A full-time journalist for the outdoors press, Wayne van Zwoll lives in central Washington state with his wife Alice. His work has appeared in more than two dozen magazines, including Field & Stream and Outdoor Life. He has published seven books and several hundred articles on firearms, optics, and hunting. Wayne currently writes the shooting column for Mule Deer magazine; is on staff at Rifle Shooter and Guns & Ammo; and has been shooting editor for Bugle magazine for 12 years. He also edits the specifications section of Shooter's Bible. Once a contract photographer for the U.S. Forest Service, he has guided big-game hunters in Utah and Wyoming and served as one of the first field directors for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

Wayne is a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club and a competitive shooter as well, with two state smallbore titles. He presents seminars on shooting, optics, and biggame hunting at sports shows, teaches marksmanship, and runs a Wyoming outdoor skills camp for women. In 1996 he was named Shooting Sports Writer of the Year by the Outdoor Writers Association of America.