The state of Texas offers land owners the option to be taxed on the value of its productivity. This enables land owners to lower their property taxes under “open-space” valuations. These are the two most popular “open-space” valuations are agricultural and timber related. Livestock, crops, and bees are some examples of activities that may qualify you for agricultural use valuation. The valuation we want to help you achieve also falls under agricultural use: Wildlife Management. A wildlife tax valuation enables landowners to retain their lower tax valuation should they wish to cease such agricultural practices. The purpose of this category of tax valuation is to encourage landowners to be a good steward to the land, and help improve native Texas wildlife. Before you look into a wildlife management valuation, it is important to first understand agricultural use valuations and its requirements.

At Wildland Systems we strive to help you achieve your wildlife management goals and get your property taxed under wildlife management valuations. We will take you from start to finish, helping you complete every step or take it all upon ourselves. It starts with confirmation that your property meets all requirements by county and Texas law. We will then discuss your wildlife management goals and visit your property for a thorough examination of its attributes. This information will then be used to compose a wildlife management plan that best suits your land, goals, and resources. We then take on all the paperwork ourselves, ensuring that your management plan gets reviewed by your local tax appraisal office. Our services don’t stop there. We are proud to offer our assistance in the fulfillment of your wildlife management plan no matter what it entails. Contact us to see if your property qualifies and how we can improve your land for native Texas wildlife.

In order to qualify for a wildlife management valuation a property must be currently valuated under agricultural use. The following activities must have been practiced on the property for at least 5 of the preceding 7 years.

Activities that may qualify a property for agricultural valuation:

• Crop production for human or animal consumption as well as the production of fibers

• Livestock

• Exotic livestock that have a commercial value

• Hay production

• Beekeeping

There are some variances by county; generally there are no minimum acreage property requirements in order to obtain a wildlife valuation. There are some restrictions regarding minimum acreage that may become a factor if your property decreased in size within the previous year. The property must currently be evaluated under agricultural use. A landowner is then required to submit a detailed wildlife management plan for review and then carry through implementing certain management activities. There are 7 management categories and landowners must complete at least 3 activities from the 7 categories annually. 

Wildlife management categories:

1. Habitat Control - prescribed burning, brush management, etc. 

2. Erosion Control - pond construction, stream side re-vegetation, etc.

3. Predator Control - fire ants, coyotes, hogs, etc.

4. Providing Supplemental Water - spring development, wetland restoration, etc.

5. Providing Supplemental Food - food plots, range enhancement, feeders, etc. 

6. Providing Supplemental Shelter - nest boxes, plant establishment, etc.

7. Conducting Census Counts - spotlight counts, track counts, etc.