Behind The Byline: John Barsness

John Barsness, a Montana native and son of two college professors, decided at an early age his path in life would include a writing career. Wasting no time in the endeavor, his first novel was published during his junior year of college — and he hasn’t stopped since.

John’s early introduction to hunting influenced his subject matter: fishing, hunting and Western history. As his talents grew — afield and with a pen — his pieces on hunting firearms piqued the interests of editors and readers alike. At the sagacious age of 20, John realized his poems weren’t going to pay the bills and he made a concentrated effort to write articles for magazines. A narrative about fly-fishing for trout in the winter was sold to Sports Illustrated at 21, and several more followed over the years. Today, over 1,500 articles have been published in over two dozen magazines (including National Geographic), and John’s written 10 books. He also enjoyed stints as an editor of three different magazines.

John’s articles are relatively new additions to the GUNS Magazine table of contents, but he has quickly gained a loyal following. In addition to appreciating GUNS for its technical slant, he enjoys writing for the magazine because, “Editor Jeff John lets me have fun while writing, which apparently also appeals to readers. I’ve always felt both writing and reading should be fun!”

John and his wife, Eileen — an accomplished hunter, writer and cook in her own right — also run a website, riflesandrecipes.com, where they produce a quarterly online magazine, Rifle Loony News. Together, they enjoy hunting, cooking and writing, especially when their travels introduce new foods and experiences that inspire their collective creativity.

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