water troughs vs pond

[skeeterboud]

thinking of having a pond dug next year. we have a few water troughs that the animals(deer, etc) use often. got rid of cows last year(they drank from troughs). will my small (150ac) property hold more deer w/a pond? we are going to buy a rotoguzz and put inside a feeder pen after the season......

[catslayer]

Adding perminant water NEVER hurts

[deerwatcher51]

No guarantee, but it can’t hurt.

[wytex]

Personally I like ducks and they aren't going to land in a trough.
Also added fishing possibilities.
A long narrow impoundment might add some good edge hunting area and provide the duck and fishing opportunities.
Will your soil hold water if you dig it ?

[skeeterboud]

pretty sandy. i'd hate to pay for a large pond that didn't hold. if i had one dug, it will be at least an acre

[DUKFVR]

pretty sandy. i'd hate to pay for a large pond that didn't hold. if i had one dug, it will be at least an acre

If it is sandy & has no clay it won't hold water good.

[wytex]

Well dang sounds like pond is out.
Get a big round metal trough and allow for some overspill, maybe have an area to collect that overspill for smaller animals and some birds.
Hunting over water for pronghorn showed me that they prefer to drink from the ground not a trough when they have the choice. Your deer may and probably are different though in what they prefer.
Could you put up a windmill and trough ?

[Laner7]

.

[Steel185]

I burry my troughs so the tops are only a few inches out of the ground. I figure to deer and critters, it’s same as a small pond, creek, or what ever. If it’s close to the well and down hill i set up a gravity feed and float valve that way I don’t have to fill it, or rather it auto fills.

[hog_down]

That was the same thinking I had; no way a water source could hurt. If its sandy soil, there is a chance of putting a liner so it will hold water. Just throwing that out there.

[MAP]

I just had a pond made in Jim Wells county and we have a few hundred loads of top soil and Clay in 2 big piles that got pushed out. If anybody needs clay to line their new pond maybe we can work something out.

I had the same thought about a water trough vs a small pond, but I went with building another smaller pond to help attract dove. Dove will land around a water trough, especially if you let it over run during hunting season, but of course they prefer landing around a pond.

[IkemanTX]

I like the control and pinpoint accuracy of a trough, but if you can get a pond to hold water on your place it will have zero maintenance once built.

It won’t freeze and bust pipes, you don’t have to supply water to it from a source... and you can fish in it.

As much as the strategist in me wants to say trough, I think I’d still have to vote pond.


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[parkchief100]

I had a pond built at our last place and we had sandy soil. However, when he got down deeper he hit good clay. He put a bunch of the clay to the side and then packed it in the bottom to help seal her off. Good Luck!

[newmathewsfan]

Have a core sample taken to see how deep the sand is and what’s below the sand. Many times there is good clay that can be dug out and plate the sides and bottom.