Iowa Sportsman

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Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund and its impact on Iowa’s Natural Resources

Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund and its impact on Iowa’s Natural Resources By Steve Weisman Over the past few years, there has been a lot of talk around the state about the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and its budget. Basically, there are two areas of revenue: (1) The Fish and Wildlife Trust Fund […]

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Fall Structure: What Draws Fall Fish?

Fall Structure: What Draws Fall Fish? By Nick Johnson Finally, the blistering heat and humidity of this past summer is starting to thin out and cooler weather is on the horizon. Everything seems to be eating and water levels are generally very stable in both rivers and lakes. Fall is a transition time, slow as […]

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Fishing Myth Busters

Fishing Myth Busters By Todd Reed No matter how often you fish, or don’t fish there are many people that have certain beliefs about fishing.  What makes fishing better…what you can’t do when you fish.  There are many myths about fishing that the common public say and truly believe in.  Perhaps Grandpa said these things […]

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Early Season Bow Hunting Mistakes, and How to Avoid Making Them

Early Season Bow Hunting Mistakes, and How to Avoid Making Them By Jason Smith Bow season rolls around the same time every year, but it still catches many sportsmen under and ill prepared. It seems like if mistakes are going to be made, they’re more likely to happen early, than at any other point during […]

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Waterfowl Boat Checklist

Waterfowl Boat Checklist By Ryan Eder Most hunters are “gear guys”; we want to have the right equipment for every situation and even if we do not need it, it helps us sleep at night knowing we are prepared anyway. The duck boat is a special place. It is a mobile hide that we essentially […]

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Tips for Maximizing Youth Deer Hunting Success

Tips for Maximizing Youth Deer Hunting Success

Tips for Maximizing Youth Deer Hunting Success I started taking my daughters deer hunting when they were 10 and 12 years old. Back then, it was relatively easy to find time to hit the woods. Fast forward a few years, and like all teenagers, their increasingly busy schedules can make finding time to hunt challenging. […]

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Top 4 Bowhunting Mistakes

Top 4 Bowhunting Mistakes: Whitetails 365

Top 4 Bowhunting Mistakes: Whitetails 365 As in all things in life, if you want to get better at something, a good plan is to repeat the things that work for you, and stop doing or change things that aren’t working. It sounds like pretty easy common sense, but it can be very hard to […]

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Born to Duck Hunt

Born to Duck Hunt To say a diehard duck hunter is a breed of its own is, well, definitely not an understatement. After all, who else would be excited about waking at 3 am in the morning, facing below freezing temperatures, battling strong northwest winds than one of those crazy diehard duck hunters hoping that […]

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Exploring Iowa’s Pheasant Heritage

Exploring Iowa’s Pheasant Heritage I venture to guess that Iowa residents of Black Hawk, Grundy, Butler and Bremer counties in 1901 and 1902 had to wonder, “What is this mysterious bird that seemingly appeared on the Iowa prairie almost overnight?” It’s large chicken-like size, beautiful plumage and distinct white stripe encircling the male’s neck made […]

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Summertime Slabs

Summertime Slabs Ah, summertime… that time of year when we’re all looking for a place to cool down. The average day in August typically reaches highs in the mid-’80s, and lows will dip down to the mid-’60s. We have had, as you all know, days and even weeks that will reach up into the mid-’90s […]

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