Rolling Plains Ecoregion

Cottle County Wildlife Exemption

How to get — and keep — a 1-d-1 wildlife management valuation on Cottle County land: deadlines, the appraisal district, and the practices that fit this part of Texas.

Ecoregion
Rolling Plains
County seat & CAD
Paducah, Texas
Application window
January 1 – April 30
Core requirement
Approved PWD‑885 · 3 of 7 practices yearly

The wildlife exemption in Cottle County

Cottle County sits in the heart of the Rolling Plains — red dirt, mesquite rangeland, and some of the best bobwhite quail country left in America. For landowners here, the 1-d-1 wildlife management valuation is the most practical way to keep agricultural-level property taxes without running livestock.

The Rolling Plains sweep from the Caprock east across red-dirt rangeland of mesquite, shinnery oak, and native mid-grasses. This is big-sky ranch country where quail are king: the region is one of the last strongholds of huntable bobwhite populations, and wildlife management plans here often make quail the flagship species with deer and dove alongside.

White-tailed deer are abundant along the drainages and mule deer appear toward the Caprock; but it is quail management — nesting cover, brush mosaics, and half-cuts — that defines a strong wildlife program in the Rolling Plains. Typical target species for Cottle County plans include bobwhite quail, scaled (blue) quail, white-tailed deer, mule deer in western counties, Rio Grande turkey, and wintering waterfowl on playas. The recurring habitat challenges — mesquite thickening, drought cycles, loss of nesting cover from continuous grazing, and declining quail across the region — are exactly the problems a good management plan turns into qualifying work.

How it works here

Cottle County follows the statewide 1-d-1 framework (Texas Tax Code §23.51(7)); the local variables are your appraisal district's filing habits and the Rolling Plains intensity standards:

  • Start from an existing ag or timber valuation. Wildlife management is a conversion of qualified open-space land — check eligibility if your status is unclear.
  • File a wildlife management plan (TPWD form PWD‑885) with the Cottle County appraisal district, attached to Comptroller Form 50‑129, between January 1 and April 30. What goes in the plan →
  • Perform at least 3 of the 7 practices each year at Rolling Plains intensity levels — see the local examples below.
  • Document everything — dates, photos, quantities. When the chief appraiser requests an annual report (PWD‑888), you'll answer with records, not recollections.
  • No minimum acreage applies unless your tract was reduced in size in the past year — then the county's wildlife-use ratio sets one (commonly in the 12–50 acre range across Texas; confirm locally before planning a small tract).

The 7 practices, Rolling Plains-style

These are the kinds of activities appraisal districts in the Rolling Plains recognize as real management — your plan picks at least three:

1

Habitat control

Sculpting mesquite into a 60/40 grass-to-brush mosaic, deferring grazing to rebuild bunchgrass nesting cover, and managing shinnery oak dunes for quail.

2

Erosion control

Re-vegetating blowouts with native grasses, brush check-dams in red-dirt gullies, and contour ripping on compacted rangeland.

3

Predator management

Coyote and bobcat management balanced with quail nest predator control (skunks, raccoons), and feral hog trapping along rivers.

4

Supplemental water

Overflow-style quail waterers, guzzler installation on dry pastures, windmill overflow wetlands, and playa lake protection.

5

Supplemental food

Half-cutting mesquite for browse, strip-disking for croton and sunflower, milo food strips for quail and dove, and protein feeding for deer in drought.

6

Providing shelter

Half-cut mesquite covey headquarters every 50–100 yards in quail country, brush piles, and retaining lotebush and sand plum thickets.

7

Census counts

Fall covey call counts, spring whistle counts, spotlight deer surveys, and roadside quail counts on standardized routes.

Filing & the appraisal district

DateWhat happens in Cottle County
January 1Valuation date — land is judged on its use and qualification as of this day.
Jan 1 – Apr 30File Form 50‑129 with your PWD‑885 plan at the Cottle County appraisal district (Paducah).
After Apr 30Late applications accepted until the appraisal roll certifies, with a 10% penalty on that year's savings.
On requestThe chief appraiser may require a PWD‑888 annual report — many districts ask annually. Keep logs so the answer is one click away.

The Cottle County appraisal district is headquartered in Paducah. For current mailing addresses, phone numbers, and any locally adopted wildlife-use ratio, use the Texas Comptroller's county directory — and confirm details before filing; districts occasionally adjust procedures year to year.

The cost of letting it slip

Losing qualification means market-value taxes going forward — and if the land's use changes to non-agricultural, rollback taxes: three years of recaptured savings plus 5% annual interest. On typical Cottle County acreage that's easily a five-figure bill. How rollback works →

Wildlife exemption guides for neighboring Rolling Plains counties:

Coke CountyColeman CountyCollingsworth CountyDickens CountyDonley CountyFisher County All 254 counties

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