What are laws in TX for handgun shooting outside?

[newbie4help]

Can you go to public land and shoot at targets with handguns? What are the rules on this. I only know Michigan rules.

Also, anyone know good places around Houston?

 

[Flash!]

I do not know of any public land to shoot and the ranges in Houston suck big time....they charge per gun, not per person or per hour. There are several private clubs with their own private ranges. Thats the way to go in Houston....

 

[yongxingfreesty]

those places that charge per gun.....

i like to bring my glock 27 w/ .357sig, 9mm and .22lr conversion slide.

they cant charge me for 4 guns now can they?

 

[Big Boomer]

Public land?!? What's that?!?

This is TEXAS remember...

If you find this mythical place let me know. I've been searching for years!

 

[newbie4help]

Dammit. So where do people HUNT around there??? My mom's pad is down in Brazoria County about 45 minutes from H-town - there's got to be hunting in the more rural parts away from the 'burbs right?

And can somebody please explain what it means when a range "charges by the gun?" Does that mean if I bring one gun it'll be really cheap and I can use it nonstop all day if I wanted? The only range I've ever been to charged per hour.

 

[TexasRifleman]

Public land in Texas? That's pretty funny......

No Texas was for the most part railroad land and privately owned by the time it was admitted to the union and for a short time afterwards.
Very little land was kept for public use unfortunately.

Hunting leases "by the gun" usually mean per hunter. In other words if you are taking your 8 year old kid with you and he doesn't shoot he won't likely be charged but if you show up with a kid and 2 guns you'll probably be expected to pay for 2 hunters.

 

[skinewmexico]

Texas wasn't settled by the Federal government, so there is very little public land. But there is some, I've read in the hunting section on this forum.

 

[newbie4help]

Thanks TexasRifleman. Interesting bit of Texas history

I was wondering though what "per gun" means at the gun RANGE - somebody mentioned above that all of Houston's ranges charge "per gun" rather than per hour - what does that mean? Specifically I am wondering if this means you can shoot for as many hours as you like - that seems like quite a better deal than $10 per half hour like my range up here in Michigan (unless it's some exorbitant rate of course).

Does anyone know the going "per gun" rate in Houston and whether you can just shoot all day once you pay for your gun?

Also, what are the good private clubs and what does membership require/entail?

Thanks!!!

 

[nalioth]

...they charge per gun, not per person or per hour.

Pasadena Gun Center charges per person. No time limit unless they're busy. Bring as many guns as you want. They also rent NFA weapons there ( full auto stuff ).

 

[txgho1911]

Brazoria County is the forgotten land of the lost in the past 5 years. Everyone who cannot move away from houston are crowding into Brazoria Co and from what I have observed 90% of the new construction is low on the flood plain. Grew up there. Can raise more head of cattle per acre than any other county in the country. That was not acres per head. Hot and humid and cannot throw a rock around my folks place without hitting a new house on what used to be Pierce or Moon Lake ranches.

 

[newbie4help]

Txgho: "hot and humid" is the name of the game for the entire Gulf Coast. It's definitely developed insanely fast. I grew up in a burb that was already highly developed, but I am amazed each year how many new developments there are.

Personally I like the developments north of Houston much better like the Woodlands. I prefer to stay in "civilization" near Downtown

 

[FlyinBryan]

dont know about public land

only shoot on private land myself.

and sometimes at the range, which charges by the head.

10 bux, all day for non members.

7 all day for members, any range, and any amount of guns.

if you look i think you can find a decent home base range.

goodluck

 

[Rob G]

Not sure what part of Houston you're in, but if it's NW side you might consider these two.

1. Hot Wells (outdoor), NW off 290. $8 no time limit, no gun limit
2. Shiloh (indoor) Willowbrook area $16 no time limit, no gun limit

 

[wdlsguy]

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) offers a variety of hunting opportunities through two public hunting systems. The $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit provides nearly year-round hunting on approximately 1.2 million acres of land. The increasingly popular dove hunting areas are offered through this system.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/

Hot Wells charges per gun:

http://www.hotwellsshootingrange.com/rifle.htm

 

[Texan]

Can you go to public land and shoot at targets with handguns? What are the rules on this. I only know Michigan rules.

Also, anyone know good places around Houston?

Newbie, check out the site below. We have quite a bit of 'public' land up in the Panhandle especially along the Canadian River and Red River areas. There's also quite a bit that we've hunted down south in the Alpine, Marfa and Presidio areas. But all of these are quite a hop-skip-and jump from the Houston.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/hunt/public/

o~\o

 

[springmom]

For practice, American Shooting Centers is nice...has rifle ranges out to 300 yards. I personally shoot at Carter's Country up in north Harris County. Both charge by the gun, yes, and you can stay as long as you can hold up in the heat and humidity. Which, in the summer, is a challenge....

You can hunt in the Sam Houston National Forest, about an hour north. But there is no "plinking" up there anymore. The forest is used all year round by folks who ride horses and trail bikes, as well as birdwatchers and such. They used to have at least one practice range, but it's been taken down for years.

HTH.

Springmom

 

[db_tanker]

You can hunt in the Sam Houston National Forest, about an hour north. But there is no "plinking" up there anymore. The forest is used all year round by folks who ride horses and trail bikes, as well as birdwatchers and such. They used to have at least one practice range, but it's been taken down for years.

And I almost wept when that happened...that was where I shot my first FAL.

 

[Monkeybear]

How wells is per gun, which is nice if you are bringing a group of people who are going to use your guns. I went with 4 friends and one AR. We were there for hours for just $7. Not sure what they charge now.

Top Gun Range is per hour. $15 per hour so I have not yet used their range. Its indoor so I may swing by there for some pistol practice.

Summer is almost here in Houston and as shooting season ends I'll have till winter to stock up on ammo.

 

[biggiesmalls]

actually, the outdoor range in houston called American Shooting Centers charges a flat range fee plus an additional fee per gun, so after you pay your flat rate plus additional gun fee, you can shoot all day. in austin and garland there's an outdoor range called Eagle Peak and they only charge flat rate with no gun limit. the most ridiculous thing i've seen is Red's Shooting Range in austin where they charge BOTH per hour and per gun. that's highway robbery and i don't shoot there. i've been to an indoor range in plano that charges like that too. $13/hr plus $7/additional gun. disgusting.

 

[MechAg94]

When I was in Clear Lake, I used an indoor pistol range call Marksman's Gun Range. It is on HW3 near Hobby Airport (opposite side of I-45 from Hobby). They charge per person last time I was there. The air can get pretty thick when they are busy, but they are open 7 days a week until 10 PM every night. No lead ammo, magnum ammo and such, but you can bring your own stuff.

There is a rifle range near League City and Kemah that charges per gun. I remember a pistol range off Clear Lake City Blvd, but I don't remember where. My CHL class shot there.

Just North of Brazoria, there is Greenwood Gun Club. It is private. I think Bayou Rifles is closer to Pearland (private also). There is another private range on the North side of Alvin.

 

[MechAg94]

I grew up running around my Grandmother's land. We shot on it all the time.

With private land for hunting, you have to remember that Hunting is allowed as an activity that will get you an agricultural exemption for property taxes so there is a lot of land out there that is available for hunting leases.

As far as History, you also should know that the Texas Legislature doled out a lot of land to men and/or their families who fought in the Texas Revolution from Mexico. You can find some web sites that talk about that.

 

[Flash!]

yes....most ranges in Houston charge per gun.... if 1 person takes one gun lets say it's $8...that same person takes 2 guns it's $16....three guns $24.....and so on.... that is why I joined a private club.... $50 per year, no extra charges....range is private and open 365 days per year...only rules are no alcohol, no full auto, and one guest at a time if they want to shoot.

 

[Texan]

I'm having all kinds of problems trying to figure out WHY ranges are charging a per gun fee vs a lane fee. All ranges up in this part of the country charge a 'per lane' fee. You occupy a lane for say an hour for a fee, what difference does it make which gun or how many guns you shoot. ????

I ran this my our range master yesterday and he just laughed and said "if he tried anything like that they'd have him holding the targets". He was also perplexed as to how they could justify that way of charging.

This just blows my mind.

o~\o

 

[Flash!]

its really stupid...but people keep going..... I used to live in Fort Worth and went to the Alpine Range about a 10 minute drive from where I lived....this was about three years ago but they charged $7.50 per shooter and didn't care how many guns I brought or how long I stayed.... (except the weekend before opening day of deer season). I went into shock when I moved to Houston and found the per gun charge..... it did not take long for me to find a private range without the BS of the public ranges..... I'm still amazed that people still go to Hot Wells or Carter Country or any of the dozen or so other ranges that charge per gun.... It might be a good deal if several people go and there is only one gun for the whole group..... but it is not good for people like me who will take 10 to 12 guns every time I go to the range....

 

[hirundo82]

Top Gun Range is per hour. $15 per hour so I have not yet used their range. Its indoor so I may swing by there for some pistol practice.

They say they charge per hour, but I've never seen it enforced. I think they only enforce it when the range is full and other people are waiting.