Apr 25, 2015
I’m sitting on an isolated prairie hilltop. It’s still pitch dark; more than an hour to go until sunrise. Inside my photo blind, I’m fighting the urge to doze off. I’m located at the edge of an active prairie chicken booming ground [more properly called a lek] hoping to catch a literal glimpse of Iowa’s prairie heritage. Sharing vast...
Apr 18, 2015
Once in a Blue Moon there are times when wild turkeys follow the script and the hunt goes exactly as planned. We’ve all heard and read about those mythical Text Book Turkey Hunts. You know, the hunts where the weather is perfect, the calling is perfect, and the Old Swamp Gobbler you’ve been plotting against for weeks comes roaring into...
Apr 18, 2015
With Less Than An Hour to Hunt, It Was Still Worth A Try McGREGOR, IA. — April 13, 2015; the long awaited Opening Day of the Iowa spring turkey season. Turkey openers are always a big day on the outdoor calendar, and the 2015 kickoff would mark the 36th consecutive year that hunting partner Steve Schutte and I have been attempting to match wits...
Apr 10, 2015
Wing Bone Calls Provide Link to Turkey Hunting Heritage Most people purchase their turkey calls at a retail outlet or from an online catalog. Outdoor enthusiast, Dave Thomas gets his calls straight from the woods. Skilled woodsman and longtime Police Chief of Lake Mills, Iowa, Thomas has a long running passion for pursuing elk, white-tails, and wild turkeys...
Apr 10, 2015
Nebraska Sandhills Provide Exciting Kickoff to Spring Turkey Hunt The night air was clear and crisp. And although nearly two hours remained until sunrise, hunting partner...
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.