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Listen Now! To the Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report

Watch the October 6th Iowa Hunting and Fishing Report!

Fishing: The fall bite is on! Panfish are still biting, the walleye bite is finally starting to pick up too.

Hunting: Congrats to all the youth hunters who were able to fill their tags. Bow season is now open, movement has been okay.

This week's sponsor of the Hunting and Fishing Report is Polk County Conservation's controlled waterfowl hunting program. Waterfowl hunting blinds at Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt in NE Polk County can be reserved by calling the Chichaqua office at (515) 323-5395 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The twelve blinds are located in both marsh and woodland settings. Blinds cost $30 per day and hold up to four hunters. Reservations are available for both the early split (October 10 – 16) and late split (Oct. 24 – Nov. 30).

Click here to reserve your blind today!
https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/conservation/things-to-do/hunting

Iowa Hunting Fishing Report

Check Out Our Current Issue!

Whitetail 365: Tracking Goes to the Dogs

Whitetail 365: Tracking Goes to the Dogs  By Noel Gandy  Way back in 2018, I submitted my very first article for this great publication. The title was “Whitetail Shot Placement Outcome and Blood Tracking Guide”. As you can guess, this was a piece written for a season kickoff issue to help a hopeful hunter AFTER […]

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Understanding Barrel Lengths, Profiles, and Twist Rates

Understanding Barrel Lengths, Profiles, and Twist Rates  By Marvin Lester  More than any other component, a barrel is the most important part for building precision in a rifle. It will also be one of the largest contributors to your system’s weight.  So, it is important to understand what you need for your application. Having enough […]

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Winter Safety: Keeping Your Dog Warm

Winter Safety: Keeping Your Dog Warm  By Kyle Dana  Some dogs are like humans; they enjoy and can withstand the cold more than the rest of their pack. Nonetheless, even they need us to be mindful of their safety during the winter season. If we think of winter safety in categories rather than practices, we […]

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Ice Augers for Every Situation and Budget

Ice Augers for Every Situation and Budget  By Todd Reed  Ice Fishing… it is almost here for the 2026/2027 season.  Last year, the ice season ended very rapidly, leaving a lot of anglers hungry for the upcoming season.    Investing in Gear  Oftentimes, as ice anglers, we look at all the details of our bait, […]

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Featured Story

A Classic Evening with an Iowa Giant – Bowhunting Boone & Crockett Bucks

Does a plan ever fall into place the way it should? The months leading up to October and November are filled with daydreams of target bucks making their way in front of our stands. Perfect conditions, with a shooter buck coming in on a string, setting up for perfect shot placement. If only that was how it worked… but that wouldn’t be as rewarding, would it?

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Created By Iowans, For Iowans

The Iowa Sportsman website and magazine are Iowa’s only privately owned media sources catering to hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts here in Iowa. Simply put, we are unlike other Iowa outdoor media sources: All our staff is from Iowa, from our publisher to our writers. We actually follow through on what we advertise; we provide knowledgeable content from people who know the industry or sport discussed.