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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Duck Blind Tips and Tricks

Duck Blind Tips and Tricks

Duck Blind Tips and Tricks Ask any seasoned waterfowl hunter about the importance of a quality, well camouflaged blind and the general consensus will hold it in very high regard. Sure, in some cases you can get away with minimal cover but for the most part, especially if the birds have the slightest bit of […]

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Hunting the Patterns: What to Do When the Weather Changes

Hunting the Patterns: What to Do When the Weather Changes On November 10th, 2020 the weather was nice. To be honest, it wasn’t a great day to be out in the timber for bow season. The sun was out, the temperature was warm, and the deer movement wasn’t perfect. The rut was happening, but for […]

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New Products for Bow Season

New Products for Bow Season You don’t have to look far before you find many message boards and comment sections of popular outdoor brands littered with speeches like, “I’ve killed loads of deer in a red flannel shirt with a cigarette hanging out of my mouth. Why would I need ‘xyz’ product?” Yes, you can […]

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Mature Velvet Bucks and Cameras Preparing for Opening Day

Preparing for Opening Day: Whitetails 365

Preparing for Opening Day: Whitetails 365 When it comes to preparing for Iowa’s opening day of bow season, or even youth season, there are some things you want to do now, rather than wait until late. By performing prep work now, you will have a slight advantage as you won’t be leaving as much scent […]

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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.