Illustration of a working ranch desk with field notes, organized records and trail-camera photographs.

Learn the wildlife exemption, then let software carry it.

Plain-English, appraisal-district-aware guides to every form, deadline, and practice - written for landowners, not lawyers.

The essential guides

Start with what you’re facing.

Forms · 12 min read

The PWD‑885 Wildlife Management Plan, explained

What’s in the plan that anchors your entire exemption - section by section, with the choices that make chief appraisers comfortable.

Read the guide

Forms · 10 min read

The PWD‑888 Annual Report, explained

When the district asks for proof, this is the form. What it covers, when it’s due, and the record-keeping that makes it painless.

Read the guide

Playbook · 14 min read

Converting from Ag to Wildlife: the complete playbook

The full conversion path - eligibility, plan, the Jan 1–Apr 30 window, first-year practices, and the mistakes that get applications kicked back.

Read the guide

Risk · 9 min read

Rollback Taxes in Texas: the $30,000 mistake

How rollback really works today - three years of recaptured savings, no added interest - what triggers it, what doesn’t, and how wildlife valuation keeps you safe.

Read the guide

Field work · 15 min read

The 7 Wildlife Management Practices, with Texas examples

Habitat, erosion, predators, water, food, shelter, census - what each practice means on the ground in every ecoregion, and how to document it.

Read the guide

Reference · all 254 counties

Minimum acreage by county

Every district’s adopted wildlife-use figure, linked to the document it came from - plus the statutory band where a district hasn’t published one. And the condition most people miss: none of it applies unless your tract got smaller.

Read the guide

Local rules

Your county’s wildlife exemption guide

Deadlines, appraisal district details, ecoregion practices, and species notes for every one of Texas’s 254 counties.

Find your county

Regional standards

The ten Texas ecoregions

Your plan is judged against your region’s standards, not a statewide template. Species, habitat problems, and all seven practices as they look on your ground.

Find your ecoregion

Free downloads

The exemption, on one page.

Two reference diagrams drawn from the guides - print them, share them, or pin them above the desk. Free to republish anywhere with a link back to this site.

Texas wildlife exemption annual calendar: the January 1 valuation date, the January 1 to April 30 window for filing Comptroller Form 50-129 with a TPWD PWD-885 wildlife management plan, late filing with a 10% penalty until the appraisal roll certifies in July, year-round performance of at least 3 of the 7 wildlife management practices by season, and the PWD-888 annual report the following spring.

The Texas Wildlife Exemption Year

The full annual rhythm on one sheet: the Jan 1 valuation date, the Jan 1–Apr 30 filing window for Form 50‑129 + PWD‑885, season-by-season practice work, and the PWD‑888 report the following spring.

PNG · 3200×1560 · 280 KB WebP · 143 KB
Embed on your site 
<a href="https://texaswildlifeexemption.com/how-it-works"><img src="https://texaswildlifeexemption.com/assets/img/texas-wildlife-exemption-annual-calendar.png" alt="The Texas Wildlife Exemption Year - TexasWildlifeExemption.com" width="1600" height="780" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
Diagram of the 7 qualifying wildlife management practices under Texas Tax Code §23.51(7): habitat control, erosion control, predator control, supplemental water, supplemental food, providing shelter, and census counts - with a Texas example for each and the rule to perform at least 3 per year at ecoregion intensity with documentation.

The 7 Wildlife Management Practices

All seven qualifying practices under Texas Tax Code §23.51(7) with what each looks like on the ground - and the rule that makes them count: at least three, at ecoregion intensity, documented.

PNG · 3200×1800 · 395 KB WebP · 175 KB
Embed on your site 
<a href="https://texaswildlifeexemption.com/resources/seven-wildlife-management-practices"><img src="https://texaswildlifeexemption.com/assets/img/seven-wildlife-management-practices-diagram.png" alt="The 7 Wildlife Management Practices - TexasWildlifeExemption.com" width="1600" height="900" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"></a>
Rio Grande wild turkey and northern bobwhite quail among native Texas grasses and limestone

Reading time: 20 minutes. Peace of mind: annual.

Put the guides to work with a checklist for your property, organized activity records, and your next PWD‑888.

Start free See how it works

No credit card required · Start free, upgrade when ready