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 […]

Read more

Check Out Our Current Issue!

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 […]

READ MORE

Iowa’s State Parks

Iowa’s State Parks In the last 25 years of technological advancements, I have watched our culture advance at a tremendous pace that, I worry, will never slow down. Phones, computers, iPods, iPads, GPS, electric cars, automatic vacuums, auto lawnmowers, and more! We are certainly making things easier for our lifestyles, but we are also creating […]

READ MORE
Three Sisters Three Deer One Season

Three Sisters Three Deer One Season

Three Sisters, Three Deer, One Season Are you a dreamer? I’m sure if you are reading this magazine, you are an outdoorsman, but do you have dreams? You know, the dreams that pertain to your hunting future. Dreams like shooting that 200 inch buck, or traveling to Alaska to get your moose, bear, and sheep. […]

READ MORE

Best Crappie Baits

Best Crappie Baits   Crappie…animals that forage for discrete, isolated resources are often characterized as either “ambush” (sit-and-wait) or “cruise” (active) searchers. Juvenile white crappie, Pomix annularis, search for zooplankton prey using a salutatory search (SS) strategy. Unlike ambush and cruise, SS involves… Had you readers going there for a moment didn’t I… Well lucky […]

READ MORE

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.

READ FULL STORY

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.