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.