Waterholes are an excellent addition to a wildlife property and are beneficial to all sorts of animals. We see deer, turkeys, quail, rabbits, and doves along with non-game species alike taking advantage of these water sources, at all times of the year. Even if you have a property that has plentiful natural water sources in the form of ponds, creeks, or stump holes that hold water we still see a strong attraction to water sources that are well placed in both timber and fields alike, by wildlife.

In the past we dug natural water holes on field edges and in timber but often struggled to get these natural sites to hold water due to porous soils or rocky dirt that allowed water to leach out. Another issue we encountered would be the mud produced by water touching bare dirt. These muddy banks are the perfect breeding ground for the gnats and midges that carry and transmit EHD. EHD stands for epizootic hemorrhagic disease. It’s a viral disease that is transmitted by the biting midges and often leads to death in deer. In an effort to limit this muddy habitat and water loss in our waterholes we’ve used plastic tubs in the past to insure that the location will sufficiently hold water and keep the majority of the water from contacting dirt, reducing mud. The problem with the available tubs is that they have a straight walls along the sides that becomes slippery, trapping small animals in the tub and often causing them to drown. Even with the addition of sticks and rocks into the tubs to provide an escape route, this has always been a problem. I also have found that many of the plastic tubs that are available are unnatural looking and seem out of place in the wild. Deer certainly will use them more and more over time, but there is definitely an adjustment period involved.

Fortunately we found the perfect product to address all these issues with both natural and man made waterholes. We partnered with a company called Deer Ponds that makes fiberglass waterholes that checks all the boxes on the wildlife managers checklist. It’s a natural looking product that blends into the landscape perfectly. Its shape is designed to capture rain water efficiently while at the same time having a raised lip around the edge of the pond to prevent the water from touching dirt, causing mud. It has sloped sides that are coated with abrasive material allowing any sized animal to easily walk in and out of the pond. This is the best water retention product I’ve seen and we’re proud to offer the sale, shipping and installation of Deer Ponds.