Early Spring Trout Fishing
Early Spring Trout Fishing

Early Spring Trout Fishing Spring in Northeast Iowa’s Driftless Region marks the beginning of one of the most rewarding trout fishing seasons in the Midwest. This is one of the prettiest areas in Northern Iowa marked with limestone bluffs, spring-fed creeks, and rolling pastures. The Driftless Region contains a several cold, clear streams that flow steadily year-round. This creates perfect trout habitat, and spring offers fishermen peaceful days on the water. With stable water temperatures, increasing insect activity, and hungry post-winter trout, there’s no better time to explore these legendary streams. Why The Driftless Region? This region is a trout […]

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Bass 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 […]

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Bass 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 […]

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Whitetail Food Stands Habitat

Whitetails 365: Food, Stands, Habitat

Whitetails 365: Food, Stands, Habitat Last month I told you, the hunter/landowner, that if you concentrate on food, stand locations, and habitat that you would be well on your way to creating your own incredible whitetail hunting farm. These are what I call the big three in hunting farms. Provide all three and do it […]

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Steady Dog Training Tips

Why Your Dog Isn’t Steady

Why Your Dog Isn’t Steady If you talk to any hunt testers they will tell you that there are two kinds of dogs; dogs that do not break, and dogs that haven’t broke yet! It is a subtle joke that stems around the idea that all dogs have the possibility of breaking, both in a […]

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Featured Story

Big Buck Profile: The 2025 Gandy Buck

Ok, this first big buck profile is a little self-serving in that it is of a buck that I personally took this past deer season. While it is likely not the “biggest” big buck that we will profile this year it is definitely one of my most special deer ever.

Turning a Dream into Reality

As has been noted in several articles since 2023, my family and I finally put together the means to purchase our very own piece of Iowa ground. “The 32,” as we call it, has become a passion project to see if we could take an unassuming piece of real estate and harvest a mature deer from there by giving him all he needs in the way of habitat. This year was the first year that the farm would be huntable in the state in which we intended due to construction projects over the past couple of seasons.

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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.