Water for Wildlife - Guzzlers

Thomas L. Flowers, District Conservationist Natural Resources Conservation Service. (NRCS) Meade, Kansas

Meade County is known for a lot of things, but an abundance of water is not one of them. This area was known to early pioneers as “The Great American Desert,” and with just cause. Probably more pioneers left this area because of a lack of water than because of Indians or any other reason.

Although times have changed, and deep wells now provide us with an abundance of drinking and irrigation water, there is still a severe shortage of water for wildlife in the county. For this reason, landowners cooperating with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are digging into their “junk” piles and fence rows in search of used tin, old barrels, and guttering to build a structure to capture the dews and frosts of the prairie and make it available for wildlife. These water harvesting structures are known as “guzzlers.” Most guzzlers are being installed as part of the USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program or “CRP.”

A guzzler is a simple structure, having a tin roof which slopes to one end. Early morning dews, winter frosts, rain, and snow are captured in the rain gutter and trickle into an open barrel partially buried below. Some innovative farmers are even using old satellite dishes to capture the moisture, and with good success.

Do they work? Few people are more skeptical than a farmer, but even they are now seeing the benefits of installing guzzlers for wildlife. Some are even installing guzzlers on ground not enrolled in CRP to help wildlife on the rest of the farm.

Once installed, a guzzler rapidly becomes the focal point of a field. Wildlife of all kinds makes trails, much like the spokes of a wagon wheel to the center hub, being the guzzler. Deer, coyotes, raccoons, rabbits, mice, pheasants, quail, and songbirds of all types come to depend upon the guzzler for their daily water needs.

It doesn’t take much rain, frost, or dew to fill the guzzler to capacity, even during the driest of times, ensuring that wildlife survive through the stressful times of drought. Winter is an especially important time for the guzzler to provide water from early morning frosts.

Plans for a wildlife guzzler can be obtained at the local Natural Resources Conservation Service office. Additional assistance can be obtained from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks or from a local Pheasants Forever chapter.

For more information about NRCS programs, visit the Kansas NRCS Web site at www.ks.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Last Modified: 09/04/2008