no water on land?

[k9callicoat]

I hunt a small 5 acre property that is surrounded by maybe another 20 acres. There is no water really around for drinking for the deer but I do get deer moving through my property with at least 6 different bucks that hang around. Would I benefit from putting a small water hole on the 5 acres?

[jlh42581]

Certainly couldnt hurt. I wouldnt go crazy

[RUTIN]

It could help more than you think if you can keep water in it.... use a small koi fish pond and it'll work just fine.

[BJE80]

Consider the kiddy pool method. Get a ~4-5' kiddy pool and bury it a little bit and then fill it with water. Talk about a cheap way to try it. If it works and you want something better you can always do more later when you know it will work. Good luck.

[dreaming bucks]

Absolutely it will work ! But don't overhunt it.....

[ Post made via Android ]

[rizzo999]

I have a friend in northern WI (Forest County) who put the plastic kiddie pool on his property and has outstanding early season success with it. I can not remember him hunting over it near the rut 'cause he always has tagged a buck by mid-Oct.

[Stanley]

Interesting.

[dan]

I like a permanent water hole that holds water without scent contaminating refills better than a kiddy pool. I think the big thing is with just 5 acres you don't camp out over it.

[gutone4me]

I like the kiddie pool idea. We dug this one in and filled it on 7/22 and on 7/25 a couple good bucks were there. never had to refill it as luck would have it we got enough rain still turned into a killer set up. If the wind is right and you can get in and out I wouldn't worry about hunting it too often. The first week of season and the pre-rut/rut can be a real gold mine to hunt water. The licking branch in the background gets a lot of play also.

[gjs4]

i would focus more on the perfect stand(s) than improving habitat but everthing is so relative to your surroundings.... just no that effort without fruit can lead to frustration fast

[Mike]

I start my water holes with kiddy pool for a year or two, then if the spot is right I put a permanent in. Glad I did too because picking the exact right spot right off the bat is rare IMO, in my experience anyway, usually its been a short move but there is fine tuning for sure.

[Monster Raxx]

I just dug in a 17 gallon water tub in a spot that doesnt have water. I am going to put a camera on it soon to see how the deer are working it.

[eastwoodhunter]

How are those bucks looking you got there....button bucks dont require much water

[dan]

I start my water holes with kiddy pool for a year or two, then if the spot is right I put a permanent in. Glad I did too because picking the exact right spot right off the bat is rare IMO, in my experience anyway, usually its been a short move but there is fine tuning for sure.

Very good point Mike! I have gotten pretty good at picking out the right spots. But I have noticed most of the properties I visit that have put water holes in themselves, the holes tend to be in the right vicinity, but wrong spot. It might seem like a pain putting in a water hole, but moving one 50 yards is even worse. If you look at the water hole I shoot the 14 pointer on in the Hill country DVD, I don't think it would work if you moved its location more than 50 yards in any direction.

[dan]

If the wind is right and you can get in and out I wouldn't worry about hunting it too often.

I have seen a night and day difference in water holes being over hunted vs. lightly hunted. The biggest difference is in mature buck activity. Its no different than sitting over a pile of bait or anywhere else, if you get your ground scent out there, the deer know you where there.
In my opinion, timing and patience kills more big bucks than agressivly hunting every day.
It would be really easy to over pressure a 5 acre property.