Check Out Our Current Issue!
In this issue of the Iowa Sportsman December 2025
-
- Iowa CWD & EHD Update 2025
- 5 Reasons to Ice Fish in Minnesota
- Essential Gear for Iowa Ice Fishermen
- A December Pheasant Hunt in Iowa
- Sight in Your Deer Rifle
- Safety Reminders for a Responsible Iowa Hunting Season
- Must-Have Equipment for Iowa Acreages
- Patience, Precision, and Power
- Raccoon Calling 101: Sounds, Setups, and Strategies
- 3 Killer Tactics for Hunting Iowa’s Gun Seasons: Whitetails 365
- Hooked on Ice: The Irresistible Allure of Devils Lake
Click Here To View This Issue Now!
Analyzing Sheds: What Can They Tell You
Analyzing Sheds: What Can They Tell You Two thunderous shots from a shotgun filled the timber. I anxiously scanned as far as I could see to the north, the direction in which I heard the shots. This was Iowa’s opening day of shotgun season. I was in high school and this was the 8th shotgun […]
READ MOREKiller Bobcat Calling Techniques
Killer Bobcat Calling Techniques From our parking spot we could see the magical place where we wanted to be, high on a hill overlooking the most beautiful predator habitat you’ve ever seen. It would be a half-mile hike to get there but we knew the long walk was worth it. There was never a shortage […]
READ MOREButchering: It’s In Your Blood
Butchering: It’s In Your Blood One of my favorite conversation starters is to tell the tragic story of my name. My first name “Kent” is the same as my dad’s middle name. What’s so bad about that? Well nothing, except that he got the name from his grandmother’s preferred brand of smokes. As for my […]
READ MOREBait and Lures for Ice Fishing
Bait and Lures for Ice Fishing Ice Fishing opportunities are increasing across the state of Iowa right now, and there is no better time to go out and give it a try. What was once a simple sport of drilling a hole in the ice and sitting on a five-gallon bucket has turned into a […]
READ MOREFeatured 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.
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.






