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Water hole question!

Wi transplant

Wi transplant

PMA Member
Im looking at installing a burried water hole tank on my new farm this spring. My question for anyone whos done this is it ok to use southern iowa rual water ? Or do i need pond water? Wondering if clorine and other stuff in rural water has a negative effect on deer
use?? Looking for experience not opinions! Thanks!

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I've watered deer with SIRWA water. They drink it fine. Filled sprayer and back over kidder pools and pull drain. Pretty certain any chemical burns off quickly as it doesn't take long for algae to start.
 
I’ve been filling mine with SIRWA water for 3 years. They drink it just fine…in fact they hammer them…even with several natural water sources available. Several deer we know very well have used them from the start and continue to, so no health issues for the deer that are obvious.
 
About as cheap of a water hole a guy can make. $15?

SIRWA water. Tons of traffic.
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I’ve got tanks all over my farm. A variety of 110 gal. And some 300 gal. Again, I also have multiple natural water sources, creeks, ponds, etc. But in my experience (been putting water tanks out for 10 yrs or so) they become very habituated and dependent on the tanks. It’s often the very first think they do when entering a plot - go straight to the tank and drink. I would recommend burying, or at least partially burying for two reasons, 1. Much easier to fill. 2. You can see how difficult it can be for fawns at a 300 gal tank, and once the water line is down 6”-8” it gets harder. Be sure and place a log or similar so the coons, squirrels, etc can escape. Even the turkeys use my tanks consistently. Funny to see 4 or 5 old Tom’s perched on the rim of the tank.
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Like Marty, I have tanks all over my farm even though I have two dams that hold water. Mine are all dug into drainage routes and fill up easily when we get an inch of rain. However last year and this year mother nature kept them dry for the most part. The ones I can drive to, I've been filling every 10 days or so this fall/winter.. They are 110 gallon tanks and the critters have been drinking them down to where they are half empty or more in that time frame. The water has been like a pile of survey corn. The deer flock to it.

I knew they got used but I've never put cameras on the tanks until this year. I wanted to see how much use they get in drought situations and what all came to them. I have had deer basically wait their turn until they could get to the water, with the line 8 deep. Bucks tended does to the tanks(watched that from the stand). Deer of all ages use them day and night and have given me some good pics to study. Bobcats, squirrels, coons, possums, birds, and deer are regular consumers.

The deer are a bit apprehensive about dropping their front legs into the tanks when they get low but will do so, with most going to their knees to reach the water when it gets that far down so I'm going to use the front end loader on the ones that are topographically set up that will allow me to dig out a side so they can reach it without having to get on their knees or put front feet in them when they get that low.

I am going to add two 330 gallon tanks this spring, one of which I will be able to plumb hose to and keep filled year round. Adding water to where you hunt if possible is IMO is a no brainer, even if you think you got plenty of water.
 
If a person is wanting some lesser expensive tanks, there is a guy selling 330 gallon Hoover tanks that held chlorine for 30.00 on FB out of Omaha, NE. He's already washed them out but I will be cleaning them again for my own peace of mind. I'll use baking soda and vinegar. They don't smell at all like chlorine after he washed them. In fact I would say it was a earth toned scent. I bought three of them and will use one for transporting and the others I will cut in half.
 
IowaBowHunter1983 said:
Another option is bring IBC totes. Buy those for $30. 275 gallon.
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The IBC tanks that I have been around have very thin walls compared to the Hoover ones. They are at least 3/8". The guy explained that he used these type of totes because he didn't want the totes to be cracked by inadvertent hits by a skid loader. These things can take a big hit and not crack. I think that is a telling sign they will handle being frozen to the bottom and not crack. That is why I chose the 330 Hoovers over the IBC totes. If one wants to go with the IBC totes I've seen them advertised on FB for free in the Omaha area as well.
 
Would burying one in the dirt on a slope work to keep filled with water when it rains or is putting in a water hole something that you will need to manually fill on a regular basis? Would using a cheap plastic kiddy pool work?
 
sep0667 said:
Would burying one in the dirt on a slope work to keep filled with water when it rains or is putting in a water hole something that you will need to manually fill on a regular basis? Would using a cheap plastic kiddy pool work?
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Yes. Will work. That said, the deer absolutely hammer my tanks. There were times this summer/fall where I was adding another 100 or more gallons to my 300 gal tanks every 10 days.
 
Marty Edwards said:
Yes. Will work. That said, the deer absolutely hammer my tanks. There were times this summer/fall where I was adding another 100 or more gallons to my 300 gal tanks every 10 days.
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I'll probably try a kiddy pools on a slope this coming year. I dont a water hookup to fill up anything on my property to transport water to tanks.
 
Now we just need some way to keep them from freezing up in the winter..Once water holes and small ponds freeze over, water will be hard to come by this winter with the drought and all the creeks dry.
 
tall@wide said:
Now we just need some way to keep them from freezing up in the winter..Once water holes and small ponds freeze over, water will be hard to come by this winter with the drought and all the creeks dry.
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I posted pics of my setup last year using air to keep a spot open. This year I buried a 275 gallon IBC tote and am going to put the pex in the bottom and see if it will keep it from freezing. And see if the bubbling scares the deer away. ANother thought was solar power to a tank heater in the bottom of the IBC tote.
 
For those of you who have put water holes/tanks in the ground, approximately how far apart from each other have you put them? 100 yards, 200 yards? 1 tank/20acres? Also, how far away from a pond/creek that has water?
 
ELK919 said:
For those of you who have put water holes/tanks in the ground, approximately how far apart from each other have you put them? 100 yards, 200 yards? 1 tank/20acres? Also, how far away from a pond/creek that has water?
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I currently have 3, 300 gal tanks on my 250 acres. I plan on adding 2 more. Mine are all places in food plots and are positioned 20-25 yards from a blind or stand. Tanks/plots have several hundred yards between them. I fill with SIRWA water from the garden hose into a transport tank, then fill the water tanks. On one of my plots, my tanks are only ~150 yards or so above a really nice pond in the timber that holds water year round. They certainly still drink in that pond, but they also hammer my tanks right above it…see photo.
 

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