The simplist of water holes

[j-bird]

I have a spring that I had an excavator (was doing some work not 100 yards away on the neighbors place) take a couple of scoops out of a year or so ago (cost me a whole hot plate of dinner and a cold beer). I am going to turn it into a spring box and run the water into a kids swimmy pool. The spring alone tends to fill with cattails, but it's good cold ground water. I am not sure if I will sink the kiddy pool or not - not sure it will make much difference. I'll take some pics when I start that project.

 

[ruskbucks]

Here's a pic of the waterhole/pond I dug two years ago with a mini excavator. It took me about 4hrs. It is about 30x15 and around 5-6 feet deep. I built it in a natural low spot that in the spring would hold about 6 inches of water. I left all the ground around the pond untouched, this way I always have a fresh water supply and the area drains the way it always has before. The water flows in from the far side of the pond, and if the pond is full it will flow out the right side into a tag alder/tamarack swamp.

 

[PRK]

this was a waterhole of opportunity...i have a spring seep coming out of the hill in this plot. when expanding the plot, we ecountered a pile of junk from my grandfather's "toys". while dislodging the junk with a four wheeler with a snow plow we ended up making quite a hole that was filling up with water quickly. we shaped it out with the snow plow, then smoothed it all out with rakes and shovels. It help water for a few weeks since we have some clay in the soil...but it wasnt enough to hold water once the seep dried up for the summer. A friend of mine had this big sheet of some sort of plastic liner and he just gave it to me. It filled with water from rain.

here it is in the spring without the liner and before it drained.
http://s260.photobucket.com/user/norwoodsman/media/habitat 2014/IMG_7983_zps98932c2f.jpg.html



here it is after i installed the liner.


this was taken in July...by september it had filled right up to the drain pipe

Phil, how do the deer react to walking on that plastic?

 

[phil@thesidehill]

Phil, how do the deer react to walking on that plastic?

When it's all the way full there isn't much plastic exposed on the down hill side anyway. The areas with all the plastic exposed are on the uphill side and it would have been a whole lot of digging to level it out....plus deer from uphill approach can walk right into it thru the "swale" I created with stepping on plastic because it's buried. I have lots of pics of deer standing right in the middle. The downhill side also offers the best shot opps so I'm ok with the limited up hill approaches.

 

[habitat]

Here is on I put in this year.My property is a 1/2 mile of river

 

[habitat]

And the critters still seem to prefer any other water

 

[bowhunternw]

You guys that have these does the water get all green and funky? Meaning do you ever have to clean them out?

 

[kabic]

You guys that have these does the water get all green and funky? Meaning do you ever have to clean them out?

Don't forget to throw in several small pcs of copper tubing or a 12" pc of heavy braided copper wire in those small tanks to keep algae from forming. Trace copper will not hurt the deer, but it's harmful to some livestock and will kill fish.

I guess a little copper will stop that

 

[habitat]

Not anymore than a regular waterhole,I suppose a guy could throw in a couple tablets from a swimming pool

 

[bueller]

You guys that have these does the water get all green and funky? Meaning do you ever have to clean them out?

I add nothing and the water in mine stays pretty darn clean. I believe having it in a shaded area helps.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

Do the animals use these waterholes even if you have other water sources nearby? Our plots are on higher ground but there are small streams and springs running on both sides of the plots at a distance of about 300 yds. from the plots. Would a tank-type waterhole work in such a situation if dug in near the plots?

 

[Riggsgwp->]

i have quite a bit of water on my place and next door but deer love to congregate around the smaller waterhole. I am sold big time on these and I add salt/mineral around them which makes them even more attractive.

 

[habitat]

My ground is 1/2 mile of river that they can walk across and they still drink most of the time at one of my 3 waterholes

 

[kabic]

Finally put this in the gro
und. Guess I'm a procrastinater.

 

[kabic]

Man was that a bad picture.

Here is a path through the sorghum that goes to it.

 

[kabic]

Getting filled nicely by all the rain this year.

 

[phil@thesidehill]

Do the animals use these waterholes even if you have other water sources nearby? Our plots are on higher ground but there are small streams and springs running on both sides of the plots at a distance of about 300 yds. from the plots. Would a tank-type waterhole work in such a situation if dug in near the plots?

My waterhole gets decent use but i wouldnt say its a HUGE attraction...its about 10 yds out into the plot from the hardwood edge on the down hill side. It stays nice and shady there until about mid day. We have a decent sized year round creek at the bottom of the hill about 200-250 yds or so....but they would likely have to walk by my water hole on there way down to the creek because most of the bedding is up hill from my spot. So i'm not really sure what water source they really prefer. Of all the hours on stand since i put the waterhole in...i have only ever seen deer drink from it 3 times. I run a camera on it from late June to early September most years....which also allows for good coverage of most of the plot as well....and i dont have TONS of pics of the deer in the water hole...some but not as many as i would have thought.

 

[j-bird]

Well - you boys got under my skin so I tried a water hole myself over the weekend. Now don't laugh, but I ended up with about 4 feet square that holds 50+ gallons of water.......I used an old clear shower curtain as the liner! I hung a cam to see what/if/when anything uses it. This is along 2 logging trails where deer move and right next to a thick area where they like to bed.

I have a pool liner for a bigger project - more than likely for next spring.

 

[Bill]

Your wife is going to be pissed when she finds out where the shower curtain went. :D

I bet they use it soon at that location.

 

[j-bird]

Your wife is going to be pissed when she finds out where the shower curtain went. :D

I bet they use it soon at that location.

She tossed it out.....one persons trash....... I told her I had a body to dispose of! She rolled her eyes and said, "deer crap....... right?!?" She knows me too well.....:D