The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 
The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 

The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats In the 80’s, my father and grandfather were “entry-level” deer hunters.  They had been invited to begin hunting a timber here in central Iowa that had a steady population of deer.  In their efforts to learn more regarding the tactics to use to fool a wise old whitetail, my grandfather and father would douse their boots with fox urine!  It was an effort to hide human scent when they were in the woods.  It goes without saying that those boots were not allowed in the house, ever! There is no doubt […]

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Exploring Iowa on Two Wheels

Exploring Iowa on Two Wheels

Exploring Iowa on Two Wheels “I thought Iowa is supposed to be flat?!?!” It’s a phrase I’ve heard over and over again during my many years of riding in The Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, or RAGBRAI. For those that aren’t aware, RAGBRAI is an annual bicycle ride that travels west to east […]

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Scouting Tactics to Keep Pressure Off Hunting Areas

Scouting Tactics to Keep Pressure Off Hunting Areas

Scouting Tactics to Keep Pressure Off Hunting Areas We are now in what us whitetail enthusiasts consider the doldrums of summer. Long gone are the days of cool mornings and sunset rides that end by 8:00 pm. Now we are in a battle with mosquitos and the urge to vacation. For the whitetail nut though, […]

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Best July Fishing Destinations

Best July Fishing Destinations Ahhh…July in Iowa. One word best describes it, HOT! For the entire state, we’ll average about 85 degrees for highs, and lows will range from 61 to 66 degrees. Mornings will be comfortable, but midday fishing will be hot, especially if the wind is light or nonexistent. And as the evening […]

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Upland Game Drills

Upland Game Drills

Upland Game Drills If we desire to improve our skills, we need to be ready to put in the work. Rather than just showing up to the field opening day of upland season, hoping our dog is just a natural rockstar, we can deploy some simple strategies. If we want our dogs to feel comfortable […]

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Featured 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. 

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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.