How far apart should water holes, troughs or tanks be on large acreage, low-fenced ranches? This Ranch is about 60,000 acres. Similar to Southwest Texas brush country.

I know you can never have enough water on a Ranch, but would there be a minimum of area between water sources?

Should it be judgedby area or by how deer move, bed, eatetc.?

Any insight is greatly appreciated!

Best regards,

I'ld put them out new food sources..it would be an exceptional place to hange a stand as well....but you don't want too many on the property..

Thats my thoughts

Your dominant bucks will have a territory of somewhere close to 5 sections. If you don't have at least one water source every five sections, you'll have some territory the deer will never use, because that puts them over two miles from water. With one water source every five sections, most of your acreage will be used, but one third of it will be overutilized, one third moderately utilized, and one third rarely utilized. If you can cut it down to one water source for each section, that always keeps the deer within a half mile of water. Most of your acreage will be utilized relatively uniformly, and you won't have any dead zones where the deer just don't go.

Wouldn't having a few "deer free" fringe zones be beneficial for the hunter to traverse the property undetected?

Deer get some of their water needs from the plants that they eat. Out at Elephant Mountain The water sources are about half a mile a part. And if you are going to be puting troughs in it is a good idea to place a ramp into and out of the trough so that if a animal falls in the trough it can climb out. this way you don't have to take out dead animals from time to time.

It depends on what your resources will allow, what sources are already in place, what they are eatingand their daily range...most deer do not travel 5 sections every day, so I wouldn't want less than 1 water source per square mile...especially down there where it may be pretty arid. Evaluate your habitat and come up with a good management plan. It will help you save money in the long run. There are plenty of professionals that will do a very good job too...and we enjoy it!