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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IOWA’S WINERIES & BREWERIES 

IOWA’S WINERIES & BREWERIES 

IOWA’S WINERIES & BREWERIES  If you are a wine aficionado, you probably have a good idea of where Iowa’s wineries are. My wife and I have traveled throughout central Iowa and the northeast part of the state, visiting and sampling some of the best wines Iowa has to offer.    IOWA’S WINERIES  In 2000, Iowa only […]

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DIY Iowa Kill Plots 

DIY Iowa Kill Plots 

DIY Iowa Kill Plots  Developing a food plot for deer requires more than a few months of preparation, it’s a year-round process. Some of my best food plot strategies have been born from time spent in the stand, carefully observing how deer move, what they browse on, and where natural edges or clearings create opportunities. […]

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Drought, Deer, and the Looming Threat of EHD 

Deer and the Looming Threat of EHD: Whitetails 365

Deer and the Looming Threat of EHD As we gear up for 2025’s deer season, we’re praying for rain, and hoping the deer we passed to let grow, will make it to another hunting season. With that said, several reliable sources are predicting a continuation of the dry conditions that have plagued our landscape in […]

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How to Target Iowa Muskie

How to Target Iowa Muskie              Early summer is a fantastic time to learn how to target Iowa muskie in the southern part of the Midwest muskie range.  Depending on where you are, places throughout the Midwest have a yearlong season for these fish. Unlike the upper parts of the […]

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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.