Early Spring Trout Fishing
Early Spring Trout Fishing

Early Spring Trout Fishing Spring in Northeast Iowa’s Driftless Region marks the beginning of one of the most rewarding trout fishing seasons in the Midwest. This is one of the prettiest areas in Northern Iowa marked with limestone bluffs, spring-fed creeks, and rolling pastures. The Driftless Region contains a several cold, clear streams that flow steadily year-round. This creates perfect trout habitat, and spring offers fishermen peaceful days on the water. With stable water temperatures, increasing insect activity, and hungry post-winter trout, there’s no better time to explore these legendary streams. Why The Driftless Region? This region is a trout […]

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Range Etiquette

Range Etiquette 

Range Etiquette  You might be a redneck if you never use the word etiquette. I say, “Join the club”. Just because you might rarely use the word, doesn’t mean you don’t and/or can’t be etiquette at the range.  Google’s dictionary defines etiquette as “The customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of […]

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Public Land Shed Hunting Strategies

Public Land Shed Hunting Strategies

Public Land Shed Hunting Strategies It was the winter of 2015 and my wife and I were living in a third-floor apartment in Bettendorf. Although we were in the middle of city living. I still had a strong pull to get out in the woods and try this new pursuit. Hearing about it from a […]

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Use Shed Hunting to Combat Cabin Fever

Use Shed Hunting to Combat Cabin Fever

Use Shed Hunting to Combat Cabin Fever I dread cabin fever (February – April). It’s cold.  It’s dark longer than it’s light. Most hunting seasons are closed and football season is over. Rather than continuing to let this season get me down, I plan to combat the doldrum with a new hobby of shed hunting. […]

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Planning Your Deer Food Plot

Planning Your Deer Food Plot

Planning Your Deer Food Plot  When February rolls around, I always feel a shift—it’s like the start of a new season for those of us who love the outdoors and deer hunting. The hustle of hunting season has settled down, and now, instead of watching deer from the stand, I start preparing for how I’ll […]

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Featured Story

Big Buck Profile: The 2025 Gandy Buck

Ok, this first big buck profile is a little self-serving in that it is of a buck that I personally took this past deer season. While it is likely not the “biggest” big buck that we will profile this year it is definitely one of my most special deer ever.

Turning a Dream into Reality

As has been noted in several articles since 2023, my family and I finally put together the means to purchase our very own piece of Iowa ground. “The 32,” as we call it, has become a passion project to see if we could take an unassuming piece of real estate and harvest a mature deer from there by giving him all he needs in the way of habitat. This year was the first year that the farm would be huntable in the state in which we intended due to construction projects over the past couple of seasons.

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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.