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By incorporating a physical and psy-
chological barrier, deer can be ex-
cluded from your food plot, allow-
ing high-quality forage to reach high
biomass for later hunts. Deer can ab-
solutely jump an electric fence, but
when the fence is properly designed
and implemented, deer will opt for
other food sources.
Water Banking
with Guzzlers
Countless magazine articles deal
with food plots, mineral sites, pro-
tein supplementation and natural
habitat enhancement, but what
about water? Banking water via stra-
tegically placed watering holes or
water guzzlers allows every white-
tail hunter, regardless of acreage
hunted, to gain control over white-
tail hydration and attraction.
I speak to food plotters on a daily
basis who turn food-plot site selec-
tion and layout into rocket science,
with every little detail considered.
Telling them to plant a five-acre
plot along a property line where a
neighbor can see the deer in it is a
sin. However, when asked where
the closest reliable water source is,
they often respond, “There’s a creek
along the property line.” Why do we
spend so much time planting food
plots in very specific areas, shapes,
sizes and arrangements but nev-
er 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?
Although they’re under-utilized
by bowhunters, water guzzlers are
affordable for small-acreage man-
agement. They’re also lightweight,
easy to install and extremely dura-
ble. After two decades of trial and
error, I like a 20-percent-grade en-
trance/exit with a roughed-up, non-
slip-surface drinking trough that
allows both big and small game to
enter/exit without drowning and
contaminating the water supply.
Although guzzlers can be easi-
ly installed above the ground, I’ve
found it beneficial to bury them
about halfway below the surface.
I’ve observed that deer are more
comfortable drinking where they
can escape predators by simply
jumping forward, over the water
source, to escape danger. The guz-
zlers I use collect 35 gallons of wa-
ter with just one inch of rain and are
eight feet in diameter. In fact, one of
my guzzlers has been through sev-
eral severe droughts over the last 14
years without needing any added
water. Rainfall keeps them full.
Banking water with man-made
watering holes/guzzlers not only
allows you to control when water is
available, but also where. I place water
guzzlers near specific food plots de-
pending on several factors including
location and the property layout. My
goal is to make mature bucks as fat
and lazy as possible; if I can provide
year-round food, security/thermal
cover and water all within one acre,
I’m game! Will bucks move outside of
that area for various attractions? Ab-
solutely! Will they remain extremely
loyal to that site when food is limited
and the pressure is on? Absolutely!
Most of us think about providing
free-standing water for deer during
the hot/dry summer months, but a
doe-crazed, rut-frenzied buck loses
a lot of water during the dry winter
months, too. Since you’re reading
this in late summer/early fall, you
still have time to build your bank. In
fact, if you play your cards right, you
won’t need to rely on timing your va-
cation with the peak of the rut!Guzzlers offer whitetails a reliable, quiet
and, if properly buried, easily jumpable
water source.