punke was born and raised in torrington, wyoming, the son of marilyn and butch punke, a high school biology teacher. he has a younger brother, tim, and a sister, amy. they engaged in various outdoor activities in the wilderness like fishing, hunting, hiking, shooting, and mountain biking. when he was a teenager, he also spent at least three summers working at the fort laramie national historic site as a "living history interpreter." he was also a debate team champion in high school, which he graduated early from to attend the university of massachusetts amherst, later transferring to george washington university, where he graduated with a degree in international affairs from the elliott school of international affairs. he later attended and received his juris doctor degree from cornell law school, where he focused on trade law, and was elected to become editor-in-chief of the "cornell international law journal".