Thinking I'd like to put a 150-300 gallon Rubbermaid type water trough in each of my feeder pens. Would I have reasonable expectations to possibly attract more deer by doing this and how long would 300 gallons generally last in North Texas during hunting season, one month or so? Finally, without running water, what would be my options for refilling these troughs? Thanks for the input...

DQ, I have a plastic 55 gallon drum, I cut a 3/4" hole on the side at the bottom and put a standard fucet on using rubber seals. Back of truck or trailer and you can let gravity work. You could also get one of those food grade totes everyone uses too.

I think 300 gallons would last you at least a month, less use in the winter, may have to check it for ice when it's damn cold though. I have a cut off 55 gallon steel "trough" Deer use it all the time, almost always when at the feeder it gets used.

We use the 275-300 gallon chemical carries that have been cleaned out and washed. We fill them up and then use 1 1/2-2 inch poly pipe to run from truck bed to trough. It takes about 5 minutes to fill them up.

I have a extra tank I built you can have DQ, I built a wire screen over the float to keep the coons out and just buy U a water tank

And bring 75 bucks and a bottle of Crown and I have two 56 gal tanks banded together and Bam ...
Portable water that will last you 30 days ...

If your place is dry, then yes, I think it could be a great thing. We have used the 300 gal IBC totes successfully in the past. Pipe them to one of the simple float troughs from Tractor Supply and you're in business. Make the open area of the trough small to minimize evaporation. You can refill from a 55 gal drum in your truck, or better yet, build a simple v-shaped guzzler frame from tin and treated lumber to fill it from rain.

To do this, take 3 sheets of 12' tin, and cut them in half. Build a simple frame with some slope for the tin, and direct into a common gutter in the center. Total guzzler will look like "wings" with the gutter in the middle, and have an effective area of about 100 sq. ft. The gutter then runs into the top of your tote. Does not take much rain to top off the tote with this design. 1.5" rain is around 100gal from the guzzler. If you want to catch more, just make your guzzler bigger.

This pic is not mine, but similar design.

I get about 2-3 months on about 225 gallons in the late fall/winter when evaporation loss isn't terible. I use a IBC yote to carry water in and a hose to fill the one on the ground. I get about 225 gallons out of each fill without ripping my shocks to death. You feel it when it's back there but truck still drives the same. I filled my tote around late September and it is still got about 100 gallons in it last I checked. I have the ground ibc tote connected by a hose to a Rubbermaid 40 gL tub dug in a little to help gravity.

I can't say any animals drink out of the trough though

I have a camera on my water trough. I get about 1/3 as many photos at the trough as I do at the feeders. I don't have any cattle, so my trough is about 20 yards from my feeder. I put a plan block of salt, ($5.95) at my feeder. during the summer they hit the salt and water as much as they do the feeder. Mine holds 200 gallons. it will last 4 months in winter and 2 1/2 months in summer. I fell it up by putting 4 55 gallon trash cans in the back of my truck and pump the water out of them in to the trough by using a 12 volt bilge pump and 12 feet of plastic hose. Works great for me.

This is how I did mine 275g and during the drought years they lasted almost a month, but I had these around protein stations where they needed the extra water. Carried one in the back of my truck and used a 900gph bilge pump with a long hose and hooked it into my trailer plug to pump it to the other tank.