Anyone ever bring water to attract deer

[Recoil]

One of the leases I have in Williamson county--213 acres-- has food and cover, but no water. Just wondering, has anyone had any experience bringing in water to use as an attractant to get deer your spot? If so, how did you do it? I can't dig a pond, but was thinking of some portable storage container.

 

[scn]

IMO, it might work in a drought year, but in a year like we are having in Williamson Co. it would be a total waste of time and money.

 

[diamond hunter]

I like those cattle troughs in key locations.Maybe a waste of time and money but I don't have to guess if the deer would like a drink. I also put buckets on the edges of box blinds to catch water.I think water in several locations make it a non-issue as long as its on my land and I can release.

 

[pressfit]

I dont think I have ever seen a deer take a drink of water.. i'm sure they do..... just never seen it..

 

[Roost 1]

Couple of years ago in a drought yr my buddy dug a small pond in the woods below his shooting house and hauled some water into it. After doing this his target buck hung around very often, he ended up getting him. 159" and some change.

 

[Bone Collector]

yes like other said in drought years water is key, but in non drought years, they can get water off leaves int he AM for condensation.

 

[BSK]

Just remember that although deer will and do drink free-standing water, they don't need to. My brother has a heck of a deer population around his place in the desert, and he just finally reached ONE inch of rain for the year. Deer can meet all of their water needs from the plants they eat.

 

[DeerKiller2012]

Year before last mid October small small mud hole . Really non hunt able because so thick just saw all the tracks and hung a camera .

 

[DaveB]

BSk, In Southern California I found a small spring. came up at the crotch of two ridglines, ran maybe twenty feet across rocks, and disappeared into gravel.

That place drew every animal and bird in the region, I killed deer there every year. I watched quail drink, made me laugh it was just like the cartoons.

Deer cross my lease to get to water (and food). They may not need it but for sure they drink from it.

 

[BHC]

I agree with Daveb, they may not need it but everything wants what it can't have! Propertys with no water, I believe making a small pond in a high traffic area can be an awesome spot esp early season..! Deer don't need salt to survive or corn or acorns but that doesn't mean they don't want it... Now on a property like the one I hunt w a creek in every crook and cranny making a water source would be pointless and a waste... We have plenty water throughout the property even in drought yrs... But others it can be a great addition to your land and make a great stand site...

 

[Deck78]

These days in Williamson 3 of the properties surrounding your lease probably have feeders and custom dug lakes so the property owners can feed and water their "pet" deer. It's getting harder to hunt the petting zoo

 

[BSK]

I agree with Daveb, they may not need it but everything wants what it can't have! Propertys with no water, I believe making a small pond in a high traffic area can be an awesome spot esp early season..! Deer don't need salt to survive or corn or acorns but that doesn't mean they don't want it...

That was actually the point I was trying to make. Often I see posts listing the "critical needs of deer," and the list usually goes 1) food, 2) cover, 3) water. Personally, I wouldn't put free-standing water as a critical or even an important need. Now "need" and "attractant" are two different things. Certainly water acts as an attractant, especially in the early fall, which are usually our driest months.

But one word of caution. Although I've not seen any studies confirming my suspicions, a strong trend I have noted each time we have an EHD outbreak is: standing water = a lot of dead deer. Only tumbling water sources = far less dead deer. The midge that spreads EHD breeds in the mud of stagnant water. The properties I monitor that had ponds and small waterholes as a water source experienced massive die-offs. The properties with only rocky, tumbling creeks experienced very little die-off. This trend has been so strong through the last two big die-offs (2001 and 2007) that when clients ask about creating small waterholes on their property, I tell them I don't recommend it, for this very reason.

 

[Deck78]

^ good point! No reason to chance a healthy deer population with something that might otherwise be prevented

 

[Recoil]

Great info.

 

[Mike Belt]

I've hunted over some of the only available standing water sources in the areas I hunted on several occasions and I've yet to see a deer come to drink. Sometimes the ground would be littered with tracks and still no deer. I have seen deer stop and drink out of puddles after a rain but hunting a water source (even in hot, dry periods) has been a total bust. I'm inclined to believe they drink at night but get most of the moisture they require from their food.

 

[fishboy1]

Each property is unique but here is my .02

Hunters spend way too much time and money trying to get the deer to do what they want them to do, rather than learn what the deer are doing on their individual properties.

I think in many if not most cases, hunters would be better off spending less trying to manipulate the deer, and spending more on gas to go scout, or hunt.

One property we hunt has hundreds of acres of high quality agriculture on the river, oak and persimmons on the ridges, minerals and water in several locations. The deer have everything they need, yet one guy insists on planting food plots every fall and wonders why he rarely sees big bucks around the food plots. Through lots of hard work and time on the ground and in a tree, I have figured out 2 big buck "hot spots". There is nothing I could do to manipulate those deer. They do exactly what they want, when they want. Its on me to put in the time under perfect conditions to try and get one.

Conditions are perfect about 2x a season and IF I am lucky (last year) one of those days will be just before or during the rut. Hunt those spots when conditions are wrong and you can forget it.

 

[pressfit]

I dont think I have ever seen a deer take a drink of water.. i'm sure they do..... just never seen it..

I'll swanny... coming home from church this evening and I saw a doe up to her belly in the middle of a pond and a nice nice buck standing on the side taking a drink.... right after a downpour..LOL

 

[de novo]

Each property is unique but here is my .02

Hunters spend way too much time and money trying to get the deer to do what they want them to do, rather than learn what the deer are doing on their individual properties.

I think in many if not most cases, hunters would be better off spending less trying to manipulate the deer, and spending more on gas to go scout, or hunt.

One property we hunt has hundreds of acres of high quality agriculture on the river, oak and persimmons on the ridges, minerals and water in several locations. The deer have everything they need, yet one guy insists on planting food plots every fall and wonders why he rarely sees big bucks around the food plots. Through lots of hard work and time on the ground and in a tree, I have figured out 2 big buck "hot spots". There is nothing I could do to manipulate those deer. They do exactly what they want, when they want. Its on me to put in the time under perfect conditions to try and get one.

Conditions are perfect about 2x a season and IF I am lucky (last year) one of those days will be just before or during the rut. Hunt those spots when conditions are wrong and you can forget it.

I agree with this.

Too many hunters want to think that they killed a good buck because of the work they did or the tactics they used like the TV guys all say. In reality pure chance plays as big of a role as anything in hunting but that doesn't give nearly as much thrill or satisfaction as being able to say I killed this buck because I did this ...

 

[BSK]

Too many hunters want to think that they killed a good buck because of the work they did or the tactics they used like the TV guys all say.

Truly good hunters know that TV hunters are mostly full of crap, and would never use the useless tactics those TV hunters promote.

In reality pure chance plays as big of a role as anything in hunting

For the not-so-good hunters, I agree. But I've seen way too many truly good hunters hunt public land and be successful time and again when others are not. That is not luck. It is the proper application of knowledge and skill.

 

[de novo]

I didn't use a subjective term to describe hunters. Some would argue that a "truly good" hunter may have his own TV show and others would think that makes him full of crap.