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.