The Iowa Sportsman
The Ice-Out Frenzy: Iowa’s Best Kept Catfish Secret
The Ice-Out Frenzy: Iowa’s Best Kept Catfish Secret In Iowa, March catfishing is a legendary “ice-out” tradition that brings some of the fastest action you’ll see all year. Even though some fishermen think you need the sweltering heat of a June summer to catch cats, the real “addicts” and die-hards know that early spring is […]
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How to Pick a Hunting Blind
How to Pick a Hunting Blind If you’re like me, you started hunting with homemade wooden stands, sometimes even just a platform in the Y of a tree. Since then, we saw ladder stands, hang-on stands with climbing sticks, and then pop-up blinds followed by tower blinds. When it comes to the age-old debate of […]
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Top 10 Mistakes That Will Cost You Ducks
Top 10 Mistakes That Will Cost You Ducks When you look at figures and statistics regarding how many ducks the average duck hunter kills in a season you might be surprised. I am willing to bet the numbers are much lower than many of you would suspect. Why? Because hunting waterfowl successfully is difficult to […]
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Waterfowl Calling 101
Time to Learn: Waterfowl Calling 101 Waterfowl hunting is a science. Collectively there are so many factors that play into your level of success in the field and it takes years to even begin to understand it all. I started hunting ducks and geese at an older age than most. At twenty years old, I […]
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The Spawn Of Catfish
The Spawn Of Catfish If there is one time of the catfishing season that delivers the most complaints, the most negative attitude and the most arguments about how to catch a channel catfish, it is the spawn and the post spawn. These times happen every year whether we like it or not and there are […]
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‘Rats and ‘Coons: Tried and True Sets
‘Rats and ‘Coons: Tried and True Sets As a long time trapper it is great to see a bit of resurgence in the sport over the last few years. While trapping took a hit during the late 80’s and all through the 90’s and 00’s it appears that many trappers are getting back into the […]
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Top 10 Iowa Deer Drive Positions for Success
The Right Spot for the Right Shot: 10 Post Locations for Iowa Deer Drives Iowa Deer Drive Strategy for Shotgun Season The one style of hunting that is my all-time favorite would be a good old whitetail deer drive during our great state’s shotgun seasons. Whether it is because this was my first exposure to […]
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Whitetail Sidearms: Choosing a Handgun for Deer
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 comfort and confidence with a particular firearm. Of course there are natural pitfalls to […]
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Understanding Weather Impact on Waterfowl Hunting
Weather the Storm: Understanding Weather Patterns and Know They Impact Waterfowl Hunting Most recreational hobbies revolve around nice weather. We love to go boating on a warm, sunny summer day. Even a skier loves a clear and sunny winter day after a nice powder snowfall. What makes us different as waterfowl hunters is that we […]
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Targeting Largemouth Bass in the Early Fall
The September Transition: Targeting Largemouth Bass in the Early Fall No more shorts, no more fishing at the break of dawn, and no more blaming Mother Nature for making it too hot, welcome to Fall Bass Fishing! September and October are fantastic months to head out to your favorite lake or river in search of […]
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