Ten Bucks

Washburn's Outdoor Journal / September 7, 2014

Photography courtesy of Lowell Washburn, all rights reserved.

The attached photo is my idea of the ‘Perfect Ten’. The scene occurred Friday afternoon near the north border of Wind Cave National Park. While driving the backroads I spotted the horns of two nice pronghorns protruding above the top of a prairie ridgeline. Parking the truck and grabbing the camera, I began the stalk; slowly moving toward the top of the ridge. By the time I got to the top, the antelope were gone. Backing off, I moved down a ways and then moved back to the top. Peering over the ridge, I spotted the animals which had now joined up with another pair of bucks. Hoping to get closer, I moved father down the ridge. When I popped over the top again, I couldn’t believe it. Instead of four, there were now ten pronghorns; all bucks. The speed goats kept moving with the herd constantly shifting its shape. I took several photos before the herd finally moved to where I could get all ten bucks into one frame. Two miles farther down the valley, a herd containing more than 30 does and kids grazed along a steep hillside. As I walked back to the truck, an adult golden eagle soared over the short grass prairie.

About The Author

Lowell Washburn

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.

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