Habitat Ledger › County deadlines › Rusk County
Rusk County wildlife report and ag valuation rules
Checked November 6, 2026
Report rules not posted; call to confirm
Rusk County Appraisal District doesn’t post its wildlife annual report rules online, so plan on April 30 and call the district to confirm at (903) 657-3578.
| Annual report required? | Not posted; ask the district |
|---|---|
| Due date | Not posted |
What to keep for Rusk County
Whether or not Rusk 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 Rusk County
Running cattle, cutting hay or farming instead of managing for wildlife? These are the Rusk County Appraisal District’s published degree-of-intensity standards for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation.
Rusk CAD requires at least 4 animal units (for example 4 cows, 8 calves or 20 goats or sheep). Its guideline is 4 acres per animal unit on native pasture, or about 16 acres for the minimum herd. No separate improved-pasture rate is posted. Hay land needs at least 5 acres.
| Minimum acres | 5 acres (grazing) |
|---|---|
| Minimum animals | 4 animal units |
| Native pasture | 4 acres per animal unit |
| Hay | At least 5 acres must be designated to hay production. |
| Crops and orchards | Orchards: pecan or fruit trees at 15 per acre, minimum 5 acres. Vineyards: 100 vines per acre, minimum 5 acres. Keep planting, harvest and management receipts. |
| Beekeeping | 5–20 acres. At least 4 mainframe hives on 5 acres and 12 on 20 acres; hives must be kept alive, and flowering plants added where forage is limited. Ag value is granted on the whole acreage, not just where the hives sit. |
| History and filing | Land must have been in ag use 5 of the past 7 years (inside city limits, the past 5 years in a row). File the application with supporting documents by April 30; late filing until the records are approved (before July) carries a 10% penalty. The land must pass an on-site field inspection. |
| Source | Rusk County Appraisal District General Guidelines for Agriculture Land · checked Nov. 6, 2026 |
An animal unit is one cow (or cow-calf pair); a horse counts as one, and about five goats or sheep make one, though some districts count them differently. See what Texas requires for ag valuation. Your appraisal district has the final say, so call them if anything here doesn’t match your letter.
Who to contact in Rusk County
| Appraisal district | Rusk County Appraisal District |
|---|---|
| Address | 107 N. Van Buren St., Henderson, TX 75652 (mail: P.O. Box 7, Henderson, TX 75652-0007) |
| Phone | (903) 657-3578 |
| Local help with your plan | Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Rusk 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.