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In this issue of the Iowa Sportsman October 2025
- 5 Easy Mistakes to Make Fly Fishing for Trout in the Fall
- 10 Beginner Tips for Hunting Iowa Geese
- Deer Scents and Lures
- Early October Hunting Strategies
- Training your Dog to Blood-trail Deer
- Planning a Weeklong Pheasant Trip
- Shooting Optics for the Iowa Hunter
- Top 10 Bowhunting Destinations
- Whitetails 365: Mastering Scent Control
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Spawning Bass in Iowa
Spawning Bass in Iowa By Todd Reed “I threw everything at them and nothing!”. “All I seemed to catch were small bass!”, “The bass would follow the bait all the way to the boat!”, “I kept missing bites!”. Do these sound like familiar phrases in May when trying to catch bass? I know I’ve said […]
READ MORECatfishing the Ice Out and Cold Water Period
Catfishing the Ice Out and Cold Water Period By Brad Durick Northern winters can get long especially for the catfish anglers of summer. These guys have been patiently waiting all winter for their beloved lakes and rivers to open up so they can get back at it. So after a long winter of laying around […]
READ MOREChasing Ice Out ‘Eyes
Chasing Ice Out ‘Eyes By Steve Weisman Ice out! Those two words create a feeling of excitement for walleye fishermen in northern Iowa. Two of those anglers, Kevan Paul, owner of Kevan Paul’s Guide Service out of Clear Lake, and Laef Lundbeck, owner of Blue Water Guide Service out of the Iowa Great Lakes (Royal), […]
READ MORECatfishing in the Off-Season
Catfishing in the Off-Season By Brad Durick It is nearing the end of the football season as I write this piece and I keep seeing and hearing references to the playoff teams that championships are won in the off season. The videos they play go back to recruiting or signing top players and current players […]
READ MOREFeatured Story
The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats
In the 80’s, my father and grandfather were “entry-level” deer hunters. They had been invited to begin hunting a timber here in central Iowa that had a steady population of deer. In their efforts to learn more regarding the tactics to use to fool a wise old whitetail, my grandfather and father would douse their boots with fox urine! It was an effort to hide human scent when they were in the woods. It goes without saying that those boots were not allowed in the house, ever!
There is no doubt that in the last 40 years, there has been quite a bit of advancement when it comes to hunting whitetails. Knowing more about deer behavior, hunting scents, better tree stands, better bows, guns, and so much more.
I fear that somebody desiring to get into hunting in the current culture could be a bit overwhelmed with all the information and tools that are out there on the market. We must remember that man has been chasing deer for thousands of years. The art of hunting is not new. It’s the methods that are ever-changing.
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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.