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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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The Dangers of Being Too Good: Whitetails 365:
Whitetails 365: The Dangers of Being Too Good I was watching a pretty well-known hunting show a few years back and the host of the show was talking about habitat improvements on his farm. Through the segment, he was explaining why he was creating the best habitat on every acre of his farm. The explanation […]
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Turkey Taking Tips: From some “Not-so-Pro” Hunters!
Turkey Taking Tips: From some “Not-so-Pro” Hunters! There are a lot of “give-Me’s” the creator worked into our daily lives. The sun always rises. The sun always sets. Spring heats up to Summer, mellows out to Fall, cools off to Winter, before warming back up to Spring again. There are thousands of examples of things […]
READ MOREFind Your Pattern
Find Your Pattern Patterning your turkey gun is an important part of turkey hunting that sometimes is an after thought to many hunters. Having a finely patterned gun, especially at long-range shots of 40 yards can be the difference of placing a tag on a bird or watching it run away from you. Use these […]
READ MOREFind Your Pattern
Find Your Pattern Patterning your turkey gun is an important part of turkey hunting that sometimes is an after thought to many hunters. Having a finely patterned gun, especially at long-range shots of 40 yards can be the difference of placing a tag on a bird or watching it run away from you. Use these […]
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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.