Check Out Our Current Issue!

Searching for New Cats
Searching for New Cats By Brad Durick You are headed to new catfish waters? A river you may never have fished before or maybe it has been ages since you were there. You could also be just trying to work out a new section of your home water to have more options for a quick […]
READ MOREHunting and Habitat Equipment on a Budget
Hunting and Habitat Equipment on a Budget By Tom Peplinski This month I am responding to a question about buying equipment on a budget. Paul from central Iowa asks, “I recently just bought some land for hunting whitetails. My daughter and nephew will be hunting with me. They have been hunting for some time, but […]
READ MORE
Agencies Aim to Catch Invasive Carp
Wisconsin Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey, in collaboration with the Minnesota and Wisconsin Departments of Natural Resources, will install floating bait platforms and monitoring equipment to test a new method for capturing invasive carp. The equipment will be in place from July 28 to Oct 3, 2025 in Pool 8 of the Mississippi River, […]
READ MORE
Perch Iowa’s Overlooked Open Water Species
Perch Iowa’s Overlooked Open Water Species Fishing in Iowa is one of the most common summer activities. You will hear about the crappie,bass, and catfish and where the monsters have been biting. But, the yellow perch does not seem to get much recognition. Although perch are overlooked, they are a great fish to catch and […]
READ MOREFeatured Story
Introducing Youth to Shooting Sports
I can still remember the day my mom told me we had to watch the next episode of “Buckmasters TV.” Being an oblivious five-year-old, you can only imagine how excited I was to see my picture pop up as their weekly winner of a FREE Buckmasters Daisy Model 840 BB gun. Bubba and Shotgun Red announced my name, and I was the proud new owner of my very first firearm.
I ran to meet the mail carrier every day to check for that long cardboard box. Watching “Buckmasters” with my parents fed my enthusiasm for the outdoors, but I was already obsessed with all things related to shooting at an early age. That BB gun gave me so much more than a tool to shoot targets with. It gave my parents an opportunity to teach me about gun safety. It gave me my first memories of being in the woods, tagging along with my dad and his .22 chasing squirrels and rabbits. It gave me another way to spend time with my younger sisters when they began to learn about gun safety. Most importantly, it sparked a lifelong love for hunting and target shooting.
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.