The Conroe area is one of the places our customers drive in from most, and the forest, lake and city rules on your end of Montgomery County are below.
Getting here
The quickest way is I-45 north to Huntsville, then Highway 30 west to Roans Prairie, then left on Highway 90. We’re about 2 miles down on the left. It’s about 58 miles and an hour and five minutes without traffic.
You can also take Highway 105 west to Plantersville and FM 1774 north to Anderson. It’s fewer miles but takes about as long. On Texas Renaissance Festival weekends in October and November, festival traffic turns off Highway 105 onto FM 1774 in Plantersville, and the I-45 way skips that intersection.
Hunting Sam Houston National Forest
About 47,600 acres of Sam Houston National Forest are in Montgomery County, and the whole forest is public hunting land. You’ll need a Texas hunting license plus the $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit, and you register on site electronically every time you hunt. A few rules that catch people:
- General deer season there is bucks only unless you have a Forest Service antlerless permit.
- No buckshot.
- No baiting, and a stand can stay up 72 hours at most.
- No target shooting anywhere in the forest, so get your rifle zeroed before you go. We do a sight-in here for $50 a gun, thermals included, plus ammo if you don’t bring yours.
Montgomery County deer rules
Montgomery County runs on the same deer rules as Grimes County, where we are: four deer, no more than two bucks and two antlerless. A legal buck needs at least one unbranched antler or an inside spread of 13 inches or more, and only one buck can be the 13-inch kind. In general season, antlerless deer are legal from opening day, November 7, 2026, through November 29. Double-check TPWD’s rules for your county before you go.
Lake Conroe
The only hunting allowed on Lake Conroe is waterfowl, in season, with a shotgun, and only in the areas that border the national forest. No permanent blinds, and no other shooting on or across the lake (San Jacinto River Authority rules).
Shooting inside Conroe city limits
Conroe’s city code (Sec. 46-3) makes it illegal to fire a gun in city limits, with a few exceptions. A shotgun or air gun is OK on 10 acres or more at least 150 feet from anyone else’s house, and a rifle or pistol on 50 acres or more at least 300 feet away, as long as the shot can’t be expected to leave the property. Shooting ranges are also an exception. That’s how we read it, but we’re not lawyers.
Suppressors and transfers
If you’re making the hour drive for a suppressor, it goes home with you on a 4473 once your background check clears. Rifle not threaded yet? Barrel threading is $200 here, or $225 to cut to length and thread, and it’s the job our gunsmith does most. Want it registered? We’ll do the Form 4 for you. Any gun you buy online can be shipped here for a $30 FFL transfer, so one trip covers both, and Sunday works as well as Saturday.
Questions
How far is Circle Star from Conroe?
About an hour and five minutes, 58 miles, by I-45 and Highway 30.
Do I need a special permit to hunt Sam Houston National Forest?
Yes. Along with your hunting license, you need TPWD’s $48 Annual Public Hunting Permit, and you register on site each time you hunt.
Can I carry at Lone Star College?
License to Carry holders 21 and up have been able to carry concealed at Lone Star College since August 1, 2017, outside the posted gun-free areas. Open carry and long guns aren’t allowed.