I love Texas but one thing I'm a bit jealous of some of the states like New Mexico and Arizona is all the public land. I really wish I had a place I could go set up my own range and practice drills or long range shooting on like Nutnfancy does in a lot of his you tube videos. Texas is a pay to play state but at least there are jobs and a decent economy. My number one goal is to find land I can shoot on and build a shop out back to work on cars and work for myself until I can't turn another wrench. Probably gonna be a few years but I'm committed to making it happen.

I would bet there are numerous ranges in San Antonio. High end indoor shooting clubs are starting to pop up in DFW.

WE HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF FEDERAL LAND HERE IN IDAHO BUT I GAVE UP HUNTING ON ANYTHING BUT PRIVATE LAND MANY YEARS AGO.

I live in the middle of at least a half million acres of public hunting land. Here in MI, even private land hunters have to abide by state harvest regulations for wild game and purchase a state hunting license. The only exception to that are totally enclosed facilities with privately bred animals. The problems of people doing stupid things on public lands has been greatly reduced since they started requiring all hunters to take hunter safety courses. In fact, it is exceedingly rare for anyone to be hurt by the careless acts of another during the hunting seasons, in spite of nearly 1 million licensed hunters being in the fields every year. The TSMS was held at a couple different locations on public land without issue and anyone from the public is welcome to shoot there throughout the year without any permits required, or fees charged, at all. I appreciate the benefits of hunting on private land and would love to some day be able to afford hunting land of my own, which could be managed as I see fit, but until than am grateful for the abundant public hunting lands here.

We have drastically reduced the number of hunting accidents by the Hunter's Education requirement. I whole heartedly agree with the public land sentiment, being of the upper lower class(just kidding, I have no class), I am still thankful I do have public land to hunt, it is nearby, and costs me $5/year for the permit. I'm not sure how the average Joe will be able to afford to hunt in the future the way prices are going, being a disabled veteran, I do get a break in the cost of a license. My dream is to own enough property for a shooting range, hell I'd probably settle for an archery range, and enough to hunt deer, I fear elk will soon be beyond my budget. They are trying to make it so a guy with a Jeep can't get into the forest unless it's blacktop, the little 4 wheelers are in their sights as well. Fact is, more people equals more competition, we've still got room to grow, but at what expense, and around here, it's "where's the water".

Dave

that read: "If you don't like Texas, the highway that brought you here will take you back where you came from.". Texans take a dim view of transplants who came here and then complain and carp about the place. It is probably a good indicator they made a mistake coming here in the first place. Texas is not for people who can't check their alien ways of thinking at the state line. Folks will never be happy anywhere as long as they are comparing it to a place they liked better.

My family came to Texas and fought the Mexicans and Comanche to make it an Independent Republic and then a State. We have ploughed six generations of blood, sweat and tears into Texas and we didn't do it for some foreigners to move in and want it to be like where they came from. Two months back, I heard a dark skinned fellow saying he missed the smells of India. We get a mite frosty when we hear that kind of stuff. I will let you intuit what I said to him.

I appreciate all of the inputs, sounds like I better stay put, until I can find a way to move back home to Eastern Oregon (Idaho would do). I am at a disadvantage, being my Dad was an Air Force pilot, and and I was an avionics technician in the Air Force, so the only roots I had were in Oregon, and only lived there for a short while. I have lived from Alaska to South Carolina, started my education in Texas, finished in New Jersey. Once again, I appreciate the inputs, will enjoy the mts here whilst I can.