The Iowa Sportsman Newsletter March 2018 by Twin Rivers Media

The Iowa Sportsman

March 2018 Newsletter

THESE DAYS AS winter sets in the angling crowd move into one of two camps. The crowd that locks themselves in the house for months and the crowd that gets excited for the cold weather fishing season. In the southern states over the past decade or so the blue catfish enthusiasts click into high gear for what they call the prime of the “big blue” season. While up north in the ice belt the rest of us kick into ice fishing. Ice fishing in general has continued to grow with leaps and bounds over the past 10-15 years. The excitement for ice fishing is simply amazing any more compared to the summer seasons. Most of the excitement is for species such as walleye, panfish, or pike. The new found fascination with catfish that is taking over nation is now extending to ice fishing in the north as well. Ice fishing channel catfish is nothing new in some circles. In fact, in Central Minnesota it has been quite popular for many years now. The idea of it is growing exponentially and it is spreading to other states including Iowa. One of the top questions I get asked when I am guiding in the summer is if “I catch these fish through the ice?” Unfortunately, I answer NO for a variety of reasons the

main reason being that I simply have not put in the time. I have not put in the time mostly due to life and the lack of daylight during the winter months. Now that I am a full time guide with the brunt of the winter off it is

the purpose of this article I contacted two great anglers in two Northern States who ice fish channel cats. Two anglers who are states away from each other yet both anglers fish for catfish basically the same way with a few minor twists. James Love from Des Moines, Iowa is a long time catfish angler on ice. He primarily fishes in farm ponds and a couple central Iowa Lakes. His approach to ice cats is to find a ditch or creek that runs into a lake. He knows the catfish travel along the ditch or creek beds. He will then look for the edges and the shallow end of the creek to set up on the catfish. He fishes in 1520 feet of water generally at dusk or just after dark to catch these catfish that range from two to eight pounds. He noted that fishing catfish under ice you have to be patient as they like to “float up on the bait” and tend to “mouth the bait” before a very light bite in which you can set the hook. In farm ponds, Love also likes to fish the low light hours of the day. He pointed out that these ponds are usually 20 feet deep at the maximum. He gets out to the edges of the deeper holes and moves out

“I DON’T THINK PEOPLE UNDERSTAND HOW FINICKY THESE FISH CAN BE,” NOTED WHITE. HE SAID SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO HOLD THE JIG SO STILL TO GIVE THEM TIME TO DECIDE ON THE HIT.

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time to change this. It is time to get out and see if these fish do bite consistently during the winter months. I also have plans to hit some lakes and reservoirs that are known for channel cats through the ice. With that, I am the wrong person to tell you how to catch a channel catfish through the ice on my own even though I have extensively studied the subject. For

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THE NEW CRAZE: CATFISH THROUGH THE ICE

from there until he finds fish. To catch these catfish Love likes to use a floating jig on a tip up with a large minnow. He also likes to set up a jigging rod the same way. He says that because the catfish take so long to make a decision to hit that you can’t jig rapidly but rather a low cadence or no cadence to get them to take the bait. Eddie White is a bait shop owner and avid catfisherman from Billing, Montana. He fishes mostly reservoirs and the occasional pond for ice cats. When he gets started on reservoirs he always starts to look for the old river channels that run within. He also likes to look at the inlets to the reservoirs. White says he researches the areas he wants to fish mostly before he even leaves home with lake maps that he has and with Google Earth. He is able to get the lay of the land so when he is on the water he can go right to where he wants to search for these fish. Once on the water with a game plan Eddie starts drilling holes on these creek beds moving from the deeper part to the shallow edges so he has a depth range from six to sixteen feet deep. He then uses a glow jig set up on tip ups over the deeper water and jigging rods set up near the break lines where the more active and hunting fish should be.

“I don’t think people understand how finicky these fish can be,” noted White. He said sometimes you have to hold the jig so still to give them time to decide on the hit. This is why tip ups can be so effective. White said he really likes the Jaw Jacker product for this too where he can set his rod up and when the fish commits it will pop the tip of the rod up setting the hook and notifying you like a tip up flag. Like what Iowa’s James Love said, the lower light times are the best times according to White. The cats get more active at dusk and into the night just like they do during the summer. When visiting with both of these guys it is clear that catfishing through the ice is a highlight of the year both in challenge and achievement. They are leaders in the new rush to figure out the ice cats around the north and open up a new craze in ice fishing. There is a new rage in the ice belt and it is catfish. Another challenge is becoming mainstream as catfishing continues to grow. Get out and give it a shot if you live in the north. I know it is high on my list and with any luck next season I will have an update to this article only with my own findings on what works and what doesn’t.

HE FISHES IN 15-20 FEET OF WATER GENERALLY AT DUSK OR JUST AFTER DARK TO CATCH THESE CATFISH THAT RANGE FROM TWO TO EIGHT POUNDS.

The Iowa Sportsman

March 2018 Newsletter

MY TRUCK SEEMED so insignificant and small as I drove down the road not even able to see up over the drifts and the snow piles in the ditches left behind from the maintainer. I came to a full stop and had to watch for a while at the scene of a county worker operating a bulldozer trying in vain to open the gravel road in front of me. Guess I wasn’t going to continue down this road. That was just one of many that I had to bypass on my way home. Things were drifted in so tight it made most of the roads to my hunting spots inaccessible. We’d had a blizzard just a couple of days earlier that January of 2010 dumping heavy snow and I was out hunting coyotes after the storm had passed and calmer conditions had prevailed for a short window of opportunity that morning. Things began to turn again before lunch time just as the weatherman said it would when the sky grayed, the wind began to gust and ice pellets began falling like tiny needles stinging my frozen face as they hit driving me out of my last hunt for the morning. This was a real Iowa snow stopper! I had to think that maybe I was the only thick headed fool still stubborn enough to be out hunting when I saw what appeared to be another hunter parked in the road ahead of me on the way home. The road was almost down to one lane because of the enormous snow piles and I could see the other driver rolling his window down as I came near. It was our local conservation officer out patrolling for late To Subscribe CALL 877-424-4594

season deer hunters. When he asked what I was up to I think he probably thought I was crazy when I told him that I was out calling for coyotes. By now the icy pellets of death from above were raining down with constant fury and he looked at me like I had gone mad. We continued to converse a little about the weather, the recent blizzard and the late rifle season for deer going on at the time and how finding

hunters to check had been a bit challenging for him that morning. When I mentioned something again about my morning of traipsing through the snow from truck to field, he cocked his head, looked at me and asked “Did you actually have any luck this morning?” “Yeah, I got one.” I replied. The look of astonishment on his face was telling as he asked if I had it with me. “Sure do.” I replied, “It’s in the back.” I think he just had to see it to believe it as he asked if he could take a look. With unpleasant conditions slapping us in the face unprotected now from the cover of our trucks, I described how I had sunk through the snow more times too numerous to count on my way into a sunny morning early stand. It was the calm before and after the storm so to speak. Pitiful distress cries brought on an apparently stressed and famished coyote emerging from some dark holed up place where he had sheltered to ride out the last couple of days more than likely. His drive to fill his stomach brought him almost directly to me without any thought of going downwind in his mind. Either his hunger was enough for him to throw caution to the wind or the brutal trek through the snow was enough to make him shorten his route to me because as I TheIowaSportsman.com

THE DOG DAYS OF AN IOWA WINTER

first watched him, I thought he had a limp. As it turned out, he was simply undulating side to side as his feet occasionally broke through the crusted snow as he ranged across the field to me. Now he lay in the bed of my truck freezing up just as fast as we were while talking about the hunt. We said our goodbyes and I returned home with a hard earned Iowa winter coyote. We all know how Mother Nature’s fury can bear down on Iowa during January and February making for some very inhospitable hunting. Still even during those times I find myself longing to be out chasing song dogs. There’s just something about the fresh powder of snow and the cold felt deep in your lungs with each breath that makes it seemingly feel like the right time to be hunting coyotes in their domain. It’s the time of year for them to be breeding, dennning, defending their territories from intruding coyotes and throughout it all, they still have to eat to survive. Even when conditions aren’t great for hunting, those coyote behaviors make coyotes vulnerable to hunters. There’s just certain ways we have to adapt and change our hunting strategies to be successful in those conditions. First let’s talk about deep snow and a coyote’s characteristical traits when extreme cold is present like I encountered with the previously mentioned coyote. There are times to call and times when calling won’t be as productive. Right before a front moves in is a good time to be out calling. Coyotes are out hunting hard to build up their reserve of calories in case they have to hole up tight for several 8

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days. After the storm has passed I wait for the next calm day to try and hunt. Even then after really deep snows, the next day can find most coyotes still holding tight to their bed, as I’ve found to be evident by driving the roads looking for tracks that are usually few and far between. They are in no hurry to burn calories by struggling with the deep snow looking for a hard to find meal when simply conserving calories by staying bedded at that point is much easier on their bodies. By the end of that first full day after a really bad storm coyotes may begin to move again with more frequency. By the next day, calling success improves as long as the wind isn’t still howling. They are hungry and eager to feed and resume their normal activities. When hunting hours after a storm, don’t think of calling your areas in the same way that you normally do. Think of calling it based on where a coyote would have spent the last 24 to 48 hours. That’s because it’s likely where most of them will still be. You want to get in close to those places. Coyotes prefer to take cover in the thick brush or under cedar thickets where the overhanging tree limbs shelter the ground from large amounts of snow. They also like a river bottom tucked up under a riverbank that shields them from snow and wind. Culverts, brush piles, abandoned buildings and old den sites are also good structure for coyotes to hole up. The morning after a snowfall, I like to be on the roads before light searching for tracks crossing the roadways before they get too littered up with tracks of all kinds.

Finding a fresh track has led to the demise of many a coyote. In this case, once I cut a track going into a section, I’ll drive the rest of the way all around the section searching for any tracks going back out of the same section. If none are to be found then it’s time to survey the ground and determine the area where the coyote was most likely headed and hunt it accordingly. I don’t like to try and call a coyote back to where it’s already been. The chances of doing so are poor. I’ll also use the wind to approach the area so that my scent doesn’t drift into the cover I suspect the coyote has entered and I’ll look for any hills and cover to use to hide my approach. There are several ways you can hunt the section after finding tracks though. Try taking up the track and following it, pausing and glassing thoroughly as you go for sight of a bedded coyote. You’d be surprised how close you can get sometimes with fresh snow keeping your footsteps quiet. If you have a hunting partner have one hunter take up the track and push the coyote out towards the other hunter. Coyotes will follow compacted heavily used trails throughout the fields and across roadways. Pay special attention to any track that breaks away from the compacted trail and sets off on it’s own. Check for a fresh track with little disturbance or flaking within the track and one that hasn’t settled from any degree of melting. They don’t want to blaze trails through deep snow if they don’t have to and will stick with used trails of compacted snow, so once you’ve found a fresh track leaving a compacted trail a coyote is likely nearby or in a spot where the trail is headed. A couple of days after a storm has passed, turn your attention to some areas that coyotes will use more than they do at other times of the year. I always love to check under bridges for tracks. As soon as the rivers ice up, coyotes begin using them as highways. The unobstructed ice serves as easy travel from one hunting area to the next. Once I find a highway of tracks on the ice, I like to get into the river bottoms and call. Cattle pastures are another place where it’s likely to see increased coyote activity. Coyotes will forage off the manure left behind on cattle trails and if it’s calving time, they’ll be especially observant to the birth of newborn calves. The coyote’s ability to survive depends on food sources. They are extremely adaptable when need be, able to eat on everything from berries, to corn, but they want a hot meal as much as we do. So they’ll seek out and use CRP fields more often because the rodents, game birds and March 2018 Newsletter

rabbits will congregate there for warmth and cover. Keep an eye on any carcasses along your travels as well. The carcasses are much more likely to be hit because the snow cover has limited their other hunting activities. Calling near a carcass that is fresh or being actively used at these times can be productive because a coyote will often not be far from the meal. Even a road kill carcass might be a steady meal for a coyote using a nearby road culvert as temporary shelter. The first sunny days after a storm or extreme cold can be great days for glassing. Coyotes love to feel the warmth of the sun just like your dog loves to stretch out and be lazy basking in the sun to warm his body. They’ll usually bed down in the sun where they can get out of the wind. By midday, scan closely any areas that are southern facing slopes for bedded coyotes. Take into consideration what the wind is doing and know that coyotes defend their position by being able to smell what they can’t see and see what they can’t smell. By that I mean they’ll have the wind coming over their back and be able to see their own downwind as they lay out in open areas where they are a little more vulnerable. Apply that to your glassing and scanning areas to find them as well as

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to how you approach and hunt them once you’ve found them. I’ve noticed over the years that extreme cold sometimes can have a similar effect on coyotes the same as if a snow storm has passed through. That first day or two of double digit wind chill temperatures dipping into the -20 range can keep Iowa coyotes down for a day or two. After that, they’ll be up moving around cold or no cold. Your mileage may vary somewhat but that’s been my experience. If the wind is really blowing forget about it. The combination of cold and heavy wind is the one thing that makes me resign from coyote hunting over the years. I’ll wait for a better day to hunt. I’ll take hunting in the snow or rain over excessive wind. As a matter of fact, I love to hunt during a slow, gentle snowfall. Coyotes seem to love to be up and moving in it also which bodes well for calling. I think they enjoy playing in it because I’ve watched many coyotes out mousing in broad daylight during the middle of the day during a gentle snowfall. The hunting is hard on equipment, but a lot of fun. Snow cover will alter how a coyote reacts when coming to a call. Because of the reduced ground clutter a coyote can more easily see where the sound is

originating from and can see the area from a greater distance. Therefore a larger percentage of coyotes will stop to survey the scene from a farther distance in more open areas. Some will even sit down and just watch if they can tell that your calling location is too obvious. Coyotes are reluctant to cross over open snow covered fields. So you may need to get deeper into their territory to call them or set up in areas that make them feel comfortable. I like field corners, or shorter grass CRP fields where some of the grass still sticks out above the snow yet the coyotes are still easy to spot moving through. You may be able to spot coyotes easier in the snow but they can also spot you easier as well. I wear a white snow camouflage with a broken brush pattern on it to help me blend in to my surroundings. I’m not invisible while wearing it however, especially when I’m walking. A coyote’s eye is trained to pick out movement so when I’m walking into a location, I still have to choose my approach routes wisely. This winter when you feel Mother Nature’s bite, instead of watching it out the window from inside of your cozy home, bite back and turn the snow red during the dog days of an Iowa winter.

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The Iowa Sportsman

March 2018 Newsletter

The Iowa Sportsman

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By Mac Chilton

ON OCTOBER 1, 1932, Babe Ruth, of the New York Yankees called his shot during Game 3 of the World Series against the Chicago Cubs. He pointed over the outfield fence, and on the very next pitch, hit the ball right where he was pointing. As a hunter, I try to call my shot all the time. I tell my dad or my wife before I go hunting, “Be ready, I think it’s going to happen tonight!” It has never actually worked out for me, though, until this last October. October 6, 2017 was a normal Friday for this college student. I was in my morning class at Iowa State University when I got a text from my boss. He told me I must’ve been reading the wrong work schedule because I had been working on days that I was supposed to be off. He also explained that I wasn’t scheduled to work that weekend. The Iowa archery deer season had only been open for six days, but I had already managed two public land hunts; however, I was anxious to make it home to hunt our farm where my Dad and I had been watching one particular big buck. I messaged my boss back to say, “I’m going to head back home for the weekend, and try to knock down a deer with this cold front moving in.” Little did I know that I had just called my shot. I spent that evening at home discussing a game plan with my Dad about hunting the next day. We had one unique buck on our Southeast Iowa farm that we were going after, a deer that we had two and a half seasons of history with. He was first March 2018

picked up on camera in January of 2016. The buck was a simple, tight racked, eight point with split G-2’s. We knew this deer had potential. Over the next summer, we got pictures of the buck again, but he had exploded into a non-typical giant! The

I’m sure glad he did! The next Spring, I scoured the farm looking for his sheds, but had no luck. We set cameras out in the Summer of 2017 to find the buck again. It didn’t take long for Freak to appear and he was bigger than ever. He sported the same beautiful split brows, though he lost a split on one of his G-2’s. Still, he had gained so much more mass and tine length! The summer pictures were sporadic. I feared he may be living on a neighboring property, and just coming to feed on our farm. I wasn’t too concerned because I knew once fall came around his pattern would change, and hopefully he would become more

I HAVE TO THANK MY FATHER, BRAD. HE’S THE MAN THAT TAUGHT ME HOW TO HUNT, AND SHOWED ME THE OUTDOORS. HE ALWAYS TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO THINGS THE RIGHT AWAY. split G-2’s confirmed that this was indeed the same buck. He had also grown some incredible split brow tines. That’s when we started calling him the freak buck, eventually just settling on Freak. Freak had an impressive rack to say the least. The buck would’ve been the largest that my Dad or I had ever harvested, but you can’t shoot a great deer if you shoot a good deer. We knew the buck was young so we elected to pass. Dad was tested in mid-October of 2016 when he had Freak at 20 yards, but decided to let him walk –

regular. He did just that. Freak became consistent on one food plot at the end of September. We even had a few daylight photos of him there. I knew that if I was going to kill him it was going to be on his favorite little food source. With the weather cooling down on October 7, I thought I had a good chance to seal the deal. I had planned to get in the stand around 2:00 pm that afternoon, well before deer would start moving, so I could settle in and enjoy the evening. That didn’t TheIowaSportsman.com

CALLING MY SHOT happen. Did I mention that I go to Iowa State? Yep, I wasn’t going to miss them upset third ranked Oklahoma. After the game, I managed to check a camera and get into the stand around 3:30 pm. The camera revealed no new photos of Freak, but I still felt good about my chances. My stand sits down in a bottom, overlooking a Frigid Forage Big-NBeasty food plot. There’s no cell phone service, so I can enjoy nature without being interrupted. A few does walked out around 5:00 pm, and I watched them feed about 25 yards from me. From then on it was non-stop action until dark. Some smaller bucks made their way in front of me, tempting me with an easy shot. I wanted to hold out. Around 6:30 pm I looked into the plot across the creek and saw tall tines. I knew it had to be Freak. He disappeared for a bit, and then showed up again at 75 yards. I said, “Lord please give me a shot.” He walked across the creek right into my food plot, stopping at 30 yards. I couldn’t shoot without moving too much, so I waited. It felt like forever. My heart was pounding out of my chest. I kept thinking, “Just a few more steps, just a few more steps.” He picked his head up and took about 5 more steps. I grunted to stop him, pulled my bow back, settled the pin right behind his shoulder, and squeezed it off. The arrow smacked him! I watched the buck exit the field, and thought I heard him crash. I knew the arrow had hit true and I was ecstatic. I said a “thank you” prayer and got the heck out of there. My first phone call was to my wife, Ally, telling her I had shot Freak. The second call was to my Dad. I told him I shot a buck, but I didn’t give him the specifics. I wanted to surprise him when we walked up on Freak. We waited a couple of hours and then the three of us headed out to find him. We went right to the spot I had shot him. The arrow was covered with blood, and we picked up the trail right away. We followed it to where I watched him leave the field. We trailed him across a creek, and then, nothing. No blood or sign anywhere. We decided to walk a little more, but still found nothing. As we stood there I started to feel sick. I had ruined it. I had to come clean with my Dad. I told him I didn’t just shoot a buck, I shot the buck, I shot Freak. He looked at me and thought I was joking. When he knew I was being serious, he said those all too famous words, “When in doubt, back out.” So, we did. I got about 2 hours of sleep that night, but I was just hoping we

would have good luck in the morning. My dad, Ally, and I all met at the farm around 7:00 am that morning. We jumped in the Polaris Ranger and headed to the spot where we had last found blood, across the creek. We started to look again, when my wife said, “Hey guys, there’s a deer over here!” We ran over and could see the tines sticking up. He had doubled back along the creek and died 20 yards from where we had stopped the night before. At that point, it was all smiles and hugs. We sat there and admired him for a while, before getting him cleaned up for a few pictures. Finally, after hundreds of pictures, several strategies, and two encounters, we were able to close the book on a fantastic deer. I’m so thankful to have had this opportunity of a lifetime on such an impressive creature. I do have to say, “thank you,” to a few people for allowing me to have the chance to “call my shot.” My mom, Joanie, who always supported my hunting habits, even if she hasn’t hunted a day in her life. My wife, Ally, who would rather spend an evening in a deerblind with me than go on a dinner date. I should also thank my taxidermist Tyler Messer, from Burlington, for doing some amazing work on the mount with a 60-day turn-around. He and I each rough scored the deer at just over 198 inches, but I will get it officially scored at the Iowa Deer Classic in the Spring. Last, but not least, I have to thank my father, Brad. He’s the man that taught me how to hunt, and showed me the outdoors. He always taught me how to do things the right away. My Dad deserved this deer more than I did. He’s spent countless hours on stand waiting for his opportunity, but I just happened to get lucky. I’m glad he was able to share the recovery with me. That’s a memory I’ll never forget.

The Iowa Sportsman

March 2018 Newsletter

IOWA SPORTSMAN COOKBOOK

VENISON SOUTHWESTERN CHILI INGREDIENTS

• 1 venison roast • 1 packet of ranch mix • 1 packet of taco seasoning • 1 large diced onion

• 1 cup diced celery • 1 can of corn • 1 can of chili beans • 2 large cans of diced tomatoes

• 1 Tablespoon cumin • 1 Tablespoon chili powder • Fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS Bring all dry ingredients, diced onion, diced celery, and cans of tomatoes to a boil in a braising pot. Once boiling, add in the whole thawed venison roast.You may need to add water to the pot to help cover some of the venison. Place the pot in the oven, tightly covered, at 300 degrees for several hours until the venison is very tender and easily pulls apart with a fork. This will most likely take at least two to four hours. After the venison is done and pulled apart, add it back into the pot with the remaining ingredients and continue to bake in the oven for approximately one more hour. Top your chili bowl off with your favorite tortilla chips. Enjoy!

The Iowa Sportsman

March 2018 Newsletter

VENISON MEATBALL CABBAGE AND LEAK SOUP MEATBALL INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 pound ground venison • 1/2 pound mild Italian sausage • 1/2 cup breadcrumbs • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg • 1/2 teaspoon ground sage • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon white pepper • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

• 2 Tablespoons butter • 1 cup carrots, chopped • 1 cup leeks, chopped • 4 cups cabbage, shredded • 5 cups chicken broth • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream • salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS In a bowl add ground venison, sausage, breadcrumbs, nutmeg, ground sage, salt and white pepper. Mix meat together with clean hands and form small meatballs. Heat skillet over medium-high heat, add oil to pan and cook meatballs in batches until browned on all sides. In a large stock pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped carrots and leeks and cook until softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in shredded cabbage and continue to cook until wilted. Add chicken broth and bring to a low boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, cooking for 20 minutes. Carefully drop meatballs into soup and continue cooking for 10 minutes. Stir in whipping cream and cook for 5 minutes. Top each bowl of soup with fried leeks and serve with sourdough bread.

PHEASANT DUMPLING SOUP SOUP

• 2 Tbsp. Butter • 1 Onion diced • 3 cloves Garlic minced • 2 ribs Celery sliced

• 2 Carrots, medium sliced • 1.5 Tbsp. Chicken Base • 2 quarts Water • 1 Pheasant cubed

• 1 or 2 cups Egg Noodles • Salt & Pepper to taste

• 1 tsp. Salt • 1 Egg

• 2 Tbsp. Butter melted • 3/4 cup Milk

DUMPLINGS • 2 cup flour • 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper • 4 tsp. Baking Powder

DIRECTIONS In a large stock pot melt butter over medium heat. Add minced onions and garlic. Cook until onions become translucent. Add celery and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes. Add pheasant to the stockpot and lightly brown on all sides- no more than 1 minute per side. Add the chicken base and water (or chicken stock). Bring to a boil, lower heat and allow soup to simmer for at least 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. 10 minutes before adding the dumpling batter mix the egg noodles into the soup. Mix up the dumplings. Add together all dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper.Add wet ingredients and stir together. It should be a moist, stiff batter- if not all the dry ingredients are moist add another 1/4 cup of milk. Drop dumpling batter into the pheasant soup by the spoonful until all the batter covers the soup. Cover the pot and allow to sit and cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until dumplings are completely cooked through.

WE WANT YOUR RECIPES!

We want to see what our readers are cooking up, more importantly we want to taste what you are cooking. Please send us some of your most tastiest wild game recipes and we will publish them in the Iowa Cookbook Section. You can send recipes to patrick@twinriversmedia.com or mail them to The Iowa Sportsman, 1517 3rd Ave NW, Fort Dodge, IA 50501.

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