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
Click Here To View This Issue Now!
Creating Fall Food Plots with Minimal Equipment
Creating Fall Food Plots with Minimal Equipment: Whitetails 365 As we enter the heart of summer, it’s time to start thinking about preparing fall food plots. Establishing a thriving food plot can be a game-changer for attracting and sustaining deer on your property, especially as hunting season approaches. However, the thought of heavy equipment like […]
READ MORE
Reflections on My Boone & Crockett Class Archery Buck
Reflections on My Boone & Crockett Class Archery Buck Growing up with a profound love for the great outdoors, I had always felt a deep connection to nature. From fishing the many ponds, lakes, and rivers Iowa has to offer, to hunting the quiet woods for large and small game. I was most happy and […]
READ MOREPrepare Your Truck for Outdoor Adventure
Prepare Your Truck for Outdoor Adventure My first introduction to deer hunting was tagging along with my Dad during Iowa’s first shotgun season. Every year, he would get together with his two brothers and Dad to hunt the southern Iowa timber and farmland that they loved. The hunting party grew as they got married, had […]
READ MORE
Trail Camera Strategies for Big Buck Success
Trail Camera Strategies for Big Buck Success Placing trail cameras strategically during the summer can provide valuable insights into deer movements and behavior leading up to hunting season. It’s only July, but by getting your cameras out now, you can learn more about how deer move through your property, which trails they frequent, and where […]
READ MORE
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.
