Career
O'Connor was well known among shooters and hunters as a proponent of the .270 Winchester and 7x57mm Mauser (275 Rigby) cartridges, and for his extensive knowledge of hunting and shooting. O'Connor wrote over a dozen non-fiction books including Game in the Desert, The Rifle Book, The Complete Book of Rifles and Shotguns, The Big Game Animals of North America, The Art of Hunting Big Game in North America, and Sheep and Sheep Hunting. He also wrote two western novels, Conquest and Boom Town, and the autobiography of his formative years: Horse and Buggy West: A Boyhood on the Last Frontier.
O'Connor worked as a college professor of English and journalism until 1945, when he quit teaching to write full-time. In 2006 the Jack O'Connor Hunting Heritage and Education Center opened at Hells Gate State Park on the Snake River, near Lewiston, Idaho. Many of his big game trophies are on display there, along with other memorabilia, including his favorite .270 rifle.