One-Arm Dove Hunt

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The 'One-Arm Dove Hunt' is an annual two-day attraction, held on the first weekend after Labor Day in the small town of Olney, Texas.

The attraction is a series of events designed for participation by persons who are missing all or parts of one upper limb (whether by amputation or birth), and bills itself as "Texas Most Unusual Event".

The Hunt is the creation of two local residents, Jack Northrup and Jack Bishop (a/k/a "The One-Armed Jacks"), both of whom have had a limb amputated at the shoulder. In 1972, while sitting at the local drugstore, in order to harass two eavesdropping strangers the Jacks loudly began discussing how they planned to go hunting with their muzzle-loaded shotguns and bolt-action rifles. The discussion was meant as a joke – either firearm would be next to impossible to operate with only one limb – but eventually the Jacks did hold an actual One-Arm Dove Hunt, attended by six Olney residents who had lost arms (mainly due to oilfield accidents) and others who had heard of the event through the grapevine.

The event grew quickly, spread only by word of mouth, so the Jacks expanded the event to two days and included events such as one-armed trap-shooting, one-arm horseshoes, cow-chip throwing, and a "10-cents a finger" breakfast on the day of the hunt. The primary purpose of the event, though, is for upper-limb amputees to exchange stories, find friendship and support, and swap tips for living with missing upper-limbs, as well as providing the small community an annual revenue-generating event.