The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 
The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 

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 […]

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Upgrading to a Straight Walled Cartridge

Upgrading to a Straight Walled Cartridge

Upgrading to a Straight Walled Cartridge I was 8 the first time I got to tag along with my dad for the most exciting day of the year: opening day of Iowa’s first shotgun season. This was the day I became hooked on deer hunting. I loved it from the sitting in freezing temperatures in […]

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October Bowhunting Backpack Essentials

October Bowhunting Backpack Essentials

October Bowhunting Backpack Essentials When I hunt, I want to be prepared. There is nothing worse than ending your hunt, not because you are ready, but because you didn’t have a piece of gear to get you through the sit. In October, I’ll bring a pack along to keep my hands free. I used to […]

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Leveraging Conditions for Bowhunting

Whitetails 365: Leveraging Conditions for Bowhunting

Whitetails 365: Weathering The Hunt: Leveraging Conditions for Bowhunting October holds so much hope and excitement for Iowa bowhunters. Finally, the season has opened. You no longer have to scout from afar and can make a plan to hunt. With the transition towards fall, comes a unique set of weather patterns that can significantly impact […]

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Field Techniques for Taxidermy Bird Mounts

Field Techniques for Taxidermy Bird Mounts

Field Techniques for Top-Notch Bird Taxidermy Mounts Whether you are new to hunting or a lifelong hunter, there is one guarantee, you will form many memories over the years hunting! You can capture these memories in a variety of ways such as pictures, journaling, storytelling, etc. One great way to forever capture the moment from […]

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Featured Story

Iowa Public Land Hunting 

Every hunter wants to know where to go to harvest a great deer.  We often assume that there is some “honey hole” spot out there that a person can always go to and harvest a trophy year after year.  While having hope for that, we are always keeping our ears perked for that privileged information on where the best place to hunt would be.   

Now, let me ask you, if somebody had the perfect spot to hunt where they are harvesting trophy deer year after year, do you think that they would share that information with you?  Probably not.  Unless they are VERY gracious and kind.   

In this article, I will not share any “secret spots” with you who are reading.  Frankly, because I don’t have any secret spots to share!  However, I’ve lived in Iowa long enough to steer you to certain areas of our great state that might give you a great chance to fill a tag this fall and winter.  So let’s begin with some regions of the state to key into. 

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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.