Can I go straight to a wildlife exemption without an ag exemption?

Generally no. Tax Code 23.51(7) treats wildlife management as a qualifying use of land already appraised as open-space, so the land generally has to carry the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation first. Check with your appraisal district.

Does switching to wildlife raise my taxes?

It generally should not. Wildlife management valuation is the same open-space (1-d-1) valuation, so converting does not change how the land is valued. What changes is the work you do and the report you file.

When is the deadline to convert?

Form 50-129 with the PWD-885 wildlife management plan is generally due before May 1, which in practice means April 30. Confirm the date and what your district wants attached with the appraisal district. This is not legal or tax advice.

Switching from cattle to wildlife: the winter timeline before April 30

When do you start a switch from cattle to wildlife?

In the fall, not in April. Wildlife management valuation under Tax Code 23.51(7) is generally available only on land that already qualifies for the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation, and the switch is filed with Form 50-129 plus a PWD-885 wildlife management plan before May 1. Because January 1 is the appraisal date, the practices you run over the winter are what your first wildlife year rests on. Confirm the requirements with your appraisal district and TPWD.

Last verified September 2026. Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife, legal summary.

You need the ag valuation first

Wildlife management is not a separate exemption you can apply for on raw land. Tax Code 23.51(7) generally treats it as a qualifying use of land that is already appraised as open-space, so the land has to be carrying the 1-d-1 agricultural valuation when you switch. That is good news for the tax bill: converting keeps the same open-space valuation rather than creating a new one, so the land value and the tax on it generally do not change. What changes is the work. You commit to at least three of the seven recognized management practices and to reporting them.

November to April, in order

The filing is one day in April. Everything that makes it approvable happens before that:

November and December: pick the practices you can genuinely run on this land, and start writing the PWD-885 wildlife management plan.
December and January: carry out winter practices such as supplemental water, supplemental food, supplemental shelter, habitat control, and census counts. January 1 is the appraisal date, so winter work counts.
January and February: collect the proof as you go, with dates, locations, photos, and receipts.
March: get the plan reviewed while there is still time to change it.
Before May 1: file Form 50-129 with the PWD-885 plan at your county appraisal district.

TPWD wildlife management publications and forms

The March and April crunch

The plan is the long pole, not the form. March and April are when every landowner in the county who waited is looking for the same technical guidance and the same handful of wildlife biologists, and the ones who write plans book up. A plan started in November is a plan you can still revise in March. A plan started in March is a plan you file and hope for.

Minimum tract size if the land was subdivided

Counties set a minimum acreage for wildlife use on land that has been subdivided since it first qualified, commonly somewhere between 12.5 and 20 acres, and many counties allow a smaller tract when it is part of a wildlife management property association. The number is local, so read the county before you plan around it:

Check my property

This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. For your specific situation, talk to your county appraisal district or a licensed professional. ExemptLand prepares the drafts; you review and file.

Switching from cattle to wildlife: the winter timeline before April 30

When do you start a switch from cattle to wildlife?

Last verified September 2026. Source: Texas Parks and Wildlife, legal summary.

You need the ag valuation first

November to April, in order

The filing is one day in April. Everything that makes it approvable happens before that:

November and December: pick the practices you can genuinely run on this land, and start writing the PWD-885 wildlife management plan.
December and January: carry out winter practices such as supplemental water, supplemental food, supplemental shelter, habitat control, and census counts. January 1 is the appraisal date, so winter work counts.
January and February: collect the proof as you go, with dates, locations, photos, and receipts.
March: get the plan reviewed while there is still time to change it.
Before May 1: file Form 50-129 with the PWD-885 plan at your county appraisal district.

TPWD wildlife management publications and forms

The March and April crunch

Minimum tract size if the land was subdivided

Check my property

Switching from cattle to wildlife: the winter timeline before April 30

When do you start a switch from cattle to wildlife?

You need the ag valuation first

November to April, in order

The March and April crunch

Minimum tract size if the land was subdivided

Related

Switching from cattle to wildlife: the winter timeline before April 30

When do you start a switch from cattle to wildlife?

You need the ag valuation first

November to April, in order

The March and April crunch

Minimum tract size if the land was subdivided

Related