Joseph Gary Crance was born in Upstate New York near his hometown of Painted Post. He spent hundreds of nights with his father and their dogs, chasing raccoon through the hills of this scenic land. After a career in the U.S. Air Force, he returned to Painted Post with his family, back to the woodland hollows of his youth. Mr. Crance is a member of the New York State Outdoor Writers Association and holds a degree in Professional Writing from Mansfield University.