Reflections on Deer Season

Reflections on Deer Season

Reflections on Deer Season Hunting season, for us, is more than just chasing whitetails or birds; it’s our escape button. It gives us a much-needed chance for escape and an opportunity to connect with God, nature, as well as friends and family. Hunting is how we finally slow down, take a solid break from the office grind, and ditch the electronics. My first memories in the timber aren’t solitary, they’re crowded. I learned the ropes by tagging along with Dad, Grandpa, and the uncles. Those hunts were memorable, and some I wish to relive. They’re full of crunching boots, and […]

Ice Fishing Rivers in Iowa

Ice Fishing Rivers in Iowa

Ice Fishing Rivers in Iowa There are only a couple of rivers in Iowa that you might consider ice fishing; those along the east and west borders of our state. Including, the Mississippi River along the eastern border and the Missouri River along the west. “There really isn’t the habitat for ice fishing on the Missouri River except in some old oxbows that are no longer connected to the main river,” mentions Iowa DNR Mississippi River Habitat Coordinator Ryan Hupfeld. “Most of the ice fishing occurs on the Mississippi River.” Before we dive deep into the details of ice fishing […]

Hunting Late Season Roosters

Hunting Late Season Roosters

Hunting Late Season Roosters The diesel pickup rumbled down the county road, snow swirling in the headlights. December in Iowa meant the end of the season was coming, and the weather had finally turned nasty Beside me sat Gunner, my two-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer vibrating with energy in the passenger seat. Now, it is about getting a bird or two for the freezer before the real winter locked everything down. We parked near a shelterbelt lining a field of corn stubble. Gunner exploded from the truck, a white and orange blur hitting the foot of snow. The dog worked the […]

Beginner Mistakes in Coyote Trapping

Beginner Mistakes in Coyote Trapping

Avoid These Mistakes Made by Beginning Coyote Trappers Coyote trapping is both a challenge and an art that it seems fewer and fewer people tackling. To coyote trap, you need a few supplies as well as some woodmanship skills, patience, and meticulous attention to detail. For the new trapper, it can be tough to outsmart these coyotes, and you will make many errors, before you begin to see some success. The most critical mistakes beginners make revolve around scent control, inadequate trap maintenance, poor set placement based on scouting, and ineffective bait and lure application. Once you begin to understand […]

Muzzleloading in Cold Temperatures

Muzzleloading in Cold Temperatures

Guide to Shooting Your Muzzleloader in Cold Temperatures Muzzleloaders were one of our earliest guns, and they still have a special place in the hunting community. The muzzleloaders most of us use today, are in-line and much more accurate than the traditional flintlock muzzleloaders. However, you still need to consider how the colder weather will affect your gun, powder, accuracy, and shooting. The most critical factor when shooting a muzzleloader in frigid or wet weather is preventing any moisture from reaching the powder charge, as damp black powder or substitutes will consistently fail to ignite. Condensation, which is often called […]

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In this issue of the Iowa Sportsman December 2025

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Featured Story

Iowa Public Land Hunting

Every hunter wants to know where to go to harvest a great deer. We often assume that there is some “honey hole” spot out there that a person can always go to and harvest a trophy year after year. While having hope for that, we are always keeping our ears perked for that privileged information on where the best place to hunt would be.

Now, let me ask you, if somebody had the perfect spot to hunt where they are harvesting trophy deer year after year, do you think that they would share that information with you? Probably not. Unless they are VERY gracious and kind.

In this article, I will not share any “secret spots” with you who are reading. Frankly, because I don’t have any secret spots to share! However, I’ve lived in Iowa long enough to steer you to certain areas of our great state that might give you a great chance to fill a tag this fall and winter. So let’s begin with some regions of the state to key into.

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