The Iowa Sportsman

Horizontal Misses: The Bane Of An Archer!

Are you one of many archers that can shoot 20 arrows at 20 yards and have all of them in the bull’s-eye, only to back up to farther distances and find your shots going awry either left or right? Join the club you are not alone! One of the most frustrating things in the world […]

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Basic Fishing Rigs Every Angler Should Know!

The State of Iowa is a diverse region offering anglers across the area a wide range of opportunities to chase after their favorite quarry. Whether you chase after bass, walleye, crappie, bluegill, catfish or any of the other 148 known species in Iowa, there are times when a special or specific fishing rig can help […]

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The History of the Compound Bow

An overwhelming majority of archery hunters today use a compound bow as their weapon of choice. To many hunters surprise though the invention of the compound bow is relatively new in terms of weaponry, but it is an invention that revolutionized archery hunting. The first compound bow was created by and American engineer, Holless Wilbur […]

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First Season Turkey Success

If  you have ever spent the morning listening to a bird fire off on the roost then turkey fever is probably at its peak. While the anticipation builds there is only so much that reading articles and watching hunting shows can cure. This is the perfect time to make sure you help lean the odds […]

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In-Season Scouting: Finding and Analyzing Turkey Sign

Turkeys, much like any game animal, will leave behind signs as they carry out their daily routines. As hunters, these signs are important to us because they help to determine roosting areas, feeding areas, strut zones, and daily patterns…all key components in the grand scheme of tagging a bird. Visually scouting turkeys is sometimes difficult […]

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The Iowa Sportsman Turkey Gear Wish List

If you are a turkey hunter then chances are you love all the gear that goes along with it. Personally I have more gear than I know what to do with, but every year something new comes out that I can’t live without…I am sure the thousands of other turkey hunters out there no exactly […]

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Iowa Lake Profile

Browns Lake Browns Lake is a 580 acre lake located in Woodbury County. The lake offers amenities such as a hard surface boat ramp, beach, campground and picnic area. For panfishermen, Browns Lake is an ideal place to try for big crappies. Crappies in this lake run the whole gamut of sizes but some larger […]

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Find Your Pattern

Find Your Pattern Patterning your turkey gun is an important part of turkey hunting that sometimes is an after thought to many hunters. Having a finely patterned gun, especially at long-range shots of 40 yards can be the difference of placing a tag on a bird or watching it run away from you. Use these […]

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What A Drag!

During the process of outfitting a customer new to the sport of angling, there was nothing more gratifying than seeing the looks on their faces when I would show them the properties of their new drag system. I would stand behind the counter holding their rig and instruct them to grab the end of the […]

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Last Second Scouting Tips

Last Second Scouting Tips: No time to scout? No worries! The best time to scout for turkeys is the weeks or even days leading up to your season. While scouting for birds every weekend all year round is fun and gives you something to do, it isn’t necessarily in order to take a turkey this […]

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