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O is for One Arm Dove Hunt

One Arm Dove Hunt in Olney, TX (photo by Tui Snider)
One Arm Dove Hunt in Olney, TX (photo by Tui Snider)

The One Arm Dove Hunt in Olney, Texas

In 1972, while hanging out at the local drugstore, Olney residents, Jack Northrup and Jack Bishop, decided to have a little fun with strangers seated nearby who were obviously eavesdropping on them. I should add that around the town of Olney, Northrup and Bishop are known as the “One Armed Jacks” since both men are missing upper-limbs.

It all started with a joke…

The two Jacks began describing how much they enjoy hunting with bolt-action rifles and muzzle-loaded shotguns. Although they kept straight faces, this was a joke; it’s impossible to shoot either of those guns with only one arm.

10 Cents per Finger Breakfast & other Traditions

What started as a bit of mischief has grown into an annual tradition in Olney. Every September, the city hosts its One Arm Dove Hunt. This two-day festival includes events such as a one-armed skeet shoot, a one-armed horseshoe tossing, a one-armed cow-chip tossing, as well as a “10 cents per finger” breakfast.

And, yes, there actually is a dove hunt, although the hunting contests are beside the point. The main purpose of this unique festival is to provide fun and fellowship for men, women, and children who are missing upper-limbs.

Follow me on Instagram & I’ll follow you back!

I’ve gone from turning up my nose at the idea of cell phone pictures, to being an avid iPhone photographer, which is why my theme for the 2014 A to Z blog challenge is Instagram Travel Photos. If you are on Instagram, I’d be delighted to follow you. Simply follow my photo feed (@TuiSnider) on Instagram and I’ll follow you back!

For more, check out my collaboration with Morgan Dragonwillow. Morgan used my iPhone photos to accompany her poems in a book called Wild Woman Waking. Check it out!

What is the April A to Z Blog Challenge?

Each April, people from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then use the blog hop linky to visit as many other bloggers as you can.

My A to Z Inspired Book: Unexpected Texas

I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my blog during the A to Z Challenge last year, because it convinced me to take the self-publishing plunge. On March 2, 2014, I released Unexpected Texas as a paperback and eBook and it quickly became an Amazon Best Seller!

Check out other A to Z blogs below:

Check out the other participants of the A to Z Challenge 

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Tui Snider
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Published inTravel Photo Essays

9 Comments

  1. You have certainly found some obscure things! Who knew a practical joke could be turned into an annual festival?

  2. Tui, Hilarious…Now I just have to go to this quirky little Texan town. This is the kind of stuff I absolutely love!

  3. Very cool, and it seems very Texan to turn this “disability” into a yearly challenge and tradition!

  4. What an amazing tradition! And so cool that it started as a joke conversation.

  5. Fun and fellowship for men, women, and children — that is precisely what I like most about festivals introducing me to various traditions. A great way to learn about our fellow earthlings. Thanks for including this story.
    Had fun chatting on AZchat today.

    Best,
    Silvia @
    SilviaWrites

  6. What an awesome tradition! I love that you are doing a travel theme! Maybe next year, I’ll try for a theme. ;)

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