Mineral Licks

[AR RidgeRunner]

Looking for input on the best products/supplements to create mineral lick sites. I've used Trophy Rock in the past with good results but just curious about some of the other bagged mineral supplements.

[Deeter]

I have used Deer Cane for years.  I have a few holes that deer have dug in the woods I hunt about the depth of a 5 gallon bucket.  I usually put it out in early spring then again about mid fall.

[PowDuck]

Any salty something will do. I started mine with plain old rock salt.

[Pat B]

I use the 50#, brown mineral blocks you get at feed stores. Been using it for 20 years and haven't gotten the first complaint.

[MikeEvans]

Trace mineral salt works best for me.

[Pheonixarcher]

I prefer the trophy rocks myself. I have tried numerous mineral supplements, and the rock seems to keep deer coming back, and last longer than the crushed minerals I have tried. Although it does leach into the soil, and deer will 'eat' a hole into the ground, I can visually see when it needs to be replenished. Both the white and brown salt blocks serve this same function, but I have seen that deer in my area prefer the trophy rock over the other blocks. Every locale is different though. My advice is to try a few different products, side by side throughout the course of a year, and see which your deer prefer. Then use 90% of that product, and 10% of the next best to ensure that your deer have an abundance of minerals available, year round.

[petalumapete]

I go down to the feed store. They have mineral rocks there for live stock. I pick up while buying grain for my animals. They're cheep and last along time. they're not so obvious as blocks they look like large pink quatz rocks

[bowless]

Never tried but I don't think it's legal in MA during the season.

[eflanders]

Originally posted by Pat B:
I use the 50#, brown mineral blocks you get at feed stores. Been using it for 20 years and haven't gotten the first complaint.

Same here and they are far less expensive than the so-called deer licks!

They are a bugger to carry though so I just cut them to a smaller size when needed.

[Bowwild]

Research shows (Purdue)that spring, when vegetation is lush, is when deer use salt the most.  Of course they are drawn to it to some extent all year.

Be sure it's use legal in your state.  In some states where it isn't allowed you can put it out but must remove it within a specific number of days before the hunting season begins.  

I've always wondered what the officer would have to say about a "hole" that used to contain a salt block being hunted over. Obviously leached material continues to draw the deer. I have a great friend in Indiana who puts out a block every year. He removes it before hunting season but he won't hunt over it because he fears prosecution.

Believe it or not, some vendors have short-range business goals that have little to do with the good of the herd.

[Gatekeeper]

I've been using this mix for years with good results.


Ingredients: Makes 200 lbs. for about $23.00

1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores.
Comes in 50lb Bags at around $11.00 you need one bag.

2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loose kind without the medications.
Comes in 50lb Bags at around $5.00 you need two bags.

1 part Stock salt, ice cream salt.
Comes in 50lb Bags at around $2.00 you need one bag.

Directions:

-Use a 3 pound or similar size coffee can to use as your measure for each part of the mix.

-Mix all together well but not until ready to use, keep ingredients separate until ready to put to use.

-Dig or tear up a circle in the soil about 36 inches wide and about 6 inches deep.

-Mix your mineral mixture with the soil.

Maintenance:

-Replenish in 6 months with fresh supply of mineral, and then each year there after.

[danderson]

Originally posted by bowless:
Never tried but I don't think it's legal in MA during the season.

It's not legal in season but it's ok up until 10 days before archery opens

[wazu02]

Been using the same mix as gatekeeper for the past few years and has truly made a difference in the quality of deer in my area along with letting the little ones live. Some of the articles that I have read on this mix adds a small amount of selinium for digestion. ( This mix is close to the same mineral supplement that tractor supply sells )just ends up being cheaper if you do the 200lb batch.

[Lechwe]

We just do 1:1 di-cal and trace mineral with selenium. Springtime is important for the fawns.

Good luck.

[tracker1]

I use the same as gatekeeper to do the summer inventory of the deer on the property and get pictures from spring through fall.  It gets used a lot by the local deer and makes it easier to establish a hit list for the fall

[will_hunt]

You will not believe this, but, back in my Alabama and Tennessee days we used CLOROX BLEACH.  Take a shovel and break up the ground in a about a yard square or you can also pour the stuff in a really old hollowed out stump base.  Dump a couple gallons onto the turned up earth or down in the stump hole. I do not remember who suggested it or how we got to using it. Bleach draws them in and they love the stuff. Try it. You cannot believe it until you see it work.

This has got me thinking and I am going to try it near one of my bear baits this spring.

[45fan]

Some friends of mine who are deer farmers told me to use Co-Op cow supreme repro mineral #678.
They said it had the best mix of minerals beneficial to deer.
I have been using it on my farm for several years. Now is a good time to start a lick.

[LBshooter2]

Plain old mineral rock.

[FarmerMarley]

You will not believe this, but, back in my Alabama and Tennessee days we used CLOROX BLEACH.

Maybe that explains where those weird white deer are coming from...