When Do You Think Deer Drink Water ?

[forestpaper223]

We're having unseasonably warm weather here in N. Minnesota. I also hunt early season with a bow at times and always wondered when deer "usually" drink water.

I do know about any deer will visit a water source when it's warm at any time of the day provided there is nearby cover. However, lets just talk about a general time they prefer... heat or not.

What experiences have you gathered to give you an idea when deer usually hit the water source?

Do they drink before they bed in the morning?

Do they head for water first thing after getting up from their bed in the later part of the day? I'm assuming yes if it's hotter than normal.

What are your thoughts?

 

[amassi]

Deer drink water when they're thirsty and getting that drink of water won't turn them into a meal. Some pressured mule deer appear to be able to get water from summer range browse as they dont head down to water for days at a time

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[Vrybusy]

I've never been able to pattern whitetail by their water source. I've hunted over them with some success though. So many variables here....location, hot/warm days, number of sources around, etc.... I've seen them at water during all hours of the day.

 

[mmcdonough]

We're having unseasonably warm weather here in N. Minnesota. I also hunt early season with a bow at times and always wondered when deer "usually" drink water.

I do know about any deer will visit a water source when it's warm at any time of the day provided there is nearby cover. However, lets just talk about a general time they prefer... heat or not.

What experiences have you gathered to give you an idea when deer usually hit the water source?

Do they drink before they bed in the morning?

Do they head for water first thing after getting up from their bed in the later part of the day? I'm assuming yes if it's hotter than normal.

What are your thoughts?

I've been unable to pattern deer with water in Northern Minnesota. There's simply too many sources of water to do it effectively. Unless it's late season and you can find water that isn't frozen. Better off trying to find the food and patterning them off of that. This cold snap has really gotten the deer going the last couple of days. Pre-rut should be starting soon if it hasn't already where you're at. I'm hitting the woods hard this weekend.

 

[Ccg2009]

We have a small water hole on our property. We have deer in it all hours of the day and night. They almost never walk past it without drinking. I ask have a moc scrape near it so now it’s non stop activity.

 

[OneRingTrTa]

I think much of the water they ingest comes from the food they eat. Almost everything they eat, or prefer to eat, is a live plant. Most plants need to be very hydrated to survive.

On hot days, deer need more water than these plants can provide because they use more than normal. Perhaps part of the reason we see so much sign near water sources is because of the thick, lush vegetation that surrounds these water sources. I know the ponds and creeks that are on the land I hunt are choked with apple trees and honeysuckle. Both of these plants/fruits contain a large amount of water.

These are just my thoughts based on the fact that I have never actually seen a deer drink either. I know that if I ate apples and berries all day long, I wouldn't really need to drink very much water either.