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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Sighting in your Rifle for Deer Season

Sighting in your Rifle for Deer Season

Sighting in your Rifle for Deer Season Whether or not you plan to hunt with your firearm you will need to verify it shoots where you aim it. This is true for any firearm with an optic, and sometimes even with factory installed iron sights. To gain accuracy you must first obtain consistency. To gain […]

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Top Water Fishing

Topwater Fishing

Top Water Fishing Of all of the types of fishing that we do throughout the open water season, top-water fishing has to be at the very top of your list of techniques. Whether you are targeting bass, northern pike, or even musky, top water can be some of the most exciting and visual types of […]

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Training your gun dog for waterfowl retrieval

Training your Dog for Waterfowl Retrieval

Training your Dog for Waterfowl Retrieval The love of water plus the love of retrieving doesn’t make a duck dog. They need to love being steady, or at least act like they love it. An impatient, fidgeting dog will stand out to a team of ducks making their initial buzz by your spread of decoys. […]

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The Story of the Varghese Boys

The Story of the Varghese Boys: Beginner’s Luck

The Story of the Varghese Boys: Beginner’s Luck I was taken into the timber for my first hunt when I was four years old. It was a squirrel hunt at Ledges State Park just outside of Boone, Iowa. My Dad was attending college at Iowa State, and I had a few uncles who were attending […]

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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.