PWD-888: what to log before January

Who files, and when

The annual report is filed by landowners whose land is appraised under wildlife management use, and it is required when the chief appraiser requests it. There is no single statewide date. Many appraisal districts line the report up with the April 30 application date, but some move it earlier: Travis County set March 2 for the 2026 report. Find your district on its own site and put its date on the calendar rather than assuming April 30.

• Travis CAD on the wildlife management report deadline

Log four things for every practice

A report is only as good as the record behind it. For each practice you carry out, write down the same four things while you still remember them:

• The date you did it.
• The place on the property, ideally a GPS point or a mark on your map.
• What you actually did, in plain words, and how much of it.
• The proof: photos, receipts, count sheets, or invoices.

The December checklist

December is the last honest chance to close gaps in the year you are about to report on. Walk it through before the calendar turns:

• Walk the property and photograph each practice where it sits, with the date on the file.
• Pull receipts and invoices for feed, seed, water, materials, and contract work into one folder.
• Write down census counts and the method you used, even a rough one, rather than reconstructing them later.
• Confirm that at least three of the seven recognized categories are genuinely covered for the year.
• Check your appraisal district for the date and format it wants for the report.

Turn the log into the report

The report itself is a summary of the log, so a year that was logged as it happened writes up in an evening. A year that was not logged is where people get into trouble, because the report has to describe what was actually done and the district may ask for the proof behind it. ExemptLand tracks the practices and the proof your appraisal district expects through the year. You review it, sign, and file.