Jan 31, 2014
After you’ve heard or read the same old stuff for about the millionth time, there are topics that seem to lose a bit of their original luster. You know, like the standard Wildlife Management 101 speech stating how you can’t stockpile small game or those lessons regarding the ultra dynamic nature of local wildlife populations. We all...
Jan 29, 2014
The woman at the opposite end of the phone line was — well, she was hysterical. Absolutely in a rage, and that’s putting it mildly. Whenever she’d stop to take a breath, I’d seize the opportunity to try working in a few words of my own. Didn’t work. Before I’d get half way through the first sentence, off she’d go again. At...
It was mid-winter. Hunting seasons were winding down and there could be little doubt that today would be a tough hunt. Even with a good rifle and dialed in scope, taking a mature buck would present a challenge. In spite of all that, there were some encouraging signs. Although the freshest snow had only been on the ground for two days, woodland...
Jan 12, 2014
The Iowa deer season ended Friday, January 10. It was a tough hunt. During this year’s archery season, I hunted harder but encountered fewer deer in Northern Iowa than I’ve seen in several decades. During the peak of the November rut I had ‘close encounters’ with two mature bucks. The first was a wide beamed, high tined...
Jan 8, 2014
It was something I’d been putting off for way too long. Last weekend, I finally crossed the bridge. Finally made the decision to go cold turkey — literally. What I mean to say is that I literally ventured into the snow clad woodlands and attempted to bag an end of the season wild turkey — with bow and...
Born in North Central Iowa, Lowell Washburn has enjoyed a lifelong interest in the out of doors. He began photographing wild birds at age 10, and outdoor photography soon became his passion and eventually a career. Washburn is best known for images that portray migratory waterfowl and other wetland wildlife in their natural habitats. His best photographs are often obtained after spending hours floating amid natural marshlands, half submerged within the dark confines of a floating muskrat house blind.
Upon completing military service as a sergeant with the Fourth Infantry Division in the central highlands of South Vietnam, Washburn returned to Iowa in 1970. His wildlife photos began appearing in Iowa newspapers in 1971 and he began authoring outdoor news columns in 1978. Today, his photos and writing have appeared in over 50 national and international magazines including Outdoor Life, International Wildlife, Field&Stream, Ducks Unlimited, Pointing Dog Journal, the NAFA Journal, and others.
After working as a naturalist for Iowa’s county conservation board system, Washburn was recruited by the Department of Natural Resources in 1984. His primary duties included statewide communication with Iowa newspaper, television, and radio news agencies with a primary goal of increasing the level of public awareness and appreciation for Iowa's natural resources. During his tenure he also served as staff member for the Iowa Conservationist Magazine and for the DNR’s Iowa Outdoors Magazine. Washburn retired from the DNR in 2010.
In addition to wildlife photography, his ongoing outdoor passions include falconry, traditional bow hunting, waterfowling, spending time with hunting dogs of all types, and herpetology.