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Listen Now! To the Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report

Watch the October 6th Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report!

Fishing: The fall bite is on! Panfish are still biting, the walleye bite is finally starting to pick up too.

Hunting: Congrats to all the youth hunters who were able to fill their tags. Bow season is now open, movement has been okay.

This week's sponsor of the Hunting and Fishing Report is Polk County Conservation's controlled waterfowl hunting program. Waterfowl hunting blinds at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt in NE Polk County can be reserved by calling the Chichaqua office at (515) 323-5395 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The twelve blinds are located in both marsh and woodland settings. Blinds cost $30 per day and hold up to four hunters. Reservations are available for both the early split (October 10 – 16) and late split (Oct. 24 – Nov. 30).

Click here to reserve your blind today!
https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/conservation/things-to-do/hunting

Iowa Hunting Fishing Report
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Check Out Our Current Issue!

In The Iowa Sportsman December 2026 Issue…

Winter brings fresh opportunities for hunters and anglers, and this issue of Iowa Sportsman has plenty to explore. Follow the trail in Whitetail 365: Tracking Goes to the Dogs, explore December Coyote Hunting, and bring your harvest full circle with How to Process Your Own Venison.

Keep your hunting season going with Hunting the Late Split and Where to Find Late-Season Pheasants in Iowa. For a closer look at your equipment, read Understanding Barrel Lengths, Profiles, and Twist Rates, then help your four-legged hunting partner prepare for colder outings with Winter Safety: Keeping Your Dog Warm.

Ready to trade the field for frozen water? Discover Why Anglers Head North to Devils Lake and explore A Minnesota Winter of Big Fish and Miles of Trails. Round out your winter preparations with Ice Augers for Every Situation and Budget.

Click Here To View This Issue Now!
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Hunting Rubs & Scrapes

Unlocking the Secrets of Rubs & Scrapes This fall, many hunters will come across fresh rubs and scrapes to and from their hunting locations. Learning how to read these signs can greatly improve a hunter’s odds of filling a tag on a mature buck. Oftentimes, these signs are more than a single signpost and instead […]

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The New Age of Trail Cameras

The New Age of Trail Cameras For many hunters, trail cameras have become as essential as a good pair of boots or a reliable bow. They’re your eyes when you can’t, or don’t want to, be in the timber. As we move into 2026, trailcamera technology continues to shape how hunters gather information, pattern deer, […]

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Hunting Iowa's early seasons, Warm Weather, Big Bucks,Iowa Youth Hunting, Iowa Hunting, Where to hunt in Iowa,

Warm Weather, Big Bucks: Hunting Iowa’s Early Seasons

Warm Weather, Big Bucks: Hunting Iowa’s Early Seasons Rest easy, faithful deer hunters. For the next four months, you will have an opportunity to take to the field and chase whitetails because deer season is here! Well, sort of. September 19th marks the opening of youth seasons and a special season for hunters who might […]

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The Iowa Sportsman, Fall fishing, Bass, walleye, catfish, Iowa fishing, August fishingThe Iowa Sportsman, Fall fishing, Bass, walleye, catfish, Iowa fishing, August fishing

Fall Iowa Fishing

FALL FISHING One thing is certain about outdoor activities in Iowa: they’re all tied to the weather and how each month transitions into the next. We make our plans based on how cool or hot it will be, whether we’ll see any precipitation, and what times will be best for both our activities and our […]

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Featured Story

A Classic Evening with an Iowa Giant – Bowhunting Boone & Crockett Bucks

Does a plan ever fall into place the way it should? The months leading up to October and November are filled with daydreams of target bucks making their way in front of our stands. Perfect conditions, with a shooter buck coming in on a string, setting up for perfect shot placement. If only that was how it worked… but that wouldn’t be as rewarding, would it?

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.