Here is a good idea, I don't go shoot on property that is not mine or I don't have permission to be on in advance. Just cause a place doesn't have a sign doesn't mean it's OK to set up targets and start shooting, or for that matter even be there for any real reason.

there are very specific trespass laws in Texas, I have had to read up on them so I know what I can and can not do here at the ranch (private hunting property so poaching and illegal shooting are a thing).

Trespassing
How can I properly post my property?
Section 30.05, Texas Penal Code, provides that a person commits an offense if the person enters or remains on property of another without effective consent, and the person:

had notice that the entry was forbidden, or
received notice to depart, but failed to do so.
"Notice" means: an oral or written communication by the owner or someone with apparent authority to act for the owner; or fencing or other enclosure obviously designed to exclude intruders or to contain livestock; or a sign or signs posted on the property reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders, indicating that entry is forbidden; or the placement of identifying purple paint marks on trees or posts on the property. If purple paint is used, then the purple paint must be vertical lines of not less than eight inches in length and not less than one inch in width; placed so that the bottom of the mark is not less than three feet from the ground or more than five feet from the ground; and placed at locations that are readily visible to any person approaching the property and no more than: 100 feet apart on forest land or 1,000 feet apart on land other than forest land.

Additionally, the visible presence on the property of a crop grown for human consumption that is under cultivation, in the process of being harvested, or marketable if harvested at the time of entry is considered "notice" that entry is forbidden.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/habitats/faq/law_enforcement/trespass1.phtml#:~:text=Section%2030.05%2C%20Texas%20Penal%20Code,but%20failed%20to%20do%20so.


your best bet is to call the game warden and get them out, the people you ran into may have been poaching or trespassing themselves. you can find the owner easy enough with a trip to the county seat and look up the plat if you want to go that far.

if the property was not marked and the people who showed up could not prove ownership then you had a right to be there, the guns changed that. no posting leaves it open to access imo.

I will add this, any time I go out on the property I am armed and the 3 incidents I have had were with others who were armed.

gw got the first ones, poaching in the middle of the night with a polaris on our property and entered through another posted property. they were caught red handed and the gws hauled them off.

the other 2, one was a simple mistake by a hunter that was allowed on neighboring property, phone call and directions to where he was supposed to be and it was over.
the other one was someone sneaking in to deer hunt, owned about 1.5 acres that joined our property (we now own it), had come in and built a tree stand and got caught in the act while sitting in it. took his gun and walked him out with words to the effect that next time I will just shoot you since you are armed on private property.


people who try to stop trespassers have to watch out for detaining them, you could possibly be brought up on kidnap charges for not allowing them to leave. per mcgee one of our gws. there are other instances that could cause problems if you don't just let them leave.


point being, you did right and they were wrong for pointing weapons at you or your kids. you might try contacting the owner and asking permission to target shoot if done in a safe area.

I wouldn't be going up to Gay Hill anymore...

Nothing good happens up on gay hill.

hope you continue to post here.. don't take it personally, its just a different time and folks on all sides are upset with life..

Confronting an armed person is certainly the one of the greatest tests of diplomacy one can ever experience. I've only had to do it once, and I hope I never have to do it again.

I don't believe charging in pointing a shotgun at a father and kids plinking with a 22 is appropriate, but I can allow just a little grace for the landowners who were likely scared and didn't know the right way to handle the situation.

No No No, Don't give in. It can only get better from here. You can't throw in the towel at this point!

If you arrange such games on the territory near the school, then such a reaction may be justified.

If the property owners pointed weapons at the trespassers they were out of line. However, the simplest way to stay straight is to keep in mind that if you don't own it someone else does, and you need their permission. The absence of signage or a fence is not a free pass to enter the property; there is no statutory requirement to post property or fence property to prevent trespass. If, however, the property is not posted, a much more diplomatic approach to trespassers would be appropriate. Sadly, a whole lot of people don't respect fences or signs, and many property owners who have to deal with blatant trespassers on a frequent basis have lost patience.

Things are different up there around Lubbock, it seems. When you can go miles in any direction and not see anything but ag land, pump jacks and power poles, it kinda feels like you can just pull over and plink anywhere you want, but that's just not the case. I go up there every year to dove hunt on the folks' cotton farms and more often than not we run into other hunters on them that had no permission being there. One year it was a GUIDE with 6 paying hunters set up on one of the corners. Another year, some Tech students were set up with GoPros, dogs and Mojo doves all over the place trying to make some YouTube videos. Granted, I have never pointed firearms at any of them but they dang sure knew I was armed. LOL We always told these folks if they want to hunt the farm the following season to reach out a couple months ahead of time and we could probably work something out but they never did. Too many "free" leases up there, I guess?

Dial up slow that way?

When I trespass, I try not to make a lot of noise like shooting a gun when I’m doing it. Maybe that makes me better at being a trespasser than others, I just don’t know. Possibly I have been doing it wrong all these years.

I am glad you posted this, I have learned....
If you gonna go to gay hill and shoot gourds, you better watch out for the men hiding in the bushes