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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November Pheasant Hunting

November Pheasant Hunting

November Pheasant Hunting Say the words “November in Iowa” to a devoted bird hunter and the mind conjures up a multitude of ambient memories. Memories of birds in flight, dogs bounding through the grasses with nose to ground, and the camaraderie shared by family and friends in the field whom share the same passion. But […]

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Summer Prep for Trapping Season Success

Summer Prep for Trapping Season Success

Summer Prep for Trapping Season Success A successful trapper never stops learning or pursuing to be more successful. And a successful trapper is an efficient trapper. As I think about some of my first years trapping, I remember putting down a bunch of traps, driving a bunch of miles, and using up lots of hours […]

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Tricks Turkeys Fall For

Tricks Turkeys Fall For: How to Bust that Fall Thunder Chicken

Tricks Turkeys Fall For: How to Bust that Fall Thunder Chicken Iowa has three seasons: Spring Turkey, Summer Fishing, and Deer Season. Each season has its unique pull on our heart strings, however only one offers the chance at a mixed game bag. Deer season carries the added benefit of overlapping with a less popular […]

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October Preferred Foods and Hunting Strategies: Whitetails 365

October Preferred Foods and Hunting Strategies: Whitetails 365 The time that most of us have all been waiting for is finally upon us: Deer Season 2022! While our state’s youth have been able to be in the field for the last couple of weeks of September the rest of us have been biding our time. […]

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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.