Providing Supplemental Supplies of Water
Supplemental water is the most reliably approved of the seven activities and has the largest measurable effect on wildlife use across most of Central and West Texas. From June through September, water rather than food or cover is the limiting factor on the majority of Hill Country tracts.
What counts
- Rainwater guzzlers: a catchment apron gravity-feeding a covered storage tank and ground-level drinker.
- Low-pressure float drinkers tied into an existing line, stock tank or storage tank.
- Wildlife-accessible troughs fitted with escape ramps.
- Spring development and seep protection.
- Stock tank modification to give wildlife a safe approach and exit.
Degree of intensity
One dependable water source per 200 to 300 acres is a defensible density, and any tract claiming this activity should carry at least one. Site water within a quarter mile of usable cover, since deer and quail will not cross long open ground to drink in daylight.
Texas requires at least three of the seven qualifying activities. Use the exemption calculator to size this one to your acreage.
Qualification is determined by your county Central Appraisal District, and intensity standards vary by ecoregion and property size. Nothing here is tax or legal advice. Confirm your activity mix with a certified wildlife biologist before filing.
Common mistakes
- Omitting a wildlife escape ramp, which turns the unit into a mortality sink for birds and small mammals and works against the plan it was meant to support.
- Siting units in low spots that flood and silt up rather than on a gentle slope that feeds the catchment.
- Placing units next to fence lines or roads where livestock and traffic damage them.
- Photographing the unit only in spring, when full water proves nothing about August.
- Relying on a single seasonal stock tank as the whole activity.
Records that survive a review
Keep receipts, installation dates and GPS coordinates per unit, plus a dated photograph each year taken in the driest month. A mid-August photo of a full trough is far more persuasive than a May one. Game camera images at the water double as census data.
Equipment for this activity
Need the plan as well as the gear?
We supply and install the equipment. Written wildlife management plans, appraisal district filings and audit defense are handled by our sister company Plateau Land & Wildlife Management. See also our county-by-county guides.