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Water hole question!

I’m putting in a couple 150 gallon tanks this summer. Do you guys reccomend burying? I see a handful of tanks above the ground.

I saw that anilogic has a liquid mineral product called deer oasis, comes in apple, another flavor, and a non flavor. Also saw where Thomas milsna adds trophy rock chunks to his to keep from freezing. Guys at anilogics said they’ve done side by sides and their product gets hammered vs regular water. Not sure on sales gimmick or if this would be worth a try, anyone have experience?
 
If you can bury it in a draw type of setting and take advantage of mother nature refilling it, I'd recommend that. Being buried will also keep it from freezing longer than above ground. If mother nature fills it then one isn't intruding into areas that perhaps the deer one is hunting doesn't like human scent very well and then avoids the area.
 
For those with water tanks. A good way to kill mosquito large is to chuck a cement mixer into a cordless drill and churn up the water real well.
Have had good luck doing that. High speed.
 
Whats your thoughts on taller grass / brush around water tanks? Do they feel safer or more skiddish about predators sneaking up on them ? Should i weed wack grasses down around tank? Thoughts? Thanks!!!

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Whats your thoughts on taller grass / brush around water tanks? Do they feel safer or more skiddish about predators sneaking up on them ? Should i weed wack grasses down around tank? Thoughts? Thanks!!!

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All my tanks are buried and I plant a perennial clover/fescue mix around them so that I can keep it mowed. I don't think deer want a bunch of cover around when they drink, they feel pretty vulnerable (I believe).
 
Well, for the guys that bury them - A log or large stick might not be enough to help get a fawn out. I had to fish a dead fawn out of mine that couldn’t get out. Felt terrible.

I now have a ladder type thing I made with 2x4s and weighed it down with a brick. Think it’s a 100 gallon tank buried in a low spot of clover plot.


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Well, for the guys that bury them - A log or large stick might not be enough to help get a fawn out. I had to fish a dead fawn out of mine that couldn’t get out. Felt terrible.

I now have a ladder type thing I made with 2x4s and weighed it down with a brick. Think it’s a 100 gallon tank buried in a low spot of clover plot.


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Ugh. That’s some sad news…thanks for sharing tho, great thing to be aware of.
 
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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You can always ask the township what is in their water to be sure but most of the chlorine should evaporate in 24-48 hrs. Many places use chloramine (combining ammonia and chlorine) instead of chlorine because it's more stable. I'm not sure how long that would take to dissipate or how it would affect deer, but chlorine will kill some of the bacteria in their gut and can cause GI upset. Worst case, they may briefly stop eating. I don't know if places still add fluoride but it can be toxic and cause bone problems like sclerosis in wild ungulates. This is all from research done on the subject. It's hard to have enough experiance to notice these things. So you might want to check to see what all they put in the water.


Well, for the guys that bury them - A log or large stick might not be enough to help get a fawn out. I had to fish a dead fawn out of mine that couldn’t get out. Felt terrible.

I now have a ladder type thing I made with 2x4s and weighed it down with a brick. Think it’s a 100 gallon tank buried in a low spot of clover plot.


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Wow, I would have felt terrible too. Thanks for mentioning that. I will make sure to mention this to anyone I hear putting in water holes. Maybe a ramp with some kind of gritty sand paper like coating that would be OK to soak in water would be easiest for a new born to get onto and get out?
 
Yesterdays project. We have 3 other 110 gal tanks in the ground. In the past 4 years, we”ve only had to top off one time. I have been pretty surprised with the drought and all. We fill it with well water.

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Looks like those places would be good candidates for EHD breeding grounds 83.?

Just thinking a tank would be better for that issue.
No better or worse than a thousand farm ponds in the county. Seeded these down tight to edge and based on topography they won't have trouble staying full.
 
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