Get to Know Wayne van Zwoll

Wayne van Zwoll has been writing about hunting, shooting, rifles, and cartridges for decades. He’s been pulling a trigger for even longer. He’s written 16 books and thousands of articles on all things rifle-related. He regularly contributes to Fair Chase magazine and a dozen other hunting and shooting outlets. His hunting and writing have taken him to five continents, where he pursued almost every game species you can imagine.

A native of Michigan living in Washington State, Wayne's expertise spans beyond hunting and shooting. He holds a doctorate in forestry, and this academic background, combined with his competitive shooting experience in the 1970s, where he qualified for Olympic tryouts and won state and regional championships, has uniquely positioned him as one of the best outdoor writers in the business.

He became a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club in 1999 and has contributed articles to Fair Chase magazine for as long as we can remember. I have had the good fortune to work with Wayne for the past 20 years (usually as his editor), and I always learn something new about rifles and shooting when I read his work. Wayne was recently in Missoula, Montana, for a gun show, and he was kind enough to spend some time talking guns, hunting, and life.

Wayne is also a Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurer. IN 2022, All Official Measurers in attendance at the Club's 31st Big Game Awards Banquet in Springfield, Missouri, were recognized for their years of service with a custom belt buckle. Wayne is pictured here with Richard Hale, Vice President of Records (left) and Mike Optiz, Records Committee Chairman (right.)

1. You’re in Missoula for a gun show. What are you looking for in particular?

I saw a man walking about with a rifle slung on his shoulder. It had a Mauser Mark X action, pretty wood. We talked. He told me about the new barrel and sights, of his elk hunting and other rifles. I hadn’t been to a gun show in a while. He reminded me about what I most missed about them—the chats with other hunters and students of firearms. It’s a privilege to listen and learn and feature some of these people and their rifles and adventures in my writing!

2. Your articles dig into the ballistics and mechanics of rifles, but the history of these calibers and rifles also accounts for much of your writing. Why spend just as much time on that?

Rifles are more than killing tools. From the 16th century on, they've had much to do with the fortunes of nations and the natural world that serves them. The designers, manufacturers, and end users of firearms are interesting as portraits, their birth, achievements, setbacks, reputations, and passing part of our nation's story. They have influenced the nature of war and crime, of moral and legal codes, as well as the evolution of wildlife conservation and the practice of field sport.

3. When it comes to hunting and shooting, is there a particular innovation that you are excited about right now?

Innovation is the lifeblood of industry, so I report on new items. But I'm less interested in those that enhance a hunter's ability to kill than in those that add meaning to time afield. For example, FTX bullets and LeverEvolution ammo from Hornady have brought old rifles out of the closet. True, these loads add reach and accuracy to cartridges once hampered by flat-nose bullets, but they're still less effective than magnum cartridges in bolt rifles. Mainly, they're a nudge to use Grandpa's rifle, or experience hunting of another era. The same can be said of Ruger's revival of Marlin rifles dating to 1948 and earlier. Of course, new materials and designs in arms, ammunition and optics fuel young companies trading on "cutting edge" products that do promise more antlers on the wall.

4. Why did you start running marathons at 49?

A friend who was a marathoner convinced me to train for one. My first race qualified me for the first of four Boston Marathons I ran over a decade that included several others. At 59, my knees told me to give up the mountains or the marathons. I stopped running. (Note: Wayne is currently 74.)

5. I read that you grew up in Michigan and learned marksmanship from a local plumber because your parents didn’t like firearms. You learned from him, but how did you actually get into shooting?

That’s correct. He was also a competitive shooter, and coached high-schoolers through the NRA junior program and took them to junior matches. A lot of the kids who wanted to be on the team weren’t serious about getting better, but I was, and my coach appreciated that. I went on to shoot competitively at Michigan State University, then in open competition. When I published my first book, I sent my coach a copy, and he was thrilled. I saw him again for the last time at my 50th high school reunion.

6. Iron sights or fixed-power scope? Pick only one.

While I do like to get within metallic-sight range, I like to use a scope for trying conditions or dim light.

Wayne’s 6.5/284 bullet skimmed grass to center the lungs of this bull; entering cover at 300 yards.

7. I vaguely recall reading that your favorite hunt is bowhunting elk  during the rut. Can this be true? Why?

With traditional archery gear or a rifle, I can't think of a more enchanting time or place to be afield than in the high country of our Mountain West during elk rut in late September!

8. Two takeaway tips for hunters this fall, in terms of shooting? What should they remember?

Hunters shoot better if they're steady. A shooting sling (not a carrying strap) helps you quickly steady a rifle in prone, sitting and kneeling positions, when your left elbow is secured on the ground or against your knee. It's of little, if any, use offhand. A sling is lighter than a bipod and helps you carry the rifle as well as aim it. It won't dig your shoulder like a bipod or bang against limbs. Oddly enough, few hunters practice with a sling from low positions, or fire offhand before season. With a .22 or a big-game rifle, such drills give you an edge when you spot game!

The .470 Wayne borrowed for a “walkabout” dropped this kudu with one blunt bullet. A buffalo might well have collapsed as quickly.

9. Africa or North America? Pick only one. Why?

It’s a draw, but for very different reasons.

10. What does a typical fall hunting season look like for you? How about this year?

Southern Africa briefly in September. Wyoming for elk, then South Dakota and Washington for deer.

11. You’ve been in the hunting industry a long time. Not many can say that. What traits do you think help with that sort of longevity?

Success often comes to those who work hard, tell the truth, and behave graciously. These habits won't ensure wealth, but they will make you a more useful person. To excel at a craft, practice every day with the necessary tools. While apparently no longer a requisite for publishing, skill with the language can help readers and editors remember your name. (Note: Wayne wrote 94 articles last year.)

12. You wrote The Hunter’s Guide to Long-Range Shooting, but as long as I have known you, you always write about getting as close to an animal as you can. You’ve only killed one animal over 450 yards away. What can shooting targets at long distances teach us? What can we learn by trying to get as close to our quarry as possible?

Shooting at long range is valuable because it teaches you that bullets are helpless against drag, gravity, and wind and that to hit, you must predict bullet paths. Targets far off appear small, so you learn to aim carefully—a skill useful at any distance. I try to get within metallic-sight range of game. The closer you are, the more exciting the hunt, and the more carefully you must manage your presence: your scent, noise, motion, shadow, reflections, breath, even where you look. Up close, I believe an animal can sense you looking at its eye. These predatory skills distinguish you from shooters who lob bullets from afar. Failures up close are instructive—and they let you keep hunting!

Credit orange paint (and a GreyBull/Leupold scope) for five consecutive; 500-yard hits from prone.

13. What current trends in hunting concern you?

Concerns? The substitution of videos for written hunting stories requires less investment from the consumer: less thought, less imagination. All is laid bare in images and sound. Something is lost in that trade. Also, the emphasis on explicit killing on-screen seems disproportionate, given the time and effort most hunters invest for each shot at big game. People who don't hunt get a skewed image of traditional hunting—and by some standards, not an appealing one.

14. Any advice for the next generation of hunters?

A young hunter, or one new to field sports, will eventually find useful the admonition of the late outfitter Jack Atcheson: "Hunt while you're young!" As youth slips too quickly by, they might also consider leaving their egos at home. In some circles, hunting has become more a contest between hunters than between the hunter and his/her quarry. At that point, success tilts heavily to the hunters with the most opportunity, and the joy of simply being afield is diminished. 

Read Some of Wayne van Zwoll's Fair Chase Articles