The Role of Water Systems in Attracting Game During Spring

Water systems attract both deer and turkeys, which makes them ideal to have on your property during the spring months. You’ll be able to attract turkeys to your property while it’s actively turkey hunting season and monitor the deer during spring scouting season. Learn about the role of water systems in attracting wild game in this week’s blog.

Dependency

First and foremost, deer and turkeys need water. Deer will travel until they find a reliable water source and will stick nearby. Turkeys are more mobile and may not come back to the same water source as often as deer, but they are still dependent on water and seek it out.

Adding our Wild Water Supplements to your water source will create a dependence in the deer herd because it gives them vital vitamins and nutrients they need to grow their antlers and regain their strength after scavenging for woody browse during the harsh winter. Deer can tell when they’re getting these proper nutrients and will come back to your water source because they know it’s reliable. The supplements come in multiple flavors that mimic flavors they like to eat like Apple, Persimmon, Grape, Vanilla and a Natural flavor. One packet of the supplement can treat 100 gallons of water. So, you can add it to our Wild Water 100 System and treat the entire tank.

Spring is the Time

It’s important to create this dependency in deer now, during spring. A deer’s digestive system can’t handle new feed during the winter months because their bodies go into preservation mode. They store any nutrients they can get from the woody browse and corn they’re eating, so anything new throws their system out of whack. Introduce new feed and water supplements now, while they’re building their strength back up, so they can get used to before the fall hunting season. Bucks need the nutrients to grow the phosphorus and calcium in their antlers and does need it for the spring fawn season.

It is also the perfect time to attract turkeys to your property because turkey hunting season opens on April 16. Make sure you’re not hunting the turkeys directly over the water source. Set up your Stump blind nearby and catch them as they’re going to or from the water source.

Monitoring

Whether you’re using your water source for deer or turkeys, set up trail cameras near the source to monitor the wild game’s behavior and track trends. If you spy a buck that has just shed its antlers, go shed hunting and see if you can find the shed. The quality of the antler shed will tell you a lot of about the health of the herd. The antler base of a healthy buck will be round and concave. An unhealthy buck’s antler base will be oblong and concave. A healthy buck’s antler will be heavier because it’s thicker and more fibrous. An unhealthy deer’s antler will be light because it isn’t as full. A healthy buck will hold onto their antlers longer, so if you’re still seeing deer with antlers on your trail cameras in April, that’s a good sign of a healthy herd.

Whether you’re hunting turkeys or deer, a water source is imperative for both species. Check your state’s regulations and if supplemental feeding is legal, set up a Wild Water System now and watch the action this spring.

How do you use your Wild Water Systems to attract wild game during spring? Let us know in the comments below!