Check Out Our Current Issue!
Iowa Sportsman January 2025
This Issue Brings You:
- The Growing Threat of Chronic Wasting Disease- What Hunters Need
- Tips for January Coyote Calling
- Plan for Deer Season 2025
- Timber Stand Improvement
- Prescribed Burning
Click Here To View This Issue Now!
Colder Weather Coon Trapping
By Joshua Jones Picture this scenario as a trapper: It is Friday night before the opening day of the trapping season in Iowa and you are loading the truck with all equipment you may need for the next day. Hammers, trowels, wire, bait, gloves, etc. Everything that is on your list and checking it twice […]
READ MOREOpening Week ‘Coon Sets
By Josh Jones In this article I will go over some “Opening Week ‘Coon Sets” that you can use to catch more ‘coon and give some tips that may help catch other fur like mink or muskrats. Set #1—The “Pocket” Set. To make this, you dig a horizontal hole anywhere from 3-4” to 12” in […]
READ MOREThe Elusive Mink
Why is it that many trappers can catch truck loads full of coon but only a few mink? Is it because they make sets that aren’t attractive to a mink or is it the way the trap is set so they miss the short legged animal? The male mink can get up to about 2-3 […]
READ MOREWaterfowl Lingo!
Have you ever walked outside and listened to the Snow Geese or Canada’s and wonder what on earth they could be screaming about? Or how about a group of mallards working a marsh and all you can hear is chuckling or that lone hen screaming out a cadence. What about the whistle of Woodies screaming […]
READ MOREFeatured Story
10 Killer Big Buck Bow Hunting Ambushes
Why do top notch hunters shoot quality mature deer year after year? Sure they scout, don’t shoot young bucks, maintain their land, pay attention to the wind, plant food plots, are in big buck country, ect. Yes all of those and many more reasons can attribute to better chances of shooting bigger bucks consistently. However do you know the most important reason why people shoot big deer year after year? Because they place their stands in locations where big bucks like to frequent…it really is that simple. They are in the right place at the right time. You will never consistently shoot mature deer if you are not putting your tree stands in the proper locations.
Whitetails are creatures of habit and instinct, they do everything for a purpose and that is actually a good thing for us hunters. If we know what they like to do, what they don’t like to do, and how they navigate their day then we can key in on certain geographical locations on our properties and ambush an unsuspecting bruiser.
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.