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Six years ago I was house shopping in Central Texas, having relocated from RI. I wanted to get a place out in the country where I could shoot. So at every place I looked at, I would ask someone (the owner, the Realtor, etc.) whether shooting was allowed in the area. I remember one place I looked at, a 10 acre parcel with a decent house and a couple of tanks. I asked the owner if you could shoot there and he said, "Of course you can. I do it all the time." So I looked around the mostly flat landscape and asked, "Where do you do it?" He said, "Right over there.", and pointed to where I could see a tree with a piece of plywood nailed to it.

I didn't say any more, but I thought, "This guy's nuts!" Either that, or people sure are different around here. Everywhere I had ever shot outdoors in the Northeast, there was a high earthen berm for a backstop. I couldn't believe that someone on 10 acres would shoot at a piece of plywood.

I finally found a place in Smithville on 7.5 acres. A few months later, I picked out a likely spot, rented a big backhoe / front loader combo, and pushed up a decent berm around 8 feet high. I'd like it to be higher, but it was all the machine would do.

My nearest neighbor is around 300 yards behind the backstop, through dense woods. As long as I'm careful not to elevate the muzzle, I'm OK. That's where I practice bullseye at 25 yards. I also do some draws from a holster with my carry gun, but this is done from much closer range.

I've shot bullseye for many years and feel that I know what I'm doing, so I think I am safe with this setup. But I wouldn't want to break in a new shooter, unless under CLOSE supervision. (I'm an NRA certified instructor.)

These guys that shoot at pieces of wood are out of their minds.