Has anyone used any businesses that help with wildlife exemption approval that they have really liked?

I have - if interested in learning about my experience, shoot me a PM and I can give you my phone # to discuss. Sorry, but not sure I want to discuss on a public forum.

I have and was it in Bosque county. The county tax agent recommended him. A wildlife biologist and his personal friend. Cost me $600 for him to do a proposal.
Was it worth it.....who knows? But I got the wildlife exemption and was told by the county agent not to contact him again unless he called me.

Not hard to do it yourself.. Im in Bosque as well.. Scheduled and the TPand W biologist come out and look at all we have done .. Food plots,water sources,feed stations etc.... Had the landowner sign the paperwork a few weeks later....

I’ve done my own for years. Easy to get 3 or 4 out of the 7 they define



Bird houses
Stock tank for water
Kill hogs, coons, etc
Brush piles to protect small animals
Supplemental feed, etc
Census of some kind
I type up a 2 page document and add some game cam pics and pics of the above

Census? I just say that I really can’t tell one doe from another or tell much from tracks.
One year I added that I no longer protein feed since the deer didn’t seem to eat it
It might be worth it to hire a pro the first time.

From a guy that has never heard of this, what exactly are you getting an exemption from by doing this?

-TJ

Keep taxes as ag exempt without running livestock. Buddy does it in Stephen's. It is worth it on smaller places like 200 acres where you can control brush and crap. And big too if you manage it right.

I used Landmark Wildlife. Great guy to work with (Keith) - highly knowledgeable and genuinely interested in wildlife conservation. He's highly educated from A&M.

It's not cheap, but he has a 100% approval rate. It'll save you $$$$$ over the years. Very neat experience having him walk around my property and identify each plant/bird/scat. I took many pictures and learned a lot that day. Also some real helpful tips on growing native brush and pond management.

If I ever get a 2nd property - I'll use Keith again.

So do you have to re-certify this every few years, or is it once it is certified, it stays that way until sold?

-TJ

You turn a form and proof of activity in each year. Each county level of proof is little different. Most just take your word for it I think. Don't want pics of dead pigs. Forgot another. Buddy does it down the road from my place. Some guys on here do it Nd know waway more than me.

You turn a form and proof of activity in each year. Each county level of proof is little different. Most just take your word for it I think. Don't want pics of dead pigs. Some want feed receipts. Forgot another Buddy does it down the road from my place. Some guys on here do it and know way more than me.

Every year and, yes, all counties seem to be different. I go to a lot of work on this. If not for the exemption, I couldn’t afford to keep my place.

But, you have to go from grazing cattle, sheep, goats, etc. in Montague County. Not sure about other counties.

I used a company for my initial application last year. Then each year after I just document what I am doing and turn it into the county. Pretty basic stuff - most of it I would do anyway on my acreage - bird feeders, trap coons, erosion control, etc. Saves a load on taxes

What was said above by Dave is most important. You have to "Already" have an Ag exemption before you can apply for a Wildlife exemption. The exemption will save you about 95% of the taxes in most counties.
Example, on a place I had in Bosque County. My taxes were $58 a year on 54 acres. With out the exemption they would have been $3,300. On a 77 acre place in Eastland county taxes were $128 and would have been over $7,500 without the Ag exemption. If you don't already have an Ag exemption, you have to do everything just like you do have one, ruin cows, cut hay, etc for 5 full years before the county will consider giving you one. That's everywhere in Texas regardless of what county. In East Texas there is a third exemption that a lot of people have, including myself, and that is a Timber exemption. It is just another form of Ag exemption.

Guys, not to be too nitpicky, but you're not 'exempt' from anything. It's a tax valuation, not an exemption. in other words how your property is valued so they know how much to tax you. There is no such thing as a wildlife tax exemption, or ag exemption, or timber exemption. It's an ag, timber, or wildlife valuation.

We do turn in pics of dead hogs, varmints, etc. Like stated above, it's not an exemption, its 'valuation'.

Folks get county property tax valuation ( 1d ag / 1d1 open spaces) mixed up with ag/timber # sales tax exemption from the state comptroller.

The history of this stuff as I recall it.

On some of the huge ranches that had been established for a long time, the old folks were dying off and the heirs weren't interested in raising livestock. However, that meant a heavy tax burden, actually a luxury tax, so they had to be sold or were broken up and sold. In order to keep these historic places intact, a wildlife exemption was created with certain covenants for eligibility. The Counties didn't/don't like it much because it is tax avoidance. Some Counties establish a higher bar than others. I know that, without it, I couldn't afford to keep my small 133 acre place, considered junk land, in Montague County that I bought over 35 years ago.

When this became law, I sold the cows but started keeping records regarding wildlife. It is 70 miles from my home in Hurst so they know that I don't vote there. Nuff said on that.

I work my butt off to do more than the 4 of the 7 things that are the criteria. And, I include pictures of feeders, wheat patches, game cam pics, stock tanks and pictures of kids that I take hunting with their deer. I even include pictures of bird houses, humming bird feeders and a bat house that, to the best of my knowledge, no bat has ever come near.

Last year I sent a couple of pictures of my Grandkids when they were pretty small, with their deer and pics of them now that they are grown with deer/hogs. I also put in pictures of Great Grandkids sitting in a blind with me. Last year I included a pic of my wife and a Great Granddaughter hunting. I put in pictures of stock tanks with kids and family of all ages fishing, hunting, helping fill feeders and riding 4 wheelers. This year, I won't be able to include pics of deer/hogs taken. Everything went nocturnal prior to bow season. I have a poacher or poachers that I haven't been able to catch. He/they have my comings and goings pretty well timed. They even stole all the cards out of the 8 cams.

Dan Van Schaik, a well wildlife biologist that I know, recommends putting in lots of game cam pics and to even include the cam cards. I've never included include cam cards.

It generally runs about 20 pages since I include a lot of pictures. I have no idea whether anyone actually reads it.

'Better to let them know you're trying. Maybe they'll go after the ones that don't do nuthin' first, if they're gonna look for tax $ and want to revoke some valuations.

That stinks about the poacher. I hope you can get them caught or stopped. Scum of the earth freeloaders in my book.

About 2 years ago I got there about 8:30 in the morning about the end of the season. I expected 2 of the grown Grandsons to meet me or were already there from the night before. I found about a case of empty beer cans scattered in front of the house around a big rock fire pit that I built. I wondered why those guys made such a mess without cleaning it up. In about an hour they came in from hunting and asked how I drank that much beer. They had actually gotten there before dawn and went hunting. The poachers know that I've almost caught them a couple of times and, I guess, were sending me a message. Now, I have some no flash game cams around the house but haven't seen anything suspicious.

Someday I'll catch them/him but that will create a different type of problem confronting someone with a loaded rifle. I've talked to the GW but know that he can't camp out at my place.

Wow, that's tough, Dave. Really pizzes you off that they were taunting you with the beer cans. Those POS need to be hung.