Water source

[johnplav]

I decided to give the deer some water.  There’s no shortage of food options in the area, but there’s not much water.  Closest water is 2 ponds about 500 yards away, which are both out in the open.  This spot is in between bedding and feeding areas.  I figure this might coax some movement in my direction, or at least give the local wildlife a drink.  I’ll fill it this weekend and throw a camera on it. 

[johnplav]

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[phade]

One of the things you may want to consider is taking advantage of rain to re-fill. That size can surprisingly get emptied quick in summer heat and sun. We put in a french drain type set-up. Dig out a slight decline laying down heavy gauge plastic and then cover it with creek stone or larger crushed stone. the rainwater will collect in those drains over several feet and pour into the pond liner.

[johnplav]

2 minutes ago, phade said:

One of the things you may want to consider is taking advantage of rain to re-fill. That size can surprisingly get emptied quick in summer heat and sun. We put in a french drain type set-up. Dig out a slight decline laying down heavy gauge plastic and then cover it with creek stone or larger crushed stone. the rainwater will collect in those drains over several feet and pour into the pond liner.

Yea, I'm gonna see how this season goes.  It doesn't look like it in the pics, but the left side is below ground level, so it should catch some runoff.  This isn't a very remote spot, so it would be easy to dump in 10 gallons of water every now and then.  

 

[johnplav]

@phade  A few articles and videos iv seen have said to put some dirt in before you fill it, for minerals/scent.   And in many cases deer prefer water to be a little dirty.  Any value in that?

[phade]

38 minutes ago, johnplav said:

@phade  A few articles and videos iv seen have said to put some dirt in before you fill it, for minerals/scent.   And in many cases deer prefer water to be a little dirty.  Any value in that?

They do drink "dirty" water is the best way I would phrase it lol.

[wolc123]

I put in a 1/4 acre pond at the lowest spot at my place.  It took me almost a week to dig it with my Ford 8n and a pond scoop.  The tractor needed a valve job when I got thru.

Deer do seem to like it.  I have caught does with fawns back there swimming a few times, on hot summer afternoons.  Mortally wounded bucks have ran directly towards it a couple time.  One made it to within a yard of the water line, before dropping dead in sight from my stand.

 

[johnplav]

Big old doe showed up and took a drink as I was filling the tank 

[johnplav]

After a thorough inspection and throwing like 10 rocks in, the boss approved of the “pond”. She also helped me hammer in a fence post and put a trail cam on it.


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[johnplav]

The water source is a hit... looks like everybody is taking a sip or at least checking it out.

[Robhuntandfish]

dunno if it will help for hunting but its worth it just to have a cam on it and see all the critters.  

[johnplav]

20 minutes ago, Robhuntandfish said:

dunno if it will help for hunting but its worth it just to have a cam on it and see all the critters.  

Yea, I figured it can't hurt.  

[moog5050]

Pretty cool John

[Cabin Fever]

I’m been thinking about doing this myself. How many gallons does the tank hold?


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[johnplav]

Just now, Cabin Fever said:

I’m been thinking about doing this myself. How many gallons does the tank hold?


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This one is only 50 gallons.  It's definitely on the small side, but its close enough to civilization to top off easily whenever necessary.  And honestly, when I was chopping roots and pulling out rocks as I dug, I was glad it wasn't any bigger.  It should catch some rainwater, and I put it near the edge of the woods, so it's shaded throughout the day.

[Nomad]

When my buddy bought his land idk 10 years ago there was a blue plastic barrel cut in half lengthwise, buried in the ground at the base of a slope . 
 

He never added water, cleaned it out nothing, it’s full of green “ water “ Deer stop and drink from it regularly, I took a pic of a young buck drinking from it last bow season . I’ll try and find it .

[G-Man]

Just dug this little hole in the woods I. A swale where it stays wet most of the year..will be about 6 ft deep and 40 ft in diameter when full , I'll add some red Rosie's for bait as it's pretty isolated when it's full. 

[Cabin Fever]

On 6/7/2021 at 11:51 AM, johnplav said:

This one is only 50 gallons.  It's definitely on the small side, but its close enough to civilization to top off easily whenever necessary.  And honestly, when I was chopping roots and pulling out rocks as I dug, I was glad it wasn't any bigger.  It should catch some rainwater, and I put it near the edge of the woods, so it's shaded throughout the day.

I was actually thinking of putting one ~50 yards from my house on the backside of my lawn(/backyard foodplot), so that would be easy to fill with water when needed also. 50 gallons should be plenty for that spot.

[johnplav]

18 minutes ago, Cabin Fever said:

I was actually thinking of putting one ~50 yards from my house on the backside of my lawn(/backyard foodplot), so that would be easy to fill with water when needed also. 50 gallons should be plenty for that spot.

Sounds like a solid plan!

[johnplav]

Put the stand back up over the water today.  Man it felt good being up in a tree! 

[Robhuntandfish]

8 hours ago, johnplav said:

Put the stand back up over the water today.  Man it felt good being up in a tree! 

looks like an upcoming crime scene!   Looks great John - I can picture a buck standing there for sure 

Edited June 23, 2021 by Robhuntandfish

[johnplav]

When it’s not a raccoon swimming pool, this is proving to be a good water source for the local deer.

[moog5050]

3 minutes ago, johnplav said:

When it’s not a raccoon swimming pool, this is proving to be a good water source for the local deer.

Does the rain keep it full or do you need to keep filling John?  

[johnplav]

2 minutes ago, moog5050 said:

Does the rain keep it full or do you need to keep filling John?  

Stays full, I haven’t had to add any. 

[Wildcat]

thx for sharing this..  great idea and honestly, I would not have thought it would have worked before seeing this and your pics..    We have a horse farm and I have a couple of those exact containers stored up in the loft of our barn, so I am going to try deploying a couple and see what happens.