Check Out Our Current Issue!
In the May 2026 Issue of the Iowa Sportsman
- Chase the Bite: Early Season
- Calming A Hyper Gun Dog
- Perfecting Your Turkey Setup
- Summer Work That Pays Off in Bow Season
- Artifact Hunting in Iowa
- Wild Edible Foraging
- Tactics for Late-Season Toms
- Iowa’s Venom, Oil and Toxic Sap
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Getting on Early Season Bucks
Getting on Early Season Bucks We all have those deer obsessed friends that reliably kill big deer, almost every year. At the least, they get on big bucks and have an encounter with them A lot of times, we just chalk it up to excuses like: they have better hunting property, they have more time, […]
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Train for Upland Game
Train for Upland Game Let’s face it, upland hunting is less enjoyable without a good bird dog. I’d even say it’s not enjoyable to hunt without a dog. Similarly, it’s not enjoyable to upland hunt with an out-of-control dog. It’s common sense, a dog will cover more ground and find more birds than we ever […]
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Coyote Hunting with Night Rigs
Coyote Hunting with Night Rigs The impact of predation on overall deer herd health is a complex issue. The specific predators that have the greatest impact on fawn survival can vary depending on location and habitat type. In Iowa, we’re talking mainly about coyotes and bobcats. Research consistently identifies predation as a leading cause of […]
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Memories of a Dad
Memories of a Dad These days I find myself remembering some of the most memorable hunts that I’ve had on these very familiar grounds in the timber. They come flooding back as if I’m actually stepping back in time reliving the adventure of the moment that happened in the past. I feel my chest begin […]
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Featured Story
Springtime Panfish-Perch, Crappie, and Bluegill
Spring is in full swing here in Iowa, and what can be more pleasant a reminder than the sound of birds, the sight of flowers blooming, and the feel of a warm afternoon? I can think of at least one more thing…Panfish!
I can remember it like yesterday, our family would all meet up at the lake house. There was work to do. The yard was to be picked up, the cabin cleaned, and the dock had to be put in. But then, after the work was finished, it was time for all of us cousins to fish! We would all go out to the garage to pick out a few old rods and tie on a hook and sinker as best we could.
The next order of business was to hunt for worms. Flipping anything that we could find stuck in the ground in hopes of just finding a few crawlers. Once the bait was secured, we were ready to fish. We would go out on the dock and cast, vertical jig, and even troll along the side of the dock. We usually did pretty well use those tactics, but my all-time favorite was walking along the rocks on shore and dropping the bait down every little crevice, not knowing what was going to come up next.
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.
