Not sure how important water holes are in your country. Out here they are but water is scarce most years. A great method used is a simple Lean-To structure. 10’x10’ about 2’ tall. On the backside of it is a piece of guttering that catches the runoff rain water and dumps it in a small holding tank. Most of the time it’s a 55 gallon drum cut in half. Good idea to put a stick or post in it to left small critters that fall in crawl out and not drown and pollute the water. Government used to mandate them in some CRP fields. Look at Wildlife Guzzers on the web. Lots of cheap and easy designs. Here’s a nice one.

Soft dirt after the snow melts. 25hp tractor with just the front end loader taking off a few inches at a time. My soil doesn’t hold water here so I lined it with a tarp and ran a length of HDPE pipe to it and filled it with my irrigation well.

I think good bedding areas and some food plots will attract and hold more deer then a water source. With a lot less work.

The attached link references deer farms or deer ranches in areas where water is much less likely to be commonly found as it would be in a humid climate such as western WI.
Note the ranges or distances referenced for water. I would guess that you have several sources within that distance on our own land and if you don't have the cover they want your water hole will not be a high priority for the deer in your area. Another resource indicated that while deer are eating succulent, green food sources they can get up to 90% of their water while eating.

https://www.buckmanager.com/2012/07/31/whitetail-deer-water-requirements-and-deer-hunting/

Bryce

My buddy did this down near Waupaca. Has had great success. Better than a food plot especially during a dry spell. His initial year he used an old kiddy pool. Tons of traffic of everything and sime good photos until it got punctured. The next year he dug it out more and used a thick rubber pond liner. Its not terribly large but it is heavily visited. He takes freezer meat from there every year and got one dandy of a buck a year or so ago.

Good info.

Good article Bryce.

We got the skid steer running. And I bought a liner.

Last year, before I filled the holes on our access trail w/ gravel, the deer loved the mud puddles on our trail.

I bought this conveyor belt for $1 at an auction the other day. While not rubber, I'm thinking maybe it'll help protect the liner if I put it above the liner if I make a water hole. I might not need to put as much dirt above the liner. Then again the conveyor may rot quickly. It seems pretty strong though.

My buddy just dug a hole about a week ago and put In 100 gallon tank. So far he has 8 different deer drinking from It and one pic on the trail cam had 12 turkeys drinking from it. And has had several coon going In for a swim.
He has the tank about 4" above grade, he said something about some sickness a deer can get if the pond or tank gets dirt in It.
I saw a U tube video where the guy placed a large stick In the tank so If something fell In they could get back out.
And that tank Is just 20 yards from my shooting house. And guess where I'll be on opening week end. I'll be In North Dakota walleye fishing for week.

AJE did you get the proper permits to build? Take it from me you want that permit before you dig and fill. I have been working with the DNR on water issues on my property for a few years. Some need approval and permits and others just need a free permit but you will want to send a detailed plan to the DNR for approval. In trying to make a man made pond bigger and relieve some acreage of some water issues created by a road and culverts I have gone round and round with them. Wisconsin takes water very seriously and the potential fines follow that seriousness.

If you are just looking to give the deer some water get a trough and either build a rain collections system so you don't have to haul water or haul the water. In the end it will be cheaper and easier.

Mine is coming along. Plenty deer tracks there every night checking it out even before there was water in it. But it's mainly for fishing. Lots of sweat equity in those stones and I'm planning on adding alot more structure especially in the corners. This is pond #5 on my properties and I'd turn it into one big lake if I could. Problem is, the wallet is always smaller than the pond you desire!

^^^^^This^^^^^^^^

Seen this in the article.
Deer that do not have access to adequate amounts of water will not forage. This would put a damper on any deer management efforts in a hurry, not to mention the deer hunting, or lack thereof, on a property. Deer that fail to eat do not raise fawns, grow large antlers or live.

I'd put one in. There are lots of factors to keep and hold deer. A water hole certainly won't hurt. I would work on researching how to create bedding too.

Is water a limiting factor for deer in your area?

Living here in swamp/river country I can't grasp that concept.

If I could, I would trade you a few of these small swamps for a few of those bean and cornfields. I'll even throw in the snakes and gators...free.

You going into aquaculture?

Fish, including carp, will usually clear a pond of mosquito larvae, or so I've heard. That's one of the reasons the Japanese put koi (a small, human-bred, colorful species of carp) in their ponds.

Of course you'd have to dig a sizable pond to keep fish alive and breeding. In Wisconsin, I expect, the pond would have to be deep.

All right, so now I'm talking about a sizable pond, not a watering hole. Never mind.

Jim

Bury a cow/horse tank like beav said, put it in a location that deer travel. Put a camera on it. Deer and most every other critter will use it. Hang a licking branch not to far away. Watch you camera light up with deer. As the different phases of the rut begin your water hole will be hit with bucks that need to re hydrate after running for days on end!

Like this 40 gallon tank maybe

https://www.theisens.com/products/poly-oval-stock-tank/24330015/

I'm going to try the licking stick idea. I'll try to get it out soon.

Needs to be moving water. Stagnant water is a mosquito infested desease hole.