Hunting is more than a sport or a pastime. For many, it’s a way of life.
The cool morning air, the beautiful natural scenery, and the satisfaction of getting in a good shot all combine to make it an excellent way to unwind. Add in the fact that venison is simply delicious, and you’ve got good reason to want to bring more deer around your property.
One of the best ways to do this is with a deer hunting pond. Water is critical for all life forms, and deer are no exception. They are drawn to water both for the liquid itself and for the shelter and food it often heralds. If you want to encourage deer to come closer to your hunting grounds, a pond is an excellent way to go.
Delighting Deer With a Homemade Haven
Happily for hunters, deer are widely available today.
That wasn’t always the case, of course. For much of United States history, deer were endangered, with some species that have since rebounded hunted almost to extinction. Today, though, “There are an estimated 30 million white-tailed deer, including subspecies, currently distributed throughout the continental US,” says the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department. “The only location they are not commonly found in the US is in Utah, Nevada, and California.”
The same story is true for other species. Thanks to centuries of increasingly restrictive hunting laws, hunters are now assured of being able to hunt this species every year.
That’s because, as American Heritage explains, “The hit-or-miss conservation efforts of the past have been replaced by scientific research, law enforcement, and habitat management. In most states flexible hunting regulations keep the deer populations in balance with their food supplies and still assure the survival each year of a more-than-adequate breeding stock.”
Indeed, “With nearly all of the suitable range in America fully stocked, this is probably all the white-tailed deer that the woodlands of America can support.” And there are other huntable species of deer as well, including the also-common mule deer as well as some less-common species that carry higher specifications for bagging them.
A Pond to Last the Ages
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though. Before you can stock your freezer with tasty cuts from your pond-lured deer, you have to build said pond. And if you want that pond to keep drawing wildlife – deer and other species alike – year after year, you need to build it well. That means the right materials, in the right place, with the right step-by-step installation.
Unfortunately, we can’t simply snap our fingers and will a pond to appear. We’ve got to build one … and that takes time and effort.
