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Food Plots Water hole

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hunter7272

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Joined
Nov 13, 2011
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76
Location
bradley county
I just cleared a 5 acre food plot and was wanting to put in a water hole since I have the machinery still there any pros or cons to putting in a small pond type water hole or the 300 gallon tub type you can buy at tractor supply and bury
 
Deer don't have to eat every day, but the do have to drink every day. A well placed water hole can be great. My thoughts on a watering hole on a food plot is it might keep a deer around in the plot for a while longer, but they probably aren't headed there for a drink specifically. The draw is the plot, and the watering hole might just be added bonus, and keep them around a bit longer. They're already getting a lot of their water from the greens and plants you have planted in a lot of cases though.


Another potential con is with a 5 acre food plot you will likely be pulling a large amount of deer into the area, and if they mud up your watering hole in a hot summer. You could be infecting every deer for a mile around with EHD. Where as more natural or water holes in transition zones away from your plot probably won't get used by every single deer that comes by your plot. So even if that water source does spread EHD it might not be as wide spread. But there are things you can do like plant a lot of stuff around the watering hole to try and keep it from being a mud hole.

I love the idea of packing everything into 1 spot, and being deer heaven but I personally think watering holes are better in transition areas between bedding and food plots than inside one or the other. With the added benefit of an additional stand location for you to hunt. Although if you're a bow hunter, and you want to sit on your 5acre plot. A water hole might be just the ticket to get them to walk within bow range while they're browsing around.
 
Water holes are worthless 9/10 years.

BUT the crazy dry years, they are the best killing spots potentially for a mile around (all depends on where other water sources tjat still have water are located in proximity to your water hole)

In 2017, I literally had the only standing water for a couple miles around (save for water hauled in to livestock troughs). Nearby creeks were dried up, all local ponds dried up.

We killed 5 bucks 4.5 or older that year, all within 100y of my water sources. Best hunting season we have ever had. But that was a CRAZY dry year, same year gburg burned down iirc.
 
I use the tanks buried ground level to avoid EHD issues. By far and above my favorite habitat enhancement. I get a dozen pics of big bucks at water holes to every one in a food plot. Many bucks hit my water and never go near a plot. The more intense the rut, the more use the water gets. The more acorns on the ground, the busier the water. And they get better and better every year as more deer learn about them.

It matters where you put it. I don't put them in plots. I've found the best used ones are on travel intersections and staging areas where deer hold up to socialize and/or hit a scrape before going to or coming from food.

My best one is on a long scrape line that connects traditional buck bedding with a plot in the bottom. About half way along it is a trail intersection, and I also have a mineral site at the spot, scrapes on each side. I bet I get 50 different bucks frequenting that water hole every year, as well as does and fawns. It's become a social hub for all deer.
 
Think if I were to make a water hole, I would just leave it mostly above ground, to avoid having it get dirt in it, and to keep from having mud issues that would potentially cause end. I know out West, some set up on stock tanks for antelope and deer, have seen several where they were just set on the ground like they were setup for cattle.

That being said I have no need for a water hole here, we have a river channel that to my knowledge has never gone dry behind us.
 
backyardtndeer said:
Think if I were to make a water hole, I would just leave it mostly above ground, to avoid having it get dirt in it, and to keep from having mud issues that would potentially cause end. I know out West, some set up on stock tanks for antelope and deer, have seen several where they were just set on the ground like they were setup for cattle.
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I actually put a few shovel loads of dirt in the tanks. The deer seem to like it better than clean, clear water. Once leaves and sticks and frogs get in there, it's like the deer like it even more.
 
I use the tubs buried in the ground. Every critter on the property will use them. There are other water sources on nearby properties so that's one more thing I can give them to keep them from having to wander off to get it.
 
A couple of guys on our place dug out a spot deep enough to bury a 100 gallon fish pond/water tank in. Now granted this was put on the top of a ridge in the heart of Humphreys county chert district. BSK can attest to that….anyway, we kinda made fun of it never thinking critters would use it. We were big time wrong this year. I put a camera over it and was amazed at the amount of wildlife that use it daily. Deer, coons, birds, a fox, coyotes, squirrels, hawks and a dang vulture!
 
JCDEERMAN said:
You're a lucky man. 622 acres and NO water other than ponds and watering holes
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Yes, I am lucky. I have three just like the picture below. They've never gone dry.
 

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BSK said:
Yes, I am lucky. I have three just like the picture below. They've never gone dry.
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I'd do anything for one of those. Can't tell you how many times I've gone to our lowest spots in hollows and pondered getting a trackhoe down there just to dig and hope. Even went "witching" with a peach tree limb 🤣. Thats how we found our well for our cabin
 
I'm thankful to have a spring fed holes on 2 of our farms. And 3 ponds I've never seen dry even in 2007. We have imo great water on all of our places. Very thankful especially in years like this.
 

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