The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 
The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats 

The Art of Persuasion: Deer Scents, Rattles, and Bleats In the 80’s, my father and grandfather were “entry-level” deer hunters.  They had been invited to begin hunting a timber here in central Iowa that had a steady population of deer.  In their efforts to learn more regarding the tactics to use to fool a wise old whitetail, my grandfather and father would douse their boots with fox urine!  It was an effort to hide human scent when they were in the woods.  It goes without saying that those boots were not allowed in the house, ever! There is no doubt […]

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Playing Percentages Pays Off Calling Coyotes

Playing Percentages Pays Off Calling Coyotes The sea of blue-green sagebrush seemingly went on forever until it met the steep butte off in the distance and turned into a wall of rocky red earth mixed with grey and white lines of mineral deposits exposed by centuries of erosion. As I sat overlooking the huge landscape […]

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Hunting Iowa’s Gun Seasons 2022: Whitetails 365

Hunting Iowa’s Gun Seasons 2022: Whitetails 365 “I Got Him Daddy, I Got Him?” One of the greatest instances of my personal hunting career had very little to do with me pulling a trigger and more to do with the fact that my son had just put a well-placed shot on his first target buck. […]

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Fur Market Struggles During Uncertain World Events

Fur Market Struggles During Uncertain World Events

Fur Market Struggles During Uncertain World Events Covid 19 shutdowns in China, Russia’s savage invasion of Ukraine, oversupply and limited demand have all created the perfect storm to leave the fur market struggling to see an optimistic future this year. Uncertainty is the best word to describe current conditions on the global stage. Covid 19 […]

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Spot and Stalk Iowa Coyotes

Spot and Stalk Iowa Coyotes

Spot and Stalk Iowa Coyotes I peered out of our kitchen window seeing the burnt orange sky illuminated from the sun’s imminent rise framed between the old red corncrib and our picturesque red barn with Dad’s cattle lot centered in between. The school bus came very early to our driveway. Way too early for my […]

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Featured 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. 

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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.