Check Out Our Current Issue!
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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Whitetail Traffic Control: Detour Ahead!
Okay here is a scenario that I for one have experienced and I am sure many of you have before: You have a piece of property that you hunt here in Iowa that is littered with deer sign. Everywhere you look there is a beaten down deer path that is constantly being used as a […]
READ MORE‘Tween Topics
So, here we are. You’ve made it through your first summer of serious research and development concerning your progress in the art of angling and now, instead of getting better, things seem to be getting worse as results go and the days are getting shorter. Don’t feel like the lonesome stranger. When it comes to ‘strange’ nothing quite […]
READ MOREThe art of hunting afoot
Let’s not kid ourselves. Hunting a whitetail deer on foot is a major challenge. In Iowa, some hunters might even think it a little…hmmm…crazy. Yes, that’s the word, crazy. Oh yeah, and trying to do it with a bow? Ha, you’ve gotta be joking, right?! You’ll be up against the following: extremely good hearing, extremely […]
READ MORETop 5 Broadheads From ATA Show
https://youtu.be/a0l8qUzktp8 READ MORE
Featured 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.
