DIGGING A DEER WATERHOLE IS A BAD IDEA...SO WHAT'S THE BEST OPTION?

Adding small water sources to your property on the travel corridor adds year round social hubs. If water is a limited resource on your property, even better! There are several options to add a deer waterhole, but which one is best for the health of the deer herd and is the best bang for your buck?
Earth Blind Waterhole 2024 Update - New Earth Pond models are available that will now make these deer waterholes fit your property perfectly with 80-gallon, 120-gallon, and 250-gallon sizes. The 80 and 120 will fit in the back of a standard truck bed and are the same width as the 60 gallon model while adding some length to increase volume. The 250-gallon Earth Pond is about 8'x8' and will need a trailer to haul it. The waterhole from this video has been discontinued.
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[@UncleBucks]

These make sense and seems like a good way to go if your land has limited water. Looks like a better product (v.s. an ag tub) and good products sell themselves. Appreciate all of your informative videos.

[@HabitatProLLC]

Thanks Brett. Waterholes are a big deal and will be especially so this year with the drought. Thanks for the feedback sir. God bless you and your slice of Creation.

[@stanwebb2272]

The best environment for water is free flowing that has no pools but the water is not flowing fast but steady and is wide enough to walk across occasionally for other intentions....... Second where can you find 60, 120 gallons once every two weeks in the summer when the drought upon the area.......

[@HabitatProLLC]

Stan, the best environment for water for deer is near cover. Being prey animals they actually prefer non moving water because their sense of hearing is not compromised when drinking from a still pool. The best environment for water for the hunter is on the travel corridor where deer won't stay long after drinking which allows the hunter to leave without spooking deer, and since travel corridors are in cover it's the best compromise of attraction and huntability. I live in northern MN and put out 23 waterholes last season and filled none. Rain and snow melt did it all. If drought is a problem in your area then you solve the problem and bring water to the pond.

[@akbychoice]

So what about all the natural ones that have that issue ? I'm guessing a pool of water that small would heat up quickly and be a spawning ground for mosquitos

[@HabitatProLLC]

You are correct that any small pool of water will be a mosquito breeding ground under the right conditions. On properties where we install waterholes we focus on areas in the shade as much as possible in order to reduce evaporation. Cool water is a happy biproduct. What we are trying to avoid (if installing a waterhole) is promoting the slimy mud bank midges reproduce in. They are the vector for EHD.

[@treeclimbing7798]

akbychoice-mosquito Dunks from Home Depot or Lowe’s, made for animal water troughs. Lasts 30 some days. Safe for animals.

[@lloydduston707]

Thanks for sharing. I am now considering putting one of these in. Also can you tell me what kind of ground blind that is?

[@HabitatProLLC]

Earth Blind, but a discontinued model.

[@angelastanislowski8862]

Years ago, when only one guy had a plastic water hole video on KZbin, I asked the dnr about this and they recommended against it. They said since the plastic tub is unnatural the water would become stagnant and could make the deer sick. They said deer find water in ways we don’t even know about. Now there are tons of people doing this, what do you think of the dnr’s comment?

[@HabitatProLLC]

IMO it’s illogical. You can’t argue that deer find water in ways we don’t even know about and in the same discussion say that any man-made waterhole will become stagnant and make the deer sick. If they find water in ways we don’t even know about, such as the red water that looks like gasoline is poured on top of it in a tamarack swamp which I have seen them drink out of, then that comment about stagnant water runs aground.

[@ChilcoteForestryServices]

DNR is the LAST place you want to rely on for wildlife advice

[@foxmulder7616]

@@HabitatProLLC 100%

[@ChilcoteForestryServices]

Jake are you filling this or relying on rain ?

[@MinnesotaJake]

Rain 100%. I put in 23 of these last summer when I had a favorable storm coming. Laid them on top without digging...wanted to see how quick I could get an effective water source. Put them in places where there’s a little shade at mid day to minimize evaporation and your workload is virtually nil.

[@jimmydavis5951]

Shouldn't or could a small solar pump be added to keep the water aerated so it wont go stagnate

[@HabitatProLLC]

I suppose you could, but not necessary. People care about clean water, but deer don’t. I’ve watched deer drink red water out of a tamarack swamp.

[@stevegermain1222]

Seems like the right thing to do just no water issues down here

[@HabitatProLLC]

Yes, water definitely works better where there is none. I love properties with elevation because when you can put water up on the hilltops, it’s like moths to a flame. But properties with lots of water can also benefit by putting these on the travel corridors where bucks prefer to be when they’re searching for the ladies.

[@masonengle4405]

Where can I get one of these?

[@HabitatProLLC]

Mason send me an email or give me a call and we will find you one. Depends where you live and/or hunt.

[@benpena2832]

Where do you get these?

[@HabitatProLLC]

I sell them and you might get lucky and find them at shows around the midwest. A few companies are making cheap black plastic molded ones now but there is still no better option than these. Call or email works. Good luck this season Ben!

[@rajbeekie7124]

This sounds like a commercial for fiber glass watering holes. The very condition you describe has been in existence for eons. I doubt a few fiber glass watering holes will make a significant difference in deer health.

[@HabitatProLLC]

Raj I most definitely suggest Earth Blind fiberglass water holes to all habitat managers considering installing a water source for the reasons stated in the video--cheap, tough, effective, safe, natural look. Anyone managing a deer herd needs to focus on any aspect of herd attrition that is remotely in our control. For instance, when I found a coyote den on one property I manage, I filled it in and covered the entrance with a large rock. Might they dig another den nearby? Of course, but I just made it harder for them to set up shop near my client's fawns. With EHD wiping out large numbers of deer across the country, it would be irresponsible to ignore obvious midge breeding sites on a property. On this one for example, we filled in a natural pond (the only water source) in the middle of the property because it was not in an area the hunters could access without detection. We then added three artificial water holes on travel corridors around the property to position bucks in front of stands. This kept water a limited resource (increasing its attraction), made the property more huntable, and removed one EHD risk factor.

[@RickLarsonPermacultureDesigner]

Plastic in the woods just doesn't seem natural.

[@HabitatProLLC]

Rick this is fiberglass coated with topsoil spray texture. It's as realistic as one can get when looking for a permanent pond liner that takes abuse from hooves and claws. I have bucks on camera licking the mineral soil on the edge of the pond even though there's a pile of Maximizer right next to it. Tough to beat!

[@RickLarsonPermacultureDesigner]

@@HabitatProLLC Ok.

[@benpena2832]

Tell that to the deer panting for water in my area and no water for miles; plastic or no plastic; they lick it up; however we do lose a lot to evaporation; average temps this week 105 F. Scorcher...