Tank/Trough Combo for Deer - Anyone Try?

[Smart]

Tank/Trough Combo for Deer - Anyone Try?

I don’t care about fancy. If you saw what I plan to use as a nurse trailer, you wouldn’t question that. In off season, we can only go once a month. I would prefer to only have to fill water every two months.

The guys that currently have water out are reporting peak consumption of 30 gallons a day last summer. Average is probably closer to 20. I am thinking I need at least 1500 gallon tank.

I run two 275 gallon totes per pen … they last me 2-2.5 months in peak summer consumption. 3-4 in the wi nter with a solid deer population. They make them in 325 gallon totes as well. One of these days I’ll change over. Our trailer is a tandem 16’ that has two of the 325 gallon totes on it. Much cheaper than your route.



Made some cheap troughs out of the bottom of blue plastic 55 Gallon barrels using the lid straps for bracing and bought some troughs at tractor supply. All have been going strong since 2014. Deer and all kinds of animals use them while I’m hunting .

[aggieman12]

OP, do you have a link or name to the manufacturer?

Unfortunately not - main hesitation in buying. Only on Facebook and guy is in Lubbock - 6 hrs from me.

Punchy Cattle Company makes one similar and has a dealer in Leakey. Seems more well built and is fully enclosed. But the price seems to be double these.

I will prolly just buy poly tanks and plumb them to a concrete trough. It’s more proven and less risk although more cost.

[aggieman12]

I run two 275 gallon totes per pen … they last me 2-2.5 months in peak summer consumption. 3-4 in the wi nter with a solid deer population. They make them in 325 gallon totes as well. One of these days I’ll change over. Our trailer is a tandem 16’ that has two of the 325 gallon totes on it. Much cheaper than your route.



Made some cheap troughs out of he bottom of blue plastic 55 Gallon barrels too.

Just text my buddy to verify amounts. At one pen, last august, they emptied 1400 gallons in 3 weeks. 3x3 trough in a pen with no leaks. This spot is also only 1000 yards from a large tank.

Maybe 200+ pound deer consume more water?

[Smart]

Tank/Trough Combo for Deer - Anyone Try?

Just text my buddy to verify amounts. At one pen, last august, they emptied 1400 gallons in 3 weeks. 3x3 trough in a pen with no leaks. This spot is also only 1000 yards from a large tank.

Maybe 200+ pound deer consume more water?

3’ x 3’ trough and sounds like he has a leak he can’t find [emoji23]

[aggieman12]

3’ x 3’ trough and sounds like he has a leak he can’t find [emoji23]

I can assure you that is not the case, but the intent of this thread was not to argue about how much a deer drinks.

If I told you how much protein and cottonseed our deer eat, you probably wouldn’t believe me either.

[kyle1974]

poly tanks and small troughs just seem the way to go. I think I'd suck it up and hard line water to small concrete troughs before bringing those $2400 monsters into a feed pen. I'm sure deer will drink out of anything, but that tank just looks like a trap. LOL

of course, hard lines can break and can cause big problems. I am costing running poly to 3-4 feed pens right now vs putting up tank style waterers that have to be filled and algae controlled like you mentioned. Even in the totes, the water had to be treated with a little bleach to keep the algae growth down.

how are you going to fill those big tanks?

[Smart]

Even with evaporation which may or may not be controlled an intermittent water supply would be better than none at all. And if it don’t work your only out ………..2400 dollars.
I’d give it a try myself.

I think that’s pretty obvious. What we are suggesting is smaller troughs for less evap. At the very least cheaper solutions

[Smart]

I can assure you that is not the case, but the intent of this thread was not to argue about how much a deer drinks.

If I told you how much protein and cottonseed our deer eat, you probably wouldn’t believe me either.

Good luck to you. Stroke that check[emoji1360]

[aggieman12]

poly tanks and small troughs just seem the way to go. I think I'd suck it up and hard line water to small concrete troughs before bringing those $2400 monsters into a feed pen. I'm sure deer will drink out of anything, but that tank just looks like a trap. LOL

of course, hard lines can break and can cause big problems. I am costing running poly to 3-4 feed pens right now vs putting up tank style waterers that have to be filled and algae controlled like you mentioned. Even in the totes, the water had to be treated with a little bleach to keep the algae growth down.

how are you going to fill those big tanks?

I’m pretty sure I’ve decided to just go with poly tanks piped to concrete troughs.

Either way, I will use a nurse trailer with a pump on it. Fill the nurse trailer from a pump at a tank.

[S-3 Ranch]

Lots of different ways to catch some water
Totes, store bought
Best I have seen was oasis water system but they went bankrupt

[aggieman12]

Lots of different ways to catch some water
Totes, store bought
Best I have seen was oasis water system but they went bankrupt

I’ve considered these type of systems. Problem is, when it rains and our drainages catch water, I don’t need a water trough.

It’s for the times where it doesn’t rain - like last summer.

[sotol]

I had gutters on my deer stand. When you do the math on rain catchment it is not worth the trouble and bird poop.

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