Precision Ag & Wildlife Services LLC
La Grange, Texas
Survey timing
Short answer: for most places around here, late fall through winter — after the leaves drop and the nights cool off. The longer answer depends on why you need the count: the MLDP, a wildlife ag exemption, or just knowing what you’re carrying.
The dates below come from Texas Parks & Wildlife’s published rules. Your biologist and your appraisal district have the final word on what they need from you.
Managed Lands Deer Program
The MLDP year runs from March 1 through the last day of February. To stay in the Conservation Option, TPWD asks you to give your biologist deer population data for the current MLDP year — so a survey flown any time in that window counts toward it.
Conservation Option reports are due April 1 each year. Missing that deadline removes you from the option, so don’t leave the count for the last week of February.
Conservation Option enrollment runs April 2 to June 15 before each season, and TPWD wants department-approved deer population data for the two years before you apply. If you’re considering the Conservation Option, start counting now.
Harvest Option enrollment runs May 1 to September 1, and the tags are calculated automatically when you enroll — no survey data needed. A count still tells you whether those tags fit the herd you actually have.
MLDP season runs from late September through the end of February. For 2025–26 it was September 27 to February 28.
Wildlife ag exemption
Land qualifies for wildlife management valuation when you carry out at least three of seven wildlife management practices each year. One of the seven is census counts to determine population, and aerial counts are a recognized way to do it.
A new wildlife management plan goes to your county appraisal district between January 1 and April 30 of the tax year, and the chief appraiser may ask for an annual report on TPWD’s form showing what you did. A survey flown in the fall or winter lands in time to go in that report.
One thing to check first: TPWD’s annual report form was written with helicopter and airplane counts in mind. Before you count on a drone survey for your census practice, ask your appraisal district how they want it reported.
When the count is most reliable
TPWD’s own aerial-survey guidance says late summer or early fall gives the freshest numbers for setting harvest — but where post oak, blackjack oak, and mesquite dominate, it says to wait until after leaf drop, in late fall and winter. That describes most of Fayette County.
A Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute study found thermal drones have trouble picking out deer once the air is warmer than about 68°F on clear days, or about 81°F under clouds. That’s why we fly after dark or in the early morning, and why late fall and winter nights are the easy ones.
A 2026 South Texas study using pre-set thermal settings at night still detected about 84% of deer in winter, but only about 65% in summer. A summer count is doable; it just leans harder on the correction, and we’ll tell you so on the report.
Once the rut settles, fawns are big enough to count and class. A fawn-per-doe ratio from a late-season survey says more about your year than one flown in August.
At a glance
Whatever the date, start the Landowner Authorization early. TPWD has to approve it before we can fly, and the approval takes what it takes. See how a survey works for the whole process.
Now booking
Good survey nights fill up in the order they’re asked for. Tell us your county, rough acreage, and what you need the count for, and we’ll help you pick a window.