TN Tombstone (L) Presents Owhoot Hardin SASS Regulator Badge

Good people really are recognized for their achievements, sometimes. And when it happens to a deserving person that you know, it makes it special. And that happened on July 12, 2008 at the Smoky Mountain Shootist Society’s Monthly Shoot in Oak Ridge, TN (that’s the Knoxville / Oak Ridge cowboys & cowgirls for you uninitiated). On that day, Tennessee Tombstone, Ramrod of the Smoky Mountain Shootist Society, presented Owlhoot Hardin a SASS Regulator Badge, which was an honor for Tombstone to present and for Owlhoot to receive. SASS doesn’t award Regulator Status willy-nilly. And it didn’t in this case: Owlhoot earned it. He pioneered the formation of the Smoky Mountain Shootist Society.

What was Owlhoot’s response to receiving the award? Typically, he said that several others who were present when he received the award deserved it more than he did. But he accepted the award, not for himself, but on behalf of all the original cowboys who helped to get the Smoky Mountain Shootist Society off the ground.

Here’s how Owlhoot reacts to being a SASS Regulator: “I’ve been riding the river for a long time, and I have a handful of friends who would be glad to ride it with me. That’s all the honor this cowboy aspires to. Yes, I know that’s a dangling preposition.” (Owlhoot’s a former college English professor, so he knows about stuff like that.)

When Owlhoot presented his new Regulator Badge and his gold, SASS Life Member badge for Deadman to photograph, he chuckled and said, “Here they are. I’ve never worn either one of them. You know, an owlhoot doesn’t wear a badge.” Maybe not, but this owlhoot, Owlhoot Hardin, sure wouldn’t look strange wearing either or both of these badges.

Cowboys were colorful characters, and Owlhoot Hardin demonstrates that on the range. Whether clad in a red shirt with fancy gripped pistols in his gun leather, or dandified in black frock coat, white shirt, tie and vest, he stands tall, shoots his pistols duelist style, and smokes up the range: he’s a black powder shooter.

Congratulations on receiving Regulator Status, Owlhoot! Both the Smoky Mountain Shootist Society and the Ocoee Rangers are very fortunate to have a classy cowboy like you amongst us.