People are intrigued by wildlife and enjoy watching different species interact. Many Texans have been introduced to the outdoors through hunting and fishing, activities that have contributed an estimated $3.3 billion annually to the state’s economy.

With increased enthusiasm for wildlife comes a growing economic potential for landowners to offer nature-based tourism. To attract wildlife—and in turn, people—to their properties, land managers have worked to improve the habitat on their properties by using management techniques such as shallow disking, prescribed burning, and livestock grazing.

One underused method for attracting wildlife is the installation of watering devices to provide a supplemental source of water for animals. Land managers are also harvesting rainwater to better distribute water on the landscape, thus increasing the amount of usable space for wildlife.

Rainwater can be captured using several kinds of devices and management techniques. To make the best choice for a specific property, land managers should consider many factors, including the sources of water used by animals, the number and diversity of wildlife on the land, differences in mobility for various species, rainfall patterns in the area, and options available for harvesting, storing, and conveying rainwater.

Related Resources

Harvesting Rainwater for Wildlife

Landowners can attract wildlife to their properties by installing rainwater catchment devices. This publication explains wildlife water sources, management considerations, rainfall catchment areas and wildlife tax valuation.