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In this issue of the Iowa Sportsman December 2025
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- Iowa CWD & EHD Update 2025
- 5 Reasons to Ice Fish in Minnesota
- Essential Gear for Iowa Ice Fishermen
- A December Pheasant Hunt in Iowa
- Sight in Your Deer Rifle
- Safety Reminders for a Responsible Iowa Hunting Season
- Must-Have Equipment for Iowa Acreages
- Patience, Precision, and Power
- Raccoon Calling 101: Sounds, Setups, and Strategies
- 3 Killer Tactics for Hunting Iowa’s Gun Seasons: Whitetails 365
- Hooked on Ice: The Irresistible Allure of Devils Lake
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What is a Trophy Fish
Trophy Fish What Makes Em’ Grow As a lifelong angler I have had the thrill of catching some genuine trophy fish. As a boy, a trophy was anything bigger than the last fish I caught. And in one case it was one that never took the bait, but one I could clearly see as […]
READ MOREPrimetime for Panfish
Primetime for Panfish March is a wonderful time of the year that can bring warm weather and with it, thoughts of open water. This leads most anglers to begin preparing for open water leaving many opportunities to fish areas with limited pressure. Some of the biggest bluegills and crappies that swim in systems are caught […]
READ MOREBass Fishing in Iowa
Spring Bass Fishing 101 Each March and early April around the state of Iowa people start to focus their thoughts on catching that first bass of the year. Spring is an excellent time of year to target bass around Iowa. More than likely, you will catch your biggest bass of the whole year in one […]
READ MOREBass Spawning in Iowa
Springtime Spawning Largemouth bass are a worldwide favorite sport fish. Luckily for Iowans, can be found across various types of water bodies all around the state especially when bass spawning in Iowa is in full effect. In fact, the Iowa DNR currently reports the presence of these bass in over 500 lakes and streams. The […]
READ MOREFeatured 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.
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.






