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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Best Places for Early Season Fishing

Best Places for Early Season Open Water

Best Places for Early Season Open Water It’s time to start thinking about the open water season. Time to put away those short sticks and tiny jigs, and replace them with longer rods, bigger tackle boxes, and a fishing vessel if you own one. If a water vessel is not your thing, that’s ok because […]

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Polaris Ranger Cab Models 2026

Polaris Expands Industry’s Largest Cabbed Lineup with New Ranger Models for All-Season Comfort

Polaris Expands Industry’s Largest Cabbed Lineup with New Ranger Models for All-Season Comfort New 2026 RANGER 1000 CAB Improves Cold-Weather Comfort with Factory-Installed Heating System, New 2027 RANGER XP 1000 CAB Features HVAC System for All-Season Comfort at Competitive Price Point MINNEAPOLIS, MN (Feb. 5, 2026) Polaris Off Road, the world leader in powersports and […]

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5 Historic Places to Visit in Iowa

5 Historic Places to Visit in Iowa Iowa was officially established as the 29th state on December 28, 1846. Our state is still full of fun historical places to visit. Each county has its own historic place or building preserving the heritage that helped shape our state. Iowa’s landscape is dotted with historical landmarks that […]

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Ice-Out River Walleyes

Ice-Out River Walleyes After the extremely mild winter we’ve had here in Iowa this year, I think it would be safe to say many of us ice fishermen feel like we were robbed of some time. Here in NW Iowa, it wasn’t horrible, but at the time of this writing, I’m pretty confident that southern […]

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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.