hunting

Icy Water Divers

Icy Water Divers By Nick Johnson The air was frigid…so crisp and so cold that my breath froze to my facial hair in little icy droplets. The only sounds were the gentle gurgling of the river and the occasional crash of a floating ice chunk meeting a brief stopping point on its way down stream. […]

Successful Party Hunting Techniques

Successful Party Hunting Techniques By Jason Smith In the great state of Iowa, we have what is referred to as ‘Party Hunting’, for deer Shotgun 1 and Shotgun 2 seasons. The 2017-18 Iowa DNR Hunting Regulations, Pages 30 & 36, describes ‘Party Hunting’ as: Helping other Hunters Resident and nonresident deer hunters with a valid […]

2nd Week Rut Strategies – Podcast

Signs to Success

Signs to Success By Ryan Graden I had been sitting in this stand all evening. It was one of many long hour sits during November for one particular buck that I knew was in the “neck of the woods” that I was frequenting. He was not a buck of a lifetime, but he was a […]

Whitetail Sidearms: Choosing A Handgun for Deer!

Whitetail Sidearms: Choosing A Handgun for Deer! By Michael Ware, CEO Controlled Chaos Arms The best handgun for deer hunting you ask? Wow. That’s a tall order. A question like that depends on so many variables there is no correct answer that is truly universal. As you know this really hinges on things like your […]

Following the Number for Ringnecks

Following the Number for Ringnecks By Tim Ackarman Introduced to Iowa in the early 1900s, ringneck pheasants were the premier game species across most of state from the 1960s through the early 2000s. Beginning in 2007 habitat loss, changing agricultural practices and several consecutive years of unfavorable weather sent populations spiraling downward. Meanwhile deer, turkey […]

Straight Walled Rifles: Expanding Your Arsenal Season

Straight Walled Rifles: Expanding Your Arsenal Season By Aaron Stonehocker I have always scoffed at the claims made about Iowa’s landscape. While there are places where you can see for miles in any direction, most of the state is blanketed with rolling hills, scattered timber stands, sandy hills, and limestone bluffs. The “Iowa is Flat” […]

Encountering Iowa Bobcats

Encountering Iowa Bobcats When Bret Paulsen filled his archery tag with a 155 inch, eleven point bruiser of a buck in mid November, some would call it a very successful fall already. What he didn’t know at the time was just how incredible his month of November for 2011 was yet to be in Iowa’s […]

A Joe Learning from Pros

A Joe Learning from Pros We may call ourselves avid hunters, but we all have arenas within the sport that receive less attention than others. I grew up hunting big game and upland birds, and following the close of those seasons I chased walleyes under the ice. So, it should come as no surprise that […]

Second “Once in a Lifetime” Buck

Second “Once in a Lifetime” Buck By Julie Johnson One snap of a twig gave me an opportunity that may only come once in my lifetime and my love for bow hunting is to blame. To say that I’m addicted to bow hunting is an understatement. I absolutely can’t wait until the first glimpse of […]