# Easy watering hole



## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Based on what some other members have done, a few weeks ago I created an easy watering hole on a small property that I got permission for my sons to bow hunt. There is no known water for over a 1/2 mile in any direction. Everything is sand.
I found a used garden pond on Craigslist for $30. It holds about 130 gallons. 
We dug into the north side of a small natural mound on the property. I bought a $7 camo tarp and some tent stakes and laid it on the ground above the pond. 
I used an online calculator to figure out for an inch of rain it should produce about 25-30 gallons of water. 
We put it out about two weeks ago, put about 50 gallons of water in to get it started. 
Last weekend we had just about 2" of rain. I checked the pond and it was almost full. Deer are hitting it. I put a camera up and am looking forward to seeing the results. Pretty cheap and easy.


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## alphamaxinitout (Jan 5, 2011)

Nice. Hook us up with some trail camera pictures of them using it.


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## Bigfoot81 (Dec 6, 2017)

Really good idea. I’ve seen this before and really like it. Looks great


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## BiggA (Jun 20, 2008)

Did the same thing and the work great! You'll be amazed at the critters that use them. I literally have just bout every animal in NW IL on camera using it - deer, turkey, hawks, eagle, *****, owls, coyotes, even have a badger it there.

Great idea on the tarp. I bought a 12 volt bilge pump and attached a bunch of garden hoses to it. I use gator clips on the pump and let her go. Mine is probably 300 yards off the road. Took a while to get the hose primed, but once she got going it worked great. Easier then carrying in 250 gallons of water


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## kballer1 (Aug 31, 2010)

33 gal plastic barrel cut in half & buried in ground so deer don't tip over & have 2 watering holes.


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## trailboy (Sep 29, 2013)

Great and easy idea. Can't see the first image though. 

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## Jackpine Willy (Jun 25, 2018)

The Craigslist garden pond is a good idea, but the auto fill tarp is a GREAT idea.


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## TUNAFISH (Nov 2, 2005)

this is why i love this sight, I would have never thought of that


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Jackpine Willy said:


> The Craigslist garden pond is a good idea, but the auto fill tarp is a GREAT idea.


Thanks, I would have preferred to use some sheets of siding/roofing tin as some people have done, i'm a bit worried about the tarp getting holes in it if a deer steps on it, ect, but the landowner didn't want tin and thought this was fine, plus, at $7 for the tarp, not a big deal if it does fail, can replace it or heck, even use some duct tape to relatively fix it. 

You can see that I used a couple of rocks to hold the bottom of the tarp. Not perfect but free and I didn't have to carry them in. Prior to the rain we had, the waterline was well below the rocks, so the tarp did work the way I hoped, and in reality, I shouldn't have to supplement the water level much at all with this method. A few cups of water get stuck in the left-hand corner of the tarp where there is a gap between the pond edge and the mound, but I think I have the answer simply in a 6 inch wide x 12in piece of manufactured wood flooring scrap that I just pulled from a dumpster at a home remodel down the street. 

I hope to get out this weekend and check the camera and the water levels, it's been mega-dry here for the past 12-15 days. A few spotty showers have passed over, but I'm not sure if they hit at the land or not. I'm curious to see how it is working out. 

If I have any interesting pics, I'll share.


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## clubkidcarlos (Sep 23, 2005)

cool !


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Hey folks... I've had the watering hole now for 6 weeks. 
Enough rain has fallen to keep the tank pretty full. We've left it alone for 3 weeks with a camera on it. And the results??

Zero deer! Not one! ***** and squirrel is all. Another camera on a mineral block 50 yards away is filled with deer ( several different bucks repeatedly). 

What the heck? Yes, obviously they are getting water someplace, but you'd think an easy drink in the hot summer would appeal to at least one deer. I'm a bit puzzled. And of course my kid is a bit frustrated.


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## duncancreek (Aug 9, 2017)

I put one in the ground very similar to your setup at the first part of the summer. It took the deer at least a month to start using it heavily. I had pictures of them walking by but I think it was around 3 weeks in before my I had a pic of one actually drinking. I still get more pictures on my mineral site but give it time and they will start using it.


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## bigjoedodge (Nov 30, 2009)

That’s awesome


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Good news. We went out to hang a stand this morning. It has rained twice this week but as we got closer, my son stated that the water was down 4-5". When we got up to it, sure enough, deer tracks. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera on, but re set it now.


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## mccoppinb (Aug 14, 2012)

In.


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

These are horrible pictures, I know. Both bucks (an 8 and 10) are going to the water hole. I had my camera on video mode and had to pause the video on my laptop and take a picture with my phone. But anyway, the project is working. We haven't had to add any water, and my son is pretty excited about the opportunity he might have. If you need to add water for the critters in your area, give something like this a try.


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## ontariohunter15 (Sep 11, 2018)

Great idea and that is a nice buck on camera!


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

ontariohunter15 said:


> Great idea and that is a nice buck on camera!


Thanks! And sorry if I didn't state it well enough, but those are two different bucks.


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Better picture of the 10 pt at the water hole. A hot, dry spell for several days brought more deer in on a regular basis.


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## OutdoorGuy86 (Apr 7, 2011)

That’s a great idea and some great pics of good bucks!


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## YeeYee (Oct 2, 2013)

Does anyone know of any issues or consequences of stagnant water? Looks like the watering holes are working but does anyone have success long term on these?


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## JCcypress (Sep 17, 2018)

YeeYee said:


> Does anyone know of any issues or consequences of stagnant water? Looks like the watering holes are working but does anyone have success long term on these?


Theoretically you could drop of few ounces of bleach (depending on size) in it periodically to help with sanitation


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## Wooden Hen (Aug 17, 2017)

i am on it


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## conquestador (Mar 28, 2010)

I'm glad that it's starting to work out for you. Great plan that demonstrates a little ingenuity. I don't want to sound like a killjoy or a naysayer and I don't know the laws in your area, but could that be considered "baiting"? If we didn't have so many creeks around here I'd sure give it a try. Good luck!


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

YeeYee said:


> Does anyone know of any issues or consequences of stagnant water? Looks like the watering holes are working but does anyone have success long term on these?


Deer and such will drink out of some pretty *****y puddles and ponds. Or think about a cow tank that they drink out of. I think this is supplemented with enough water when it rains (25 or more gallons per inch) that it seems pretty clean. A dryer summer could change that of course.


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

conquestador said:


> I'm glad that it's starting to work out for you. Great plan that demonstrates a little ingenuity. I don't want to sound like a killjoy or a naysayer and I don't know the laws in your area, but could that be considered "baiting"? If we didn't have so many creeks around here I'd sure give it a try. Good luck!


Nope, water isn't bait, but thanks for the compliment and the question though.


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## Braves-01 (Dec 16, 2015)

Great ideas, would have never thought of this!


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## Alaska at heart (Aug 25, 2009)

I have seen deer drink out of nasty little natural drainage areas and lift their head with scum and algea on their muzzle. By adding fresh water, I doubt there would be any issue with sanitation.....unless there was CWD in the local herd. If that were the case, I would bail on the entire concept. Wondering what the WDNR might have to say with CWD known in the WI deer herd???

A local farmer cuts 50 gallon plastic drums in half the long way as pictured in a previous post. I think digging that in would be simple, but clearly not hold as much water.


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## snake man (Jun 19, 2015)

good idea


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## 96dragger (Mar 28, 2015)

Great idea. I have been thinking about doing this as well.


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## JD Page (Oct 8, 2018)

Great info!


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## schmidtlein7 (Aug 11, 2018)

Great idea using the tarp to collect run-off. I wouldn't have thought of that!


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## bridings (Sep 17, 2017)

What an idea! I think I might try this as Our Farm doesn’t have a good water source


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## conquestador (Mar 28, 2010)

Bumped, so those reading your success thread will find it easier.


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Results! First archery buck for my 15 year old son. Coming to get a drink after chasing a doe.


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

conquestador said:


> Bumped, so those reading your success thread will find it easier.


Thanks! I was trying to do that this morning in the stand but my service kept cutting out.


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## SilentElk (Oct 6, 2004)

Came hear to read this after seeing your other post in the Bowhunting section. Building a water tank system myself and thought I would see what others had done. Looks like it worked well!


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Thanks! Using something like tin and a gutter system would be more permanent, but surprisingly, the tarp has held up very well all summer and fall. 
Oh, and something else I did... because I didn't want the water to completely freeze and possibly crack the pond, I drilled a 1/2 hole in the lower corner. I used a wine cork to plug it. I drained all but a couple of inches of water and left the cork out for winter. Any additional rain or snow melt can run out, or at least not get so full that it could crack the plastic. 
That's the theory anyway...we will see.


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## cpalmer541 (Nov 14, 2018)

I really like this idea. Did you have access to water or did you have to pack it in?


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## cpalmer541 (Nov 14, 2018)

Disco89 said:


> Results! First archery buck for my 15 year old son. Coming to get a drink after chasing a doe.


Nice job!


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

cpalmer541 said:


> I really like this idea. Did you have access to water or did you have to pack it in?


We initially brought some water in to hopefully get some deer coming to it, but after the first rain, we never had to add any more water. The tarp works.


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## Tannertmx85 (Feb 26, 2018)

Man that’s a good idea


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## colebro123 (Nov 14, 2018)

Wow; going to try that next summer.


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## BrandonB85 (Mar 17, 2019)

great idea.


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## john kristian (Dec 31, 2005)

Seven or eight years ago here in Kentucky we had an awful bout of blue tongue/EHD. It took easily 3 to 4 years before we were seeing deer back in the pre-BT numbers, so I just want to pass along the information that the midges that spread the virus exist in non-moving or stagnant water, that’s why when the deer need water the most, standing water in their previously flowing streambeds can be the most dangerous for them. I don’t know if the midge larvae/pupae/adult lifecycle can work in an artificial pond without access to the soil or bedrock, but that’s a good question to ask. Anybody know out there?

Several years I put together a watering hole about 200 yards from the house with a Home Depot irrigation timer ($30 or so), 200 yrds of .25” tubing like this ( https://www.amazon.com/Watts-Polyethylene-Tubing-0-17-Bulk/dp/B005LRXYUA ). I just ran it through the woods from the house and then made a .75” PVC chase for it that went up a tree and then out on a branch so that it would fill the plastic tub I got from Home Depot from a height of about 4 feet. I set the timer so that it would fill up the tub about halfway in about an hour every other day so freshwater (chlorinated) would flush out the old. I later changed the flow rate to a tiny consistent rate-just enough to keep bubbles moving through the line-so I did not have to check on it. The big advantage with the feed rate and elevated source was the sound. Critters can hear the sound of falling water a long, long way off especially if it falling from a distance like 4 feet. Raccoon, squirrels, bobcats, possums, deer, and every bird around used the thing. The whole thing eventually failed because the squirrels kept gnawing the water line tubing apart. I got pipe connectors and could rejoin the water line at the breaks, but after a while they just chewed it all up and will will will will will will will will I could not keep up with them. It was 200 yards to start, but when I pulled it out it was probably 40 separate pieces. It was all on ledge so I couldn’t bury the line, but if I ever had the occasion to do it over again I will try to put it 6 inches below the surface as much as it might be hard to do. Armored line probably is the best way to go but pretty costy

My $0.02,

JK


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## Mike_Miller (Mar 14, 2018)

Definitely going to try this out!!


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## Mack.NOV9-15 (Mar 2, 2018)

Great idea.


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## Mack.NOV9-15 (Mar 2, 2018)

Watering holes definitely work, did the same thing and had great success.


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## hunter1997 (Apr 7, 2006)

Great ideas!


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## Finnish person (Jun 29, 2010)

good idea


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## anthonyyoung385 (Mar 25, 2019)

that will work!


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## JakeRV (Jun 6, 2019)

great idea


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## Disco89 (Oct 17, 2017)

Hey all. I thought i would update. 
This spring the water hole was full due to snow melts. Early summer it was pretty funky, as some rodent fell in and died. We emptied it and cleaned it. The tarp is in great shape with no holes in it. 
After the next couple of rains it was full and deer and others are using it. Good pictures. 
My kids have only been out once this fall due to sports, but will be out there soon. 
If you have a waterless property, this works better than I ever expected. Give it a try.


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## eldridgemc (Jul 9, 2013)

:darkbeer:


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## Niko615 (Aug 22, 2016)

Would reccomend putting it below the ground level. And also 110 gallon farm and home stock tanks work great. Also put a stick in there so critters can get out


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## hoghntrncypress (Aug 10, 2017)

Nice idea, looks good...


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## CaptCastnBlast (Apr 6, 2020)

great info and ideas


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## Phillygoat (Apr 29, 2018)

I'll be given this idea a try


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