Iowa Sportsman

Preparing for Spring Fishing

Preparing for Spring Fishing It is amazing how fast the seasons come and go! I know that part of the reason has to do with my age, but the fall weather held on so long that it pushed the ice fishing season well into December. Here in northern Iowa, anglers had to head north as […]

Ice-Out Channel Catfish

Ice-Out Channel Catfish It might come as a surprise to many anglers to learn that channel catfish go on a feeding rampage almost as soon as the ice starts to melt in many of the reservoirs or lakes containing shad and other baitfish. These water bodies experience routine winter die-offs like this every year that […]

Ready for The Mid-Winter Ice Fishing Blues?

Ready for The Mid-Winter Ice Fishing Blues? As the crisp and frigid air chills your body, snow covers the landscape as far as you can see, the sight is somewhat magical on this early February day. However, as you drive to your ice fishing destination that beautiful sight reminds you that you are smack-dab in […]

Cutting Tracks and Calling Coyotes

Cutting Tracks and Calling Coyotes The lone disturbance in the pristine virgin snow 20 feet below me told the story. A lone coyote had traveled the ice on the narrow frozen creek directly under the bridge I was checking, carving his footed imprint into the fresh powder from the overnight’s snowfall. I left the truck […]

Smoke Poles at the Buzzer

Smoke Poles at the Buzzer My father-in-law loathes the days on the calendar that follow the completion of the New Year’s arrival and fanfare. The “bleak midwinter” is what he dubs these blustery days, and I suppose the vast majority of people living above the 30th parallel share in the sentiment. But if you are […]

Venison Processing 101

Venison Processing 101 You have just harvested a whitetail deer. Now what? You have two options: you can take your deer to a locker, or you can proceed with processing the deer yourself. Processing your own deer can seem like a big undertaking, but in all honesty, it is not very complicated. The biggest component […]

Reflect on your Hunting Season: Whitetails 365

Reflect on your Hunting Season: Whitetails 365 Welcome to a brand-new year! You made it. As always, whitetail deer are on my mind and the first month of the year is no different. So often, January is a month that finds us making (and sometimes breaking) New Year’s Resolutions. One resolution that I have is […]

5 Tips For A Better Deer Mount

5 Tips for a Better Deer Mount Shooting your first deer and biggest buck are exciting milestones in a deer hunter’s life. When these events occur, all hunters want to remember and reminisce on the memory of the hunt. One way to commemorate the memories of the hunt is to mount the deer. When you […]

Taking on the Midwinter Fishing Doldrums

Taking on the Midwinter Fishing Doldrums Midwinter ice fishing is often completely different than early and late ice. Instead of the aggressive fish that come with both early and late ice, midwinter fish are often more neutral and have seen several months of lures. That’s why here on the Iowa Great Lakes the most successful […]

Hunting in Cold Weather: Whitetails 365

Hunting in Cold Weather: Whitetails 365 The late hunting seasons can be some of the best times to kill a giant whitetail buck. Undoubtedly! In some cases, it can actually seem too easy. That’s right…too easy! This is the case because of some very good reasons all line up when the temperatures dip into the […]

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