Sam Houston National Forest recreational shooting

[Coon]

After seeing the subject of the Biden administration trying to ban recreational shooting on certain public lands, it brought to mind the fact that recreational shooting is prohibited in the SHNF. I was wondering if there was a way to try to get that changed. Anyone got any ideas or insight about this?

 

[Lonesome Dove]

That's all Federal land?
whole new rule book.

 

[Lead Belly]

After seeing the subject of the Biden administration trying to ban recreational shooting on certain public lands, it brought to mind the fact that recreational shooting is prohibited in the SHNF. I was wondering if there was a way to try to get that changed. Anyone got any ideas or insight about this?

They used to allow shooting in the forest, but you know.... people.

Sam Houston National Forest target area?

Searching old threads indicates there was once an area west of Conroe (?) within Sam Houston National Forest that was authorized for target shooting, but it was closed a decade ago due to trash being left on the ground. (Twenty years ago, there was a similar area somewhere around Huntsville. I...

www.texasguntalk.com

 

[Coon]

The way I understand it after reading quite a bit of that thread, TPW partnered with the National Forest Service and further restricted the national forest. When I become king, I'll change this!

 

[andre3k]

I remember people used to shoot out there in the late 90's and it came to a stop when folks started shooting up lawn mowers and washing machines.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

 

[Coon]

I remember people used to shoot out there in the late 90's and it came to a stop when folks started shooting up lawn mowers and washing machines.

Sent from my SM-S918U using Tapatalk

Yeah, I don't think they cared what you used as a target, but when people left their shot up junk was when it became a problem. There were several areas to shoot, but the one by stubblefield was the nicest.

 

[cbp210]

If this law was passed and signed by Biden. This would force SHNF to create a range. Last I remembered it passed in the house. https://www.texasguntalk.com/threads/explore-act-hr-6492.124802/

 

[lhecker51]

If this law was passed and signed by Biden. This would force SHNF to create a range. Last I remembered it passed in the house. https://www.texasguntalk.com/threads/explore-act-hr-6492.124802/

I find it odd that California set up a dedicated range on public land yet Texas struggles with this?

 

[Lonesome Dove]

I find it odd that California set up a dedicated range on public land yet Texas struggles with this?

Texas is 98% privately owned
California is only about 40% privately owned.

Numbers may be slightly off but not by much.

 

[cbp210]

I find it odd that California set up a dedicated range on public land yet Texas struggles with this?

I do remember certain parts of California having public ranges operated by the City or County but some were starting to shut down under the guise of safety for neighbors. What is happening to some of our ranges in Houston area also happened to the ranges in California in terms of being shut down due to safety concerns. At least here in Texas there are laws which protect range owners from certain liability and preventing the bs frivolous lawsuits from developers.

 

[benenglish]

I find it odd that California set up a dedicated range on public land yet Texas struggles with this?

What strikes me as odd (nice, but odd) is that some of the best ranges in the country are set up by (or at least under the auspices of) government entities.

Here's an example from Colorado.

Website is here: https://cameosec.org/

It can be done.

 

[equin]

Texas Parks and Wildlife does provide grants to construct and maintain a public shooting range. The landowner/investor can get reimbursed up to 90% of the costs.

Target Range Grants — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

tpwd.texas.gov

I haven’t read the requirements, but I doubt that includes the cost of insurance, though.

 

[DaBull]

They used to allow shooting in the forest, but you know.... people.

Sam Houston National Forest target area?

Searching old threads indicates there was once an area west of Conroe (?) within Sam Houston National Forest that was authorized for target shooting, but it was closed a decade ago due to trash being left on the ground. (Twenty years ago, there was a similar area somewhere around Huntsville. I...

www.texasguntalk.com

I used to shoot in the Pike National Forest outside Colorado Springs. Over the years, the usual spots started to get messy: brass, paper targets, household objects shot to pieces and left on the ground, electronics, appliances and furniture. We started picking up our stuff and as much as we could haul out to try to keep the area clean. Then they started shooting trees down. That is when the Forest Service slapped a ban on shooting.

 

[Mohawk600]

I used to shoot in the Pike National Forest outside Colorado Springs. Over the years, the usual spots started to get messy: brass, paper targets, household objects shot to pieces and left on the ground, electronics, appliances and furniture. We started picking up our stuff and as much as we could haul out to try to keep the area clean. Then they started shooting trees down. That is when the Forest Service slapped a ban on shooting.

People are assholes........most of them.

 

[benenglish]

Then they started shooting trees down. That is when the Forest Service slapped a ban on shooting.

Some shooters are anti-social idiots. Yeah, it's funny when Franklin Graham (Billy's son) talks about trying to cut down a tree with a Thompson. But doing it on land that's watched over by people whose mandate includes taking care of trees? That's just stupid.

For the real antisocial stuff, though, it's easy to find examples. I know of a range in Alaska that went to the trouble to get some railroad tracks and set them, inverted in cement, for use as target stands for steel silhouette targets. Some evil POS (that they never caught because the range was really isolated and not secure) made a hobby of going to the range with a 50 BMG rifle and punching holes in the rails at the waist of the profile. He eventually punched enough holes that the two halves could no longer stay together. There was thousands of dollars of labor and materials in that set up and some guy just wanted to destroy it for no reason I can fathom.

Hell, I have personal experience with this. I built an Olympic qualification range once for an event. I had to borrow the rapid fire target holders from the Army. They sent out a giant truck and a bunch of enlisted men to install it and left. I left it at the range (of course) and went home to get some sleep. The next morning, I arrived early at the range to find some yahoo using a .38 revolver to shoot the bloody hell out of it. The armor on the front of those things was, back then, only rated for .22LR and he was blowing holes in everything he could. Deliberately. It was only a giant stroke of luck that he didn't hit any pneumatic lines; back then the frames were powered by compressed nitrogen. But when the army came back to pick up their targets after the event, the many bullet holes severely pissed them off. The whole mess was handled by folks well above my pay grade so I don't now how it worked out but, damn, I stayed angry over that crap for months.

My apologies for the rant but, sheesh, I can't imagine what idiocy must be seen by the owners of public ranges

 

[Coon]

sheesh, I can't imagine what idiocy must be seen by the owners of public ranges

Exactly, I know the folks at BTO range in the Conroe area have a really hard time with people shooting green tip ammo and other hard projectiles on their indoor ranges. That stuff destroys the bullet stops and there are signs everywhere about using the wrong ammo, but people just lie and go try to tear stuff up, intentionally.