The Iowa Sportsman

Getting A New Boat Without Getting Hooked

Getting a new Boat without Getting Hooked For many of us, one of our prized possessions is our fishing boat. And you know what? It really doesn’t matter how old or how much we paid for it. The fishing rig we currently have is the one we have worked so hard to own. Just as […]

Shot Placement Guide For Bowhunting Turkeys

Shot Placement Guide for Bowhunting Turkeys When using a bow to hunt turkeys, many different shots and angles will present themselves. To make a clean ethical kill a hunter must know where to aim on the turkey at any given moment. While a turkey looks to be a decent sized target to hit, it isn’t. […]

The Right Spot for the Right Shot: 10 Post Locations for Iowa Deer Drives

The one style of hunting that is my all-time favorite would be a good old man drive during one of our great state’s shotgun seasons. Whether it is because this was my first exposure to hunting deer, or simply because of the logistical theory that goes into each drive, driving deer through a rural Iowa […]

Early Ice Crappies

Ahhhh…nothing like your first trip out to the ice. Days prior to your first trip you go through the list, Vexilar battery…check; auger…check; load new line on your ice rods…check; ice jigs and bait…check; ice shack…check; lantern and heater tested…check; everything seems to be in order and ready to go. Reports are coming in that […]

Dismal Days of a Fur Market

Every morning running the trapline, I’d roll up on many of my sets and find raccoon fairly regular. Each trap location that I’d scouted and set on was producing every few days bringing in consistent fur for the trapline as a whole. Except one particular spot that I’d check on every morning only to find […]

First Day Success for Whitetail Shotgun Season-Steer Clear of the Crowds

Typically in Iowa during the first day of shotgun season for whitetails you will see groups of orange clad hunters chasing deer all over the place. The Iowa landscape is literally dotted with orange from border to border. The most common tactic used is large group or party hunting. This is when hunters will get […]

Teaching the Fundamentals of Handguns

I’m often asked how I recommend new people begin shooting. You’d think that would be relatively simple. For the most part it can be, but we manage to make it complex more times than we realize. When asked how I prefer to introduce kids into shooting handguns, I don’t do so any differently than an […]

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 […]

Late Fall Strategies for Cold Water

The bite of cold has overcome Iowa by now, whitetail bucks are in rut and waterfowl hunting is picking up. With so many outdoor related distractions the thought of fishing takes a back burner to many. Even I find myself trading the rods for a shotgun at this point and celebrate the excitement of ice […]

Support Those Who Support You

Before I begin, thrown on the table is the fact that I realize there will be worthy organizations to which I fail to allude. Said admission shared, please understand this comes not from a lack of respect; but a severe lack of brain activity within my cranial cavity. This, by no means, should point to […]

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