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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Hunting Savy Pheasants

Hunting Savy Pheasants

Hunting Savy Pheasants Half-way through the Iowa upland season, the weather starts to break, our bird dogs start to hit their peak that they had at last season’s end. Along with this, those veteran roosters have been further educated on how to survive all of the conditions they are dealt throughout the year. In my […]

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Lethal Shots and Deer Recovery Tips

Lethal Shots and Deer Recovery Tips

Lethal Shots and Deer Recovery Tips: Aiming for Success The use of tracking dogs originated in Europe in the 1800’s. Recovering wounded deer with the aid of a leashed dog became a legal method in Iowa in 2020. A total of 6,216 deer were recovered by United Blood Trackers/Iowa Blood Trackers members across the nation […]

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How to Call Bobcats

How To Call Bobcats

How To Call Bobcats A doe peacefully munched soybeans in the field out in front of me as I sat hidden in the shadows overlooking the field behind my calling partners Larry McKnight and Mark Johnston. Sounds of the agonizing wails of a dying rabbit pierced the air every few minutes as Larry called from […]

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10 Tips for Iowa Rut Late Season Whitetails

10 Tips for Iowa Rut

10 Tips for Iowa Rut Time-is-a-ticking, and before you know it, you’ll be pinned down, eye to eye with that old mature doe. The stomps seem like days, and days feel like weeks. But this time you took the week off and dropped her with the “if she blows, she goes’’ motto. You sit down […]

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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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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.