Habitat Ledger › Guides › The 7 wildlife practices
The 7 wildlife management practices, with examples
Updated November 1, 2026 · by Adam McLaughlin
To keep a Texas wildlife management valuation, you carry out at least three of seven practices each year, and the three should be the ones written in your wildlife plan. Here's what each practice means on the ground, and the records that prove you did it.
The seven practices at a glance
| Practice | Examples | Proof to keep |
|---|---|---|
| Habitat control | Brush management, prescribed burning, grazing management that leaves cover, native grass and forb planting, wetland improvement, managing invasive plants. | Dated before-and-after photos, acres treated, contractor invoices, burn plan or permit. |
| Erosion control | Pond or dam repair, gully shaping, re-seeding bare ground, streamside and wetland plantings, water bars on ranch roads. | Photos of the site before and after, the length or acres worked, seed and material receipts. |
| Predator control | Feral hog trapping, coyote control where it helps the species in your plan, fire ant treatment, brown-headed cowbird trapping. | A trap log (dates, trap location, animals removed), photos, bait and supply receipts. |
| Supplemental water | Troughs and guzzlers kept full, windmill or trough overflow to a wildlife drinker, well or spring development, shallow wetland areas. | Photos of each water source, dates you checked or filled it, pump, pipe and repair receipts. |
| Supplemental food | Food plots, protein or grain feeders, mineral sites, managing native forbs and browse, leaving crop stubble. | Feed and seed receipts with pounds, feeder fill dates, food plot acres and planting dates. |
| Supplemental shelter | Brush piles, half-cut trees, nest boxes and bat houses, leaving fence-line cover, planting shrubs, keeping dead snags. | Photos with a date, the number of boxes or piles built, a sketch or pin of where they are. |
| Census counts | Spotlight counts, trail camera surveys, daylight or incidental counts, harvest records, bird counts, browse surveys. | Count sheets with the date, route and numbers seen, camera survey totals, harvest logs. |
How many do I need?
At least three of the seven, every year. Many landowners do four or five so one bad season (a drought that dries a food plot, say) doesn't leave them short. Census counts are optional, but they're one of the easiest practices to document, and they show whether your other work is paying off.
How much is enough?
TPWD publishes planning guidelines for each ecoregion that describe what each practice looks like and how often it should happen. Appraisal districts look for a real, good-faith effort that matches your plan, not a single feeder filled once. Doing a practice regularly and writing down the dates matters as much as the practice itself. The guidelines are on TPWD: Wildlife management tax valuation.
Tips that keep you out of trouble
- Match your plan. The practices you do should be the ones in your wildlife management plan (PWD-885). If you change practices, update the plan with your appraisal district.
- Spread the work through the year. A year of records that all fall in one weekend in March looks like what it is.
- Photograph with dates. Phone photos carry the date and location, which is the easiest proof there is.
- Keep receipts with pounds, gallons or hours. Quantities show intensity better than a dollar total.
More guides: How to file the annual report (PWD-888) · Writing your wildlife plan (PWD-885) · Converting ag to wildlife · Minimum acreage when land is split · Rollback taxes explained
Sources
- TPWD: Wildlife management tax valuation
- TPWD: Tax valuation for wildlife management FAQ
- Texas A&M AgriLife Extension: Wildlife Management as Agricultural Use for Property Tax Valuation in Texas (SCS-2010-03)
This is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your appraisal district decides what qualifies in your county.
Common questions
Do I have to do all seven practices?
No. You need at least three of the seven each year, and they should be the practices written in your wildlife management plan.
Is census required?
No. Census counts are one of the seven practices but they are not required. They are easy to document, so many landowners include them.
Can I run cattle on land under a wildlife valuation?
Yes. Livestock is allowed, and your grazing can be set to meet the wildlife goals in your plan instead of the county's usual grazing standards.
Keep the records that protect your valuation
Habitat Ledger keeps your practice logs, dated photos and receipts in one place, shows your county's report deadline, reminds you before it's due, and prints your annual report. Every account starts with a 30-day free trial, and the free plan keeps your deadline reminders after that.
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