Habitat Ledger › County deadlines › Hays County

Hays County wildlife report deadline

Checked November 1, 2026

No yearly report

No annual report; your activity and expense logs are reviewed when the district inspects.

What to keep for Hays County

Whether or not Hays County asks for a report this year, keep dated proof that you carried out at least three of the seven wildlife management practices in your plan:

• A log of each activity: the date, what you did, where and how much
• Dated photos of the work (feeders, water, brush piles, cleared brush)
• Receipts and invoices for feed, seed, materials and contractors
• Census sheets with dates, routes and numbers seen

Read our plain-English guide to the annual report (PWD-888) for the full 3-of-7 rule, or see deadlines for other counties.

Ag valuation in Hays County

Running cattle, cutting hay or farming instead of managing for wildlife? These are the Hays Central Appraisal District’s published standards for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation. No single minimum acreage; the chart recommends 15 acres of improved, 36 of good native or 54 of fair native pasture for the required 3 animal units. Homesite: the district uses a surveyed homesite, the homestead application figure (up to 20 acres), or assigns land after inspection.

An animal unit is one cow (or cow-calf pair); a horse counts as one, and about five goats or sheep make one. See what Texas requires for ag valuation and the standards for other counties. Your appraisal district has the final say, so call them if anything here doesn’t match your letter.

Who to contact in Hays County

The appraisal district decides your wildlife valuation and sets any report deadline, so call them if a letter or form doesn't match what's on this page. Your county AgriLife Extension office can help with a wildlife management plan.

Hays County habitat: Edwards Plateau

Texas Parks and Wildlife places Hays County in the Edwards Plateau ecoregion. Its Edwards Plateau wildlife management guidelines set the minimum work for each practice. A few examples:

• Habitat control: Brush management: treat at least 10% of the plan area or 10 acres per year, whichever is smaller.
• Supplemental food: Feeders: at least 1 free-choice feeder per 320 acres in use during the recommended period, with feed of at least 16% crude protein.
• Supplemental water: Wildlife watering facility (well, trough, guzzler): at least one project per 10 years, or consistent water management at existing sites.
• Census counts: Spotlight counts: at least 3 counts, or at least 15 surveyed miles, completed each year.

Your own plan may set different targets. Log what you actually do against it, with dates and photos.

Deadlines and rules come from each appraisal district's own published guidelines, checked November 1, 2026. Districts can change them, and your district's letters, forms and deadlines always apply. Habitat Ledger is not affiliated with any appraisal district or Texas Parks and Wildlife.