One should get to know there neighbors and there local hunters they would find out not all are hunting nuts . Spend regular time at your local gun ranges and you just might learn that long range shooters are also hunters and mabe your own neighbor they all zero there rifles at the gun ranges get to know them and you just might learn that most of them respect the land they hunt on even if its not there's you wouldnt beleive how many dont mix achohol with hunting either. Next time your at the gun range have a great conversation with others and be surprized at what you learn and who you might meet.
This got long. I'm going to try to lay out my region. Every place is not the same. Even if it was nobody I know is going to throw out the ya'll come hunting sign.
The nearest range to me is over an hour away. It's a private range, only $85 a year that includes NRA membership. Sometimes I go there and it's just me. It's nearly always just me on the the 300 yard range. Most people spend time on the pistol range or the 100 yard range sighting in a new rifle. If someone is there one of us will strike up a conversation. I used to drive about the same distance to a range in Katy. Both ranges have covered shooting areas. The primary difference between the small town range I go to now and the one at Katy is, if it rains, the range I go to will keep you dry. No holes in the roof. The first thing I noticed about the range in Katy was the kajillion holes shot in the roof there. I started looking for another range and I haven't been back there since.
One day, there were two guys down at the pistol range and I was shooting my .338 Edge down at the 300 yard range. The ranges are about 100 yards apart. One of the guys was in a wheelchair. The other guy started walking down after my first shot so I opened the bolt and waited for him. When he got to me we talked about my .338 for a bit and then he very politely asked me if I would wait for them to leave before I shoot it again. He had about 10 more minutes of shooting (.22LR) with his friend and when I shot my .338 it "hurt" my friend. I didn't ask why, I just said no problem. I need to clean my other rifle before I shoot it anyway. When they left they drove to where I was parked and I walked over to bs a little. The gentleman in the passenger seat looked, well, he looked terrible. He reminded me of what my dad looked like when he had cancer. He apologized for interrupting my shooting. I told him not to worry about it. He then explained that the concussion of my .338 firing hurt. I was shocked. His friend told him to tell me why and he did. The guy and his buddy were checking feeders and hoping to see a deer or hogs at the feeder. They each carried a rifle with them. It was getting close to dusk when they separated. He went to a feeder on the left side of 2 sendero's shaped like a V. His friend went to the feeder on the right. He didn't see anything so he walked back to where they split up, kneeled down, and started using his scope to see if he could see something. He said he felt something flick his right side, then his left side, and at the same time he felt his chest swell up. He never heard the shot. His friend had shot him through the guts with a hunting round in a 7mm Rem Mag. His friend thought he was a hog. The "flicks" were bullet entry and exit. It's a wonder that he lived. A lot of his internals had to be removed during surgery. He was proud of the fact that Dr. Red Duke (famous surgeon in Houston, now deceased) saved his life. I forget how many surgerys he went through. Over 20.
His long time friend and hunting partner thought he was a hog and shot him (the shooter wasn't the guy that took him to the range that day).
My closest neighbor comes in from Houston ever now and then. The 40 acres north of me is their "ranch". I have neighbors that are all family and they are strung out across 80 acres to the NE and E. Some live here full time and some visit. The people to the south are only here on the weekend. It used to be an elderly couple. I used to see them out walking from time to time but not in a while.
My little 13 acre place sits in the corner of a section. The guy that owns the rest of the section runs a legit cattle business and he also owns the 80 acres across the street from me. When my kids were younger and lived here we used to hunt and fish the 80 acres to the east. That was before the cross fencing and cows.
Every now and then I'll hear a ma deuce fire a string west of me. It's a very distinctive sound. One of the neighbors to the north sounds like he has a bump stock. I have a plate that I hang on the back yard fence. It's just right for shooting something at 50 yards and shooting pistols so they'll hear me test firing something every now and then. Point being, I have good neighbors. We wave, say hi when we pass each other when walking. etc. We don't bother each other about hunting. There's no point.
TX has had a large influx of people trying to escape the people that were elected in their state recently. Californios (not intended an insult, just a reference to some Louis L'Amour books) are flooding Austin, San Antonio, and Houston. If they live there on purpose, I'm probably not going to want to hang out with them or have them shooting a firearm anywhere near me.
When I lived in North Louisiana I was told never to ask if I could hunt on someone's property, just go hunting. Before I left "hunting clubs" were gobbling up land and painting posts purple.
New Mexico had a lot of BLM land but you have to draw a permit to hunt there.
It's been too many years since I lived in Colorado. I don't know what hunting is like there anymore. I left after the invasion started.
The long winded point to all this is - Every place is different. Nobody in TX is going to throw out the welcome, free hunting invitation. They are going to want to know the person that's shooting game off their place. Sometimes, even if you know someone, they'll accidentally shoot you...
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