the importance of convenient water?
02-05-2008, 02:08 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 451
the importance of convenient water?
i watched one of the outfitters on tv the other day and he suggested that it greatly helped the health and attractiveness of his feed stationto his deer herd. he said it helped to have the minerals right next to the water right next to whatever food. in my case i am wondering if it would help to pipe water up from the river to a tank next to my food plot with any minerals next to the tank. the water is pretty merky and the deer would have a hard time getting to it cause you would sink to your waist in mud about 4feet before you got to the river, i don't see how a deer could ever get close to the river. convienience might be a issue but does it really help to have the water right next to the plot/minerals.
02-05-2008, 04:09 PM
#3
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 166
RE: the importance of convenient water?
Amazingly the deer perfer to drink from still water instead of running water. Has to do with avoiding predators. So try this just take a small plastic pool or line a hole with plastic to hold some water. You will be suprised what that will do.
02-05-2008, 04:49 PM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Millboro, Va
Posts: 1,134
RE: the importance of convenient water?
ORIGINAL: pikecofoodplotter
Amazingly the deer perfer to drink from still water instead of running water. Has to do with avoiding predators. So try this just take a small plastic pool or line a hole with plastic to hold some water. You will be suprised what that will do.
Amazingly the deer perfer to drink from still water instead of running water. Has to do with avoiding predators. So try this just take a small plastic pool or line a hole with plastic to hold some water. You will be suprised what that will do.
. It will work though if you maintain it properly. I got kind of careless with mine sadly.
02-05-2008, 07:54 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Kansas
Posts: 451
RE: the importance of convenient water?
thank you for your responses, i think i will try it. i will have it continually running through the summer with a solar panel to power the pump. i have picked the location and i am now just thinking about any way to make it better. so far i have got great entry and exit routes, i have piled up tree limbs from the river to the treestand and around it to keep the deer from walking over my travel path and too close to the stand (keeping them from picking up my scent. last weekend i started clearing the food plot area and i found approximately a 200" rack from a dead buck right on the side of it, only problem is that it has been there for atleast 5 years. if there is any advice from what you have learned from experiences from food plots in the past i would love to hear them. so far i can tell predators are going to be a problem, it seems there are a lot of them moving through the spot too.
02-05-2008, 09:51 PM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: the importance of convenient water?
I've read and tend to beleive that high salt mineral licks can do more harm than good - ESPECIALLY when water is abundant. Sounds odd, I know - but let me explain.............
A deer puts on his best weight & muscle mass by eating high quality forage - especially in the summer months with high calorie & protein intake. This same deer will also abtain MOST of his Calcium, phosphorous and other nutients from the same forage. A good quality food plot (or feed if you cannot grow a summer foodplot) will provide all the neccessary elements.
A Salt based mineral lick may also provide some of these same elements needed for bone, and especially antler growth - however.......... the lick makes the deer thirsty (as you might expect) - and they tend to drink abundant water. This increased WATER intake - will curb the deer's appetite, and reduce the time the deer would have otherwise spent foraging. SO the net intake of nutrients/calories is likely less than if a mineral lick & water was not offered. Literally, the deer is "full" of a non nutrient rich...... water.
Sounds complicated - but this fact alone, coupled with absolutely no hard evidence that mineral licks does anything for antler growth - even under ideal conditions, makes me ask - WHY BOTHER WITH MINERAL LICKS?
Plus, of course,its now illegal in NY - year round.
FH
A deer puts on his best weight & muscle mass by eating high quality forage - especially in the summer months with high calorie & protein intake. This same deer will also abtain MOST of his Calcium, phosphorous and other nutients from the same forage. A good quality food plot (or feed if you cannot grow a summer foodplot) will provide all the neccessary elements.
A Salt based mineral lick may also provide some of these same elements needed for bone, and especially antler growth - however.......... the lick makes the deer thirsty (as you might expect) - and they tend to drink abundant water. This increased WATER intake - will curb the deer's appetite, and reduce the time the deer would have otherwise spent foraging. SO the net intake of nutrients/calories is likely less than if a mineral lick & water was not offered. Literally, the deer is "full" of a non nutrient rich...... water.
Sounds complicated - but this fact alone, coupled with absolutely no hard evidence that mineral licks does anything for antler growth - even under ideal conditions, makes me ask - WHY BOTHER WITH MINERAL LICKS?
Plus, of course,its now illegal in NY - year round.
FH
