This is something I've never seen discussed here, but with a couple of recent threads about hunting over water sources, it got me to thinking about this.

My property has 6 constant water sources and I hunt in the area around them all the time. During a really bad drought year, I've put game cameras on the area of the tanks that seemed to have the most traffic, but with what amounted to very few results.

Scouting around on GoogleEarth, it appears that a majority of the water sources in my immediate area are on my property. I have many smaller properties around me and a majority don't have any water at all.

So, that leads this question: How often does a deer need to go to water? Once per day? Twice per day? Every-other-day?

I've tried hunting over water on very dry/windy days with little to no success. I figure if I get real thirsty on those days and my dogs get real thirsty on those days, a deer would need more water that day as well.

Anyway, just thought this would be an interesting discussion.

I've always been told that deer don't drink as much as people think they do, and that they get moisture from things that they eat. I don't know how true that is. Come to think of it though, I have a stand close to a pond and have never seen a deer come in and drink out of it...

I've only seen them drink on a cpl occassions. I think their water intake comes mostly from their food sources unless you are pouring the protein to them.

I put out in a rain guzzler this year. I have a little 4 pointer that jumps the fence and gets a drink before hitting the corn. I have other pictures of deer drinking from it at night. No pictures of deer (or any other critters, except the 4 pointer) drinking during the day.

I used to have a feeder next to a small stream in East Texas. I would ALWAYS see deer drink from that stream before and after they ate corn from my feeder.

On my current lease, I've got a feeder near a pond and on the shore, there are a TON of deer tracks.

I have a setup water and feeder that is 1.3 miles to the nearest water source "Google". Been hunting it for seven years now and almost every deer that comes in to eat gets a drink, except on cold wet days. Year before last when it was so hot and dry I would have bucks and doe that were running stop by to get a drink and not touch the corn, then be off again.

Hey Longhunter, what kind of water source do you have for the spot you just spoke of? I have a spot I am considering for a water barrel and don't know what to setup.

They cant come too often... i sat next to the only water source for about a mile an entire deer season. Had a feeder set up too. Only thing i saw drink out of that pond was a bobcat.

I hunt south of sonora where there are isn't any natural water source that lasts more than a few days after a rain. This place only gets a few inches of rain each year (early spring mostly, with the rest of the year dry) and there are only 2 water troughs on the entire 5,000 acres. However, we still see a lot of deer with some good bucks taken each year - where do these deer get their water?? there's no way they all go to only these 2 1'x4' water troughs.... they must be getting it from their food...?

We have a blind on a tank at our plce in southern duval county. During warm days that blind will see more activity by far than others, deer, lots of coyotes, and quail. Generaly the deer dont like drinking out of it, they will slowly walk to the waters edge, nervously looking around the whole time, get to the water aand stope and look around for a while, then take a quick drink and get the heck away from the water. That being said I have two yearlings that hang out together all the time, and they come and drink every moring and afternoon when the feeder goes off without a care in the world. Our observations and trail cams show that they dont drink too much though, get most water from food.

matt

I use a 250 gal. above ground water tank... It's about two feet wide two feet tall and six feet long. Mine is galvanized but they also make plastic. Heck even an old bathtub would work..

Some good responses. I'd always heard they got alot of their water from food sources. Given how much moisture is in freshly dropped acorns, sounds like more reason for them to hardly have to move at all.

Depends on the time of the year and moisture conditions as to how much they will drink. Also they will drink just as much in colder temps as they do in extremely hot and dry temps. They exspend a lot of energy trying to keep their bodies warm in cold temps. I see deer drink all during hunting season when it is warm also and more so early in the season. They can get lots of moisture from plants also. In south Texas they eat a lot of cactus and get a lot of moisture from it. The months of Jan, Feb, July and August are some of the highest months when deer eat the most cactus in their diets. It can be as much as 45%-50% of their diets. I had a man tell me that on his ranch in McMullen that all he had was tanks and no wells on 4,000 HF acres. In the drought of '96 every tank went dry. He could not afford to drill a well since water was 4,000ft deep. He thought he would loose all of his deer and 14 yrs of work. Did not rain for about 6 months more and he said after he surveyed that fall after the rains his population was about the same as before. So in some areas they will get all the moisture they need from plants if they need to survive.

I have seen deer at the only tank that holds water on our place in West Tex, but usually they go under the cover of darkness. The shoreline is absolutely covered in deer tracks. Unfortunatley, unless it is really hot I usually dont see more than a skunk at the tank on our place during the day time.

Deer will also go to water when they are wounded -- 2 years ago we jumped a buck that was hunkered down by the edge of the thank. The next day he had returned and we found him dead floating in the middle. When we pulled him out, it was obvious that he had a busted jaw (presumably from fighting with another buck).

We have lots of water sources on our place because of the cattle. A lot of our stands have a water source in sight. I only see deer drink from the cattle troughs during the daytime. I have never seen a deer drink from the tanks and ponds during the day. The edges are covered in deer tracks. Not sure why this is. A couple of the cattle troughs have deer visiting them every morning.

This big boy comes quite often during daylight to water. I have witnessed up to 20 deer taking a drink after eating corn.

It depends on conditions. If your water source has no cover they probably wont water until after dark. I have a water trough by my feeder and yes they will walk right by the protein & corn feeders to the water. I read somewhere maybe on TPWD website that a whitetail deer can drink 2-4 gal daily.

We have a 25 gal water trough by the feeder and nearly everytime deer come to the feeder at least 1 or 2 of them get a drink. I have to refill water at least once a week. The other day when it was warm and windy there was a decent little 9 pt getting a drink at 11 am

I have a new project! Thanks!

I hunt on a river, they drink every day.

I hunted on a place out of Rocksprings one time. Arrived at the ranch and set up a tripod in an area that looked good. I had never been to this place before so I was kinda at a loss for where to set up. Anyway, that afternoon I kept seeing deer in the distance and they were all going to this same group of trees. Then the next morning, the same thing, tons of deer all going to the same area, staying a while, then leaving. So, after the morning hunt I went over there. It was a water trough they were all going to. Moved my tripod to within range of the water trough and killed the biggest buck that had ever been taken on that ranch that evening. It was very cold then too, most of the water in the trough was frozen.

i hunt of a creek with heavy cover on either side. usually around 10 or 11 am while paddling out i see deer drinking from it. when its a very "wet" yr all bets are off. the only other time i have seen them drinking is very early before daylight.

Last year on our lease the land owner turned off a well that filled the only water trough in that pasture. He did this mid-season. Within 2 weeks all of the regular deer in that pasture were gone and moved to other pastures around the ranch.

I frequently see deer coming to water troughs and wildlife watering stations. Especially during hot spells and during the rut.