My question is: why do we feel it’s of utmost importance to spend so much time placing food plots in specific areas and in a very detailed shape/size but we never talk about strategically placing SURFACE WATER SOURCES (i.e. water guzzlers) to minimize stress, shrink distance traveled for hydration and ultimately maximize the health of our deer herds?

The benefits of a plentiful water supply for whitetails are too numerous to detail in this e-newsletter.  You almost can’t go a day without someone telling you about the importance of drinking plenty of water throughout the day.  Therefore, I’m sure you won’t argue with me when I say: “Free water” (i.e. ponds, streams, rivers and lakes) availability may not be a limiting factor in whitetail survival; but it’s certainly a limiting factor in MAXIMIZING their health.  Strategically locating “free water” sources (guzzlers) is an underutilized strategy when micro-managing hunting properties.  In my opinion, “free water” availability is severely underrated as a limiting factor in white-tailed deer management.

Enter whitetail water guzzlers

One product I’ve researched and installed on my personal property in PA is a water guzzler developed in Texas.  Some of the specifications that led me to initially test this particular guzzler include:

• Affordable for small acreage management
• Non-corrosive fiberglass construction is lightweight, durable, and will never rust
• 20% grade, rough surface drinking trough that allows watering of big game (deer, antelope, elk) and small game (pheasants, quail) and allows small game to enter the trough without becoming trapped and contaminating the water supply
• Easily installed above and below ground
• MY FAVORITE: Just one inch of rain adds 35 gallons to an 8 foot diameter tank where it’s banked and stored for wildlife hydration.