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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Hunting the Late Archery Split

Hunting the Late Archery Split For bowhunters, it does not get much better than hunting the rut. Deer are active during daylight hours, anything can happen, especially if an estrus doe is in the timber. It amazes me how one doe can have a buck guarding her, chasing off other bucks that come too close, […]

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Selecting the Best Ice Auger for Ice Fishing Season

Selecting the Best Ice Auger for Ice Fishing Season The world of ice fishing has changed so much in the past twenty years that some do not even recognize the sport anymore. Gone are the days of a couple of poles, a handful of jigs, a five-gallon bucket and a hand auger. Today’s ice angler […]

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The Most Wonderful Pheasant Time of the Year

The Most Wonderful Pheasant Time of the Year “It’s the most wonderful pheasant time of the year! There’ll be hunting parties for pushing and posting, the dogs won’t be roasting, and the birds will hold tight in the snow. There’ll be sharing of late flushing stories, and tales of the glories of December pheasant seasons […]

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Late Season Muzz What’s the Buzz?

Late Season Muzz – What’s the Buzz? I grew up shotgun hunting with the same great group of guys every year from the time I was about thirteen until I was in my early twenties. I looked forward to the first weekend in December as if it were a holiday finding it hard to sleep […]

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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.