Not the local tavern... I'm talking about making a watering hole for deer, to attract & help hold deer on ones hunting land. What's the trick to knowing if it's worth creating 1. I want to make 1, but how do I know if it will naturally hold water?
My sons and I put one in last year. Had a very small spring in the woods. Sent kids back with my bull dozer and roughed out a small pond. Had to put some tarps down to help retain water. Had deer tracks there within a week. Without some moving water I would think it would turn stagnant.
you need moving water and patience to let it naturally silt in.i have 5 ponds of different sizes on my 50 acres thanks in part to a tremendously nice spring i've never saw not running.
As already stated,it needs to have some movement. Another problem is water holes attract bugs,Nat's are the worst Most worry about cwd,but no one talked about blue toung and other bug born deer killers. These take more deer every year than cwd has in it's known history. So use caution with placement of a water hole. Just what I have learned. .
Another problem is water holes attract bugs, Nat's are the worst Most worry about cwd,but no one talked about blue tongue and other bug born deer killers.
Buy a horse tank and take It out In the woods. Drive out with your ATV and fill It. You just can't dig a hole In the ground and come up with a pond. The tank Is a no brainer.
Will the deer drink out of It? who knows but if there isn't any other water around I'm betting they will. Then plant your red topped turnips around the tank and start killing deer.
Even with a permanent pond 60 years old and spring fed, I don't see a lot of deer tracks there. I think deer take in most of the needed water as dew when they browse at night and dawn. The only way to "hold deer on one's hunting land" is for that land to big enough to comprise the deer's entire home range. They move something like 29hours a day.
As already stated,it needs to have some movement. Another problem is water holes attract bugs,Nat's are the worst Most worry about cwd,but no one talked about blue toung and other bug born deer killers. These take more deer every year than cwd has in it's known history. So use caution with placement of a water hole. Just what I have learned. .
Don't know anything about building a pond but what this guy said is true. My brothers and I found at least 6 dead deer last year. We sent some pics of a deer that had died only minutes ago to a neighbor that works at the Penn State test lab and he said Blue tongue. Couldn't tell you how many died that we didn't find but it knocked some of our population back! BE CAREFULL. you may end up doing more harm than good if it geys muddy around the pond site.
A few years ago, we had a drought and very hot summer for the area. I always have resident does and fawns in my back yard. I put out a couple of buckets of water for the deer and whatever else was thirsty. Every day, we had deer, fox, birds, squirrels etc, hitting those buckets. I changed them out daily to keep clean. It was cool watching 5 or 6 deer, waiting in line for a cool drink of clean water. They never even thought twice about putting thier snoot in a bucket. As far as a permanent water hole, it depends on the location and water source. I have seen lots of small holes on high ground, that always had water, but they looked quite nasty. Deer will use them, but if water is not replaced often, it can be a breeding ground for disease. I hope it works out.
AJE I will take a deer sanctuary over a waterhole any day. And what I mean by that is. 10% or more of your hunting property is groomed to be a THICK bedding area. With a food plot or two inside. And you never go inside during hunting season. Unless its to bring out a deer after dark. You can't break that rule or it does not work,and you waisted all time and effect for nothing.
we would never think of dragging a deer out until after closing time. Sometimes If It's late In the day we won't even gut It till dark. You don't want to run any deer out of your ground to someone else hunting the perimeter.
It has been my experience that deer will walk past a clear bubbling stream to drink out of a muddy water hole. If you have a good clay layer and are careful not to dig through it, you can make a seasonal water hole.
Don't have any running water in the land I hunt and I've seen them drinking out of mud holes and little spray ponds on the farm. Don't see deer dying anywhere from it. Ponds get dug all the time. Problem will be getting one dug that will always hold water without a stream or ditch or spring entering it
I set up an old cast iron bath tub and haul water to it. One year it only had a couple inches of water in it so next day I took a tank of water down there and drove up to it pretty fast and there was two half grown coons in it, the sides were slick and they had a time getting out of it. In dry weather all the critters esp. deer keep the grass wore down around it.
After the coon deal I keep a 4'' pole in it so they can climb out and not drown when it has more water in it.
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.
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.
Not the local tavern... I'm talking about making a watering hole for deer, to attract & help hold deer on ones hunting land. What's the trick to knowing if it's worth creating 1. I want to make 1, but how do I know if it will naturally hold water?
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.
Not the local tavern... I'm talking about making a watering hole for deer, to attract & help hold deer on ones hunting land. What's the trick to knowing if it's worth creating 1. I want to make 1, but how do I know if it will naturally hold water?
My buddy did this .. 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.
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!
Even with a permanent pond 60 years old and spring fed, I don't see a lot of deer tracks there. I think deer take in most of the needed water as dew when they browse at night and dawn. The only way to "hold deer on one's hunting land" is for that land to big enough to comprise the deer's entire home range. They move something like 29hours a day.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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!
I'm going to try the licking stick idea. I'll try to get it out soon.
A kiddie pool from the Dollar General. You can even dig enough to put it close to ground level. Add water or let Mother Nature fill it up. I know a lot of places that put in the small plastic troughs along the drivable roads or trails and can carry water to fill them up or enough water until Mother Nature can fill them. All have 1x6’s in them so anything that falls in them can get out. Plus it allows your smaller critters and birds a chance to drink as well.
Cut some 55 gallon plastic drums in half that have lids and you can make two and dig them in a foot so they won't get tipped over. They can be fllushed out periodically as needed.
Cut some 55 gallon plastic drums in half that have lids and you can make two and dig them in a foot so they won't get tipped over. They can be fllushed out periodically as needed.
Bryce
I haven't found a source of plastic drums that are food grade.
I would select a water source that required the least amount of maintenance and the least number of boots on the ground. You could dig or scrape with small backhoe or skid steer and then line the bottom with Sodium Bentonite.
Cut some 55 gallon plastic drums in half that have lids and you can make two and dig them in a foot so they won't get tipped over. They can be fllushed out periodically as needed.
Bryce
I might just try 1 of those 15 gallon tubs from the farm store and use it in the fall
I bow hunted Buffalo County Wisconsin for years and we would cut 50 gallon plastic drums at an angle lengthwise in half. We would then put them within 20 yards of our ladder stands on top of the Bluffs where there were no water. The Valleys had some spring Creeks running through some of them but the deer liked to go to our water holes on top of the Bluffs without traveling far from there comfort zone. we set cameras up and head numerous pictures of lots of deer turkeys even coyotes and one bobcat using the water troughs. Needless to say we shot a lot of deer including some real nice b u c k s at these water troughs. The hard part was keeping them full of water but it didn't take much to keep deer coming to them.
In the George Washington National Forest in W VA the forest service would just make a divot along side their service roads If it rained enough there was some water in those small holding areas And if there was water in those water puddles there would always be a large amount of deer tracks from the deer using those spots to drink from If you have the place and ability' to make some watering spots it would be to your advantage
Years ago I found a nasty low spot holding water that was made by logging equipment. This was in a woods that did not have any creeks or ponds in it. The water in it was nasty. On a dry year the deer flocked to it to drink water. The deer would suck the water out of the hoof prints of other deer. I have seen deer pee in this water, then drink the water. I about fell out of my tree stand. Every couple years now I scoop it out with a shovel to maintain it. I had another woods I hunt with no creeks or ponds in it so I put a water hole in it that is a 3 foot deep plastic drum. I put it where I can haul water to it. On a dry year it draws a ton of deer. On a wet year there is not much deer action at either spot. We get 36 inches of rain per year here. So water holes can draw deer even where there is quite a bit of rain.
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!
I'm going to try the licking stick idea. I'll try to get it out soon.
My brother and I have managed our 750 acres since 1985. We have built water holes and also have a creek that runs over a mile and a half through it not a large creek. Couple old beaver pond holes and drainage's. Some years drought some years drowned, never had issues will illness. Put them in lots of people have them or similar.
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 thought it was against the law to collect rain water there? Or is that Washington State?
Here’s our typical watering hole setups at the end of food plots and kill plots… we always capitalize on a fresh water tributary or spring- they are shallow and about 15’ in diameter
How effective is a big mud hole in a state like WI where water is everywhere naturally? In western states where water may be piped as much as 20 miles to a stock tank , on blm the water must be maintained even after the cattle are gathered up for a few months.
Seen a lot of deer in WI too. Why do you need that kind of stuff just to kill a few?
How effective is a big mud hole in a state like WI where water is everywhere naturally? In western states where water may be piped as much as 20 miles to a stock tank , on blm the water must be maintained even after the cattle are gathered up for a few months.
Seen a lot of deer in WI too. Why do you need that kind of stuff just to kill a few?
In my opinion, deer hunting has evolved in Wisconsin since I started hunting over 45 years ago. When I was a kid deer camps consisted of large groups that often orchestrated deer drives from dawn until dusk. Albeit, some of those camps still exist but it’s rare- the advantage now is for private land owners to create habitats that support carrying capacity and meets the hierarchy and needs for deer and other wildlife. Water is just one of those needs, If you have a source near good browse, forage and a bedding area- you’ve checked three important needs. Food, water & shelter
The birds like my h20 hole. If my h20 hole freezes b4 we get snow, it'll be interesting to see if deer come in for a lick If an artificial water tub freezes, hopefully it doesn't crack
As already stated,it needs to have some movement. Another problem is water holes attract bugs,Nat's are the worst Most worry about cwd,but no one talked about blue toung and other bug born deer killers. These take more deer every year than cwd has in it's known history. So use caution with placement of a water hole. Just what I have learned. .
I put mine out about a month ago. I could be wrong but I figure if a person waits to put it out til bow season starts there's probably not a problem. In a way I'm surprised the state allows it in my County. It's illegal to bait here.
Beginning of October when the new logging road was completed, we dropped in (3) in culverts and dished out the downstream side to capture some of the sheetwash- here's a poor pic from last week but they all look like African watering holes- track on top of track.
We got early snow this year, prematurely eliminating the benefiy of my h20 hole the past week. Starting tomorrow it's going to warm up quite a bit. It could be interesting to see if they hit it
I am going to wait at least another month before I put my water tub out for the year. I figure that way there is less risk of spreading blue tongue in deer.
If you have a hillside to work with, just dig a shallow trench going across the hillside, that dips very slightly to a middle point. Put a perforated PVC drain pipe in the bottom of the trench and shallowly bury it. Put the excess dirt on the downhill side of the trench to make a berm. At the center dip, T in a solid PVC pipe and run it downhill to a tank or hole. Put some Gambusia affinis (mosquito fish) in the tank or hole, once filled, to eat the mosquito and fly larvae. Rain, snow melt and even heavy dew will refill the tank.
If you have a hillside to work with, just dig a shallow trench going across the hillside, that dips very slightly to a middle point. Put a perforated PVC drain pipe in the bottom of the trench and shallowly bury it. Put the excess dirt on the downhill side of the trench to make a berm. At the center dip, T in a solid PVC pipe and run it downhill to a tank or hole. Put some Gambusia affinis (mosquito fish) in the tank or hole, once filled, to eat the mosquito and fly larvae. Rain, snow melt and even heavy dew will refill the tank.
I do have a hill to work with. I'll have to think about this more to see if I can fully understand what you are talking about
If you have a hillside to work with, just dig a shallow trench going across the hillside, that dips very slightly to a middle point. Put a perforated PVC drain pipe in the bottom of the trench and shallowly bury it. Put the excess dirt on the downhill side of the trench to make a berm. At the center dip, T in a solid PVC pipe and run it downhill to a tank or hole. Put some Gambusia affinis (mosquito fish) in the tank or hole, once filled, to eat the mosquito and fly larvae. Rain, snow melt and even heavy dew will refill the tank.
I do have a hill to work with. I'll have to think about this more to see if I can fully understand what you are talking about
Thanks
Basically all you are doing is catching any surface water running down the hill and any water that has permeated the soil, down to the base of your trench and channeling it down to your pond. Once you have the tiles in place, there is virtually no maintenace, though it helps to keep vegetation from growing to close to your tile to keep roots from absorbing water or clogging it. A few quick passes with a weedwacker helps with that.
It's somewhat similar to building a spring head. The main difference is you're collecting surface runoff and shallow water.
I might put a layer of sand instead of black dirt over the liner. I think dry mud is what leads to blue tongue concerns. I would think sand could ~avoid that issue
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