Looks like I'm the new kid on the North American Hunter block, so I should probably take a moment to introduce myself. First, as you can see in my photo (left), I have enough grey hair that I'm not a "kid" anymore. Yes, there's even more grey under the hat. But I console myself with the thought that at least there's hair.

Part of the reason it went grey is 35 years of work in law enforcement. And it now seems like I was that kid when, like all rookies, I started doing street-level policing. However, opportunity and invitation soon coincided and I moved on to join the tactical team, working in various roles there until another opportunity presented itself—training as a forensic firearm examiner. Today, with more than 20 years of forensics under my belt, I'm retired and able to hunt and write full time. That's how I ended up here, as the "Predator Professor."

I'll confess to being a serious predator and small game hunter and having suffered with that affliction for more than 40 years, but I'm not sure about the "professor" part. I'll concede that I'm old enough to be a professor, but the title makes me sound like I know what I'm doing. And anyone who has spent as much time chasing coyotes and other predators as I have, knows that too often the predators are teaching the lessons, not the hunter. Usually I feel more like a Predator Student than a Predator Professor. However, I do love to share the things I've learned and I look forward to the opportunity to do that in this blog.

Take a look at the coyote in the photo below. I managed to take a picture of him while on a scouting trip last fall. One look at this guy tells the predator hunter what he's up against: a cunning, patient and watchful adversary equipped with senses that put ours to shame. To successfully hunt him is a worthy undertaking and a significant achievement. Whether harvesting fur or controlling populations on the behalf of farmers and ranchers, hunting the hunters is an adrenaline-laced method of contributing to wildlife management. Maybe that's why I'm hooked on it. You see, I know lots of people who are better hunters than I am, but I don't know anyone who has more fun doing it.

So, join me as we share lessons in predator hunting. We'll cover the hunt, the gear and the techniques needed to be successful. In the summer off-season we'll chase various burrowing and flying varmints and we'll always be tweaking our equipment for the next hunt. I can guarantee we'll have lots of fun, that class will constantly be in session and there will always be another lesson to learn.

And please, offer your advice and comments as we polish our predator and varmint hunting skills together.