Legality of Shooting On Own Land

[damien]

I am a city slicker, but what I want to know is a rural question so I figured I'd ask it here. If one was to own rural land that was well outside of established city limits, what are the laws regarding shooting on it? Specifically, the state would be Texas. I am giving some thought to moving down there. I wonder if I should live in the city again or possibly buy a large tract out in the middle of nowhere with a house on it (or build a house). It may just be fantasy, but indulge me for a little bit.

What would the correct amount of land be if you wanted to shoot out to 200 yards?

1 acre = 43,560 square feet

600 feet x 600 feet = 360,000 square feet / 43,560 square feet/acre = 8.26 acres. Obviously you would want quite a bit more, unless your land was highly rectangular. Even then, you wouldn't want to bother neighbors (assuming there were any). 50 acres then? 100? It seems like a lot of Texas is not particularly expensive, even areas only an hour outside of a major metro area.

Does anyone live in a similar way? Am I being highly anti-social wanting to live in the middle of nowhere?

 

[Regolith]

Am I being highly anti-social wanting to live in the middle of nowhere?

Yes, but there ain't nothing wrong with that.

Personally, I'd want somewhere between 50 and 100 acres to shoot on, with something to serve as a good backstop. But then, I'm paranoid about where I shoot, so I may be over doing things.

As for laws: you'd have to check the local laws specifically. Some places, you can't shoot within a certain distance of city limits. Others, its within a certain distance of any kind of structures. You'd need to check local laws on the matter, and take that into account before you purchase the land and build your shooting range.

 

[Leanwolf]

If you're not going to live within a city's limits, make certain to check with the county District Attorney's office for any restrictions on shooting on your own property in an unincorporated area.

Better safe than sorry.

L.W.

 

[Larry Ashcraft]

We have 35 acres in southern Colorado. It's legal here as long as you don't cause problems for the neighbors.

I try to make sure no projectiles leave our property, so we shoot into a berm I built in the back yard.

The only exceptions to that are when we are shooting clays and pellets may land (harmlessly) in the neighbor's pasture, or when I shoot a coyote that is crossing his pasture. That's not a problem for him, in fact, he encourages it (he's a cattle feeder).

I do use a different public range for most of my high power rifle shooting, and limit around the house shooting to handguns, rimfires and shotguns, except for the occasional coyote shot with a 25-06.

 

[Soybomb]

I believe its usually the county that would have laws on how far away from other residences you must be to shoot, etc.

 

[springmom]

We just bought 22.6 acres outside Llano, Texas (hill country area) with a 1 bedroom, 1 bath cabin, tool shed, great well, several ponds and a creek (mostly wet weather except for one pond which is fed from the well as needed). We got a good buy on it, were the first to see it and snapped it right up. We spent months looking before this, and there are a few things to share:

If you want 200 acres, be prepared to pony up some very serious money. Gone are the days when land was cheap anywhere. There are some parcels out near Rock Springs, which is outside the back of beyond, and when we made some noises about interest in that both our buyers agent AND the seller said "you don't want to live there". Also, realize that the land may need to have electricity run onto it, which costs $9.00 per foot beyond a certain distance (check the local electrical coop for info). If the land doesn't have a good well, you will need to have one or more dug. You will want to get land that has a 1-d-1 open space exemption for property tax purposes (also known as an "ag exemption") and keep that exemption. It makes a huge difference in your yearly tax.

When we got our 22.6 acres, we got land that is bordered by much larger ranches. That can be an ideal setup. Ours was "cut off" from the rest of a much larger ranch many years ago when SH 29 was put in between Llano and Mason; and there are little parcels like that out here to be had.

I cannot stress enough that you need a GOOD buyer's agent. One that knows the area, the people, the issues, the market. I can put you in touch with ours if you're interested in the hill country.

As for shooting....I can't WAIT to get our targets set up. We have a pond not far from the cabin that is shored up with quite a high berm. Can you say, "Backstop"? LOL. The folks who owned it before us had a 100 yard setup down past the pond and he also had a clay thrower for shotgunning. Here again is the benefit of being surrounded by huge ranches.... no houses to avoid (except ours, of course).

For now, this is a weekend/vacation place (not every weekend, of course, but as many as we can) and eventually we will build a house and retire there. For you, where you buy has a lot to do with what you do for a living and where you can make a living here. We live in the Houston area, and our place is about 4 hours away...a long drive, but worth it to us. You have to decide what you want, where you want it, and find a good agent who can help you. Be prepared to spend a LOT of time researching and looking at places, though. With patience, you can find some good buys out there.

Good luck!

Springmom

 

[damien]

Springmom, I am thinking somewhere outside of Austin and the area you are in is close to the area I am looking. I just want to be less than an hour from Austin (in light traffic), so probably a little bit to the east of where you are. If this goes anywhere I certainly will be asking for your agent, assuming he or she does that area. Right now I am looking at a few sites that specialize in this sort of thing to see what the asking prices are like and what is generally available.

Thanks to everyone for the good info so far.

 

[SeanMTX]

In the State of Texas, you need to have 10 acres minimum to hunt/shoot on.

There are some 'bargains' out there (28.6 acres just outside of Corsicana for $50k), but don't count on it. Hill country (near Austin & San Antonio) is very expensive, but BEAUTIFUL....you'll get cheaper land along the border, but I caution about illegals running through it. Apparently that happens more often than you'd think.

IMO, stick with something outside of the city...say an hour and a half or so. That way, you can get into a major metropolitan area if needed, and you're still pretty much removed from any of the hustle & bustle.


Oh...since I gave you this WONDERFUL advice, you'll be sure to let me come and shoot right??

 

[damien]

In the State of Texas, you need to have 10 acres minimum to hunt/shoot on.

Is this a law? 5 acres backed up to a huge tract of farmland is probably safer than 20 acres backed up to a town line. Hitting clays is less dangerous than someone shooting a centerfire rifle and missing a berm (as unlikely as that is to happen). In any case, 10 acres is less than what I am considering.

Also, I have a friend in the hills outside of Austin. She has a neighbor that shoots handguns on his land - he only has 3 acres (he built a berm). Not saying that what he is doing is legal, but he gets away with it.

 

[M2 Carbine]

I've got 19 acres west of Ft Worth.
I've got a backyard range and 110 yard range.
Been shooting on it since the late 1960's.


Make sure you get the mineral rights on any land you get.
You never know. The mineral rights could end up being worth more than the land.

 

[Hook686]

Congratulations springmom. That 'land grab' sounds ideal and a good find. Now you can change your handle to 'Luckymom'.

Enjoy your escapes from Houston.

 

[TallPine]

It just depends on the particular property: the terrain and how close it is to other structures.

We have 40 acres that doesn't hardly have a flat spot on it. My "range" is a natural bowl in the hill behind the house - probably about 50' high on three sides. People shoot around here a lot - just this afternoon I heard somebody rapid firing ( 9mm? ) off to the north which reminded me I need to get out and shoot again. It's been cold and windy and messy lately.

I will say that 40 acres seemed huge when we moved out here from town, but now it seems like a postage stamp. I'd rather have about 4000 acres

Also, even though it's pretty and there's lots of hills for backstop, it's hard to find a flat spot to do anything - like build a bigger riding "arena" like we are planning now. And sometimes I dream about getting a sport plane license and some little puddle-jumper but there's really no way to put even an STOL airstrip on our land.

Congratulations, springmom

 

[dracphelan]

I believe the minimum is 10 acres. However, contact the county sheriff's department. They should be able to tell you how much land you will need to legally shoot on.

 

[igpoobah]

You can get away with just about anything if you can keep the neighbors from calling you in.

You're only in trouble if you get caught and if no one calls the fuzz, then you can't get caught, eh?

 

[MaterDei]

I have 10 acres of unrestricted land about an hour from Houston. My property is pretty close to square and I can shoot 200 yards. If you shoot diagonally across your property you can maximize the distance. In your 600X600 example, shooting diagonally will give you 848 ft. which is almost 300 yards.

There is no state mandated law regarding shooting/hunting that I'm aware of. If you've got a half acre lot, a berm, and no deed or city restrictions then fire away.

 

[Ought Six]

The *only* legal advice you should ever accept on the net is someone telling you that you need to contact local authorities instead of listening to people on the net. You are responsible for knowing the law, and you will bear the consequences if you are caught breaking it. "I asked a guy on a gun board and he told me...." will not cut any ice with a judge or prosecutor (though it may get a laugh).

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

My folks have 15 acres that we shoot on (I'm in a suburban area within city limits of a small town so I can't at my place but they live close) that is on the side of a mountain so one side of the property is a big backstop. We've got a few target frames and are thinking about building a dueling tree. Usually as long as you are outside of city limits and the neighbors aren't anti you are good, but check local ordnances. When my dad was checking out the land for the first time he noticed the next door neighbor had a shooting bench about 100yds from a nice backstop so that was a factor. Meet the neighbors before buying if you can and find out where they stand to save a lot of headache.

 

[ColinthePilot]

Slightly off topic, but I think it fits. Would any of you who do shoot on your own land allow others to shoot there? Specifically, I live in the San Antonio area, but I'm a little tired of all the restrictions at public use ranges, i.e. no rapid fire, paper targets only, etc. I'm seriously thinking about putting something up on craigslist to ask any of the local landowners if they would be willing to let me shoot on their private ranges. Of course I would abide by any rules they set forth, clean up after myself and I'd even be willing to pay similar fees as the local public ranges, maybe more. Is this realistic or am I just dreaming?

 

[biggiesmalls]

colinthepilot: make friends with landowners. i'm lucky to have 3 landowning friends and i probably never have to buy any land unless i hook up with their sisters or something, lol.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

goodneighbors are priceless
i live on a measley three acres but am surrounded by marines and rednecks mt lots in the middle with a hill 120 feet high so we all shoot here works grear

 

[Regolith]

Slightly off topic, but I think it fits. Would any of you who do shoot on your own land allow others to shoot there? Specifically, I live in the San Antonio area, but I'm a little tired of all the restrictions at public use ranges, i.e. no rapid fire, paper targets only, etc. I'm seriously thinking about putting something up on craigslist to ask any of the local landowners if they would be willing to let me shoot on their private ranges. Of course I would abide by any rules they set forth, clean up after myself and I'd even be willing to pay similar fees as the local public ranges, maybe more. Is this realistic or am I just dreaming?

This is going to depend entirely on the individual. Me, I'd let a friend shoot on my land (If I had any*, anyway ), but I probably wouldn't let a total stranger. I'd imagine most others would feel that way, but there may be one or two people who sympathize enough that they might let you.

*Land, that is.

 

[bill in IN]

You can still shoot on your own land in most of IL, at least all of it that I know of. The amount needed will vary according to the surroundings and topography, and of course the neighbors.

 

[Vermont]

damien, don't forget diagonals!

On a 600 by 600 foot tract, you would have a 282 yard diagonal distance! Math is fun.

 

[alfair]

I would never purchase less than 10 acres. If there is a law that could be the minimum set requirement, maybe I'm just paranoid! You know how tightly regulated everything has become. You should contact your specific county. If I remember correctly 10 acres is also the minimum that you could apply for an AG exemption, which I've heard a more difficult to get.

Here’s a little info on “inside of cities”…

Cities are also now specifically prohibited from regulating shooting on certain defined lands: 1 - if the gun is a shotgun, air gun, BB gun or bow and arrow, on 10 acres or more and not within 150 feet of a residence or occupied building on another property, if it is fired in a way that is unlikely to cross a property line, or 2 - for a centerfire or rim fire pistol or rifle of any caliber on 50 acres, not within 300 feet of a residence or occupied building on another property, and in a way not likely to cross a property line. The defined lands include those within the extraterritorial jurisdiction of a city, or areas annexed after Sep. 1, 1981

Here’s the link: http://www.gunlaws.com/tgogup3.htm

 

[SlipperyShooter]

Build a Range

We have 80+ acres that has a natural, steep hillside we use as a backstop. We cleared a range that is 97 yards (wanted 100, but a beautiful oak tree that we didn't want to cut down limited that a bit). Build a bench at 25 yards for handguns and then one at 97 for rifle.

If you don't have a natural hillside, just pay someone a few hundred bucks with a bulldozer to "make" one for you.

Biggest thing is local laws and "be sure of what is beyond your target."