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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The Lifelong Thrill of Trap and Skeet

The Lifelong Thrill of Trap & Skeet

The Lifelong Thrill of Trap & Skeet I first started shooting trap with family and friends when I was about 10 to 12 years old. My family was pretty patient, allowed me to “cheat” and shoulder my 12 gauge before yelling “pull”. When I powdered a clay, we celebrated together. When I was in high […]

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Gun Dog Health and Nutrition

Gun Dog Health and Nutrition

Gun Dog Health and Nutrition This past Fall I set a personal goal to upland hunt with any one of my dogs, at least one day a week. Even though I pretty much hit my goal, my upland season revealed some issues I allowed to develop. Likewise, if we fail to focus on our dog’s […]

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The Value of Archery and Gun Ranges

The Value of Archery and Gun Ranges

The Value of Archery and Gun Ranges If you’re like me, most of your shooting is done in the great outdoors. I learned to shoot a BB gun by steading it on a post and shooting at a paper target about 15 yards away. When I was in my 20s before I set foot in […]

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Visit Boone County Iowa Tips for Better Trolling Success

Visit Boone County Iowa

Visit Boone County Iowa Fishing has been a huge part of my life from a very early age. I can remember begging my dad to take me fishing on the weekends. He worked six days a week, church on Sunday mornings, but I just knew a father of seven kids wanted to take us fishing […]

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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.