Mar 26, 2016
Mature Gobblers Spend Around Four Months of Their Year in the Strut. So why do birds expend so much time and energy in display? Is it to guard territory or attract hens? The answer may come as a surprise. Calling a spring gobbler into close range is one of hunting’s most rewarding challenges. With tail fanned and wings dragging, there are few sights...
Mar 16, 2016
Iowa’s youth turkey hunting season begins April 9. The regular spring seasons commence April 18. For local turkey hunting enthusiasts, the seasons can’t come a minute too soon. Most hunters are already pacing the floor in anticipation of what to expect when they finally take to their favorite woodland in search of the elusive gobbler. Chronic...
Mar 12, 2016
I’m hearing from a lot of Iowa turkey hunters who are getting more than a little bit anxious for spring. Apparently, Iowa’s wild turkeys are feeling the same. Under the influence of lengthening days, our local woodlands are starting to echo with plenty predawn gobbling — even saw my first turkey rumble this morning. Immediately after...
Mar 6, 2016
Here in the Heartland, the cottontail rabbit is one of our most important links in the natural food chain. Prolific to a fault, cottontails are the bane of summer gardeners, preferred menu items for foxes, and time honored fair game for young human hunters packing a pocket full of ammo. Although cottontail rabbits were once a mainstay of Iowa small game...
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.