Mineral Sites

[matchset]

time to dust off those trail cams, and start freshening up your old mineral sites. maybe establish some new ones.

i'm curious, what's everybody's preferred mineral/brand to use?

i've used Deer Cane in the past and had luck in attracting, also the Institutes 30-06 plus protein is a great for giving your heard a jumpstart before spring green-up

[Archerysniper]

Dont laugh at me but I use goat minerals you get at the local feed mill.

[MJ1657]

Big herd of wild goats out your way?

[Archerysniper]

Only the 4 tame ones that keep bambi company

[B. Amish]

fancy deer minerals are a waste of money. you can get the same stuff or probably better stuff at a local feed mill for WAY cheaper.

[hockeybc69]

50 lbs Dicalcium phosphate

50 lbs salt(fine stuff, I am forgetting what its called)

100 lbs trace mineral salt

mix up and dump

I used to get all 3 at Mills Fleet Farm in Brooklyn Park, but they dont carry the Dical Phosphate now. So i get that at Elk River Feed.

I wont ever buy the name brand stuff. This brings deer in year round.

[Bear55]

fancy deer minerals are a waste of money. you can get the same stuff or probably better stuff at a local feed mill for WAY cheaper.

Agreed, fancy names are only their to take your $$$.

[sticknstring]

Every year I tell myself I'll make the trip to FF or the local co-op and buy a bunch of bulk minerals but I never do. I've been having great luck with just plain white salt blocks and trophy rocks. Probably not as cheap as buying in bulk but they're pretty inexpensive. The deer hammer these daily throughout the summer and early fall. I was able to capture several nice bucks on cam on these stations last year.

[lovebigbluegills]

50 lbs Dicalcium phosphate

50 lbs salt(fine stuff, I am forgetting what its called)

100 lbs trace mineral salt

mix up and dump

I used to get all 3 at Mills Fleet Farm in Brooklyn Park, but they dont carry the Dical Phosphate now. So i get that at Elk River Feed.

I wont ever buy the name brand stuff. This brings deer in year round.

I started using this a few years back, and won't ever do anything different other than put out a mineral block from time to time. The deer are all over it this time of year and throughout the summer. They'll even dig down to it during the winter occasionally.

For what it's worth, I put some of that DeerCain on and around a stump last year, and the deer didn't touch it.

[rkhinrichs]

50 lbs Dicalcium phosphate

50 lbs salt(fine stuff, I am forgetting what its called)

100 lbs trace mineral salt

great idea i think im going to start using this. start saving money instead of the name brand stuff!!!

[lichen fox]

I got two of three done so far...basicly the same recipe..."Free Flow" Calcium dairy mineral....mixing salt and trace mineral salt...I have to wait for a bit more snow to melt before I get the last one done but I'm hoping it will be down by the weekend so I can get out there with the wheeler....

[Whoknows]

Have any of you tried water softner salt?

[Vexipro]

Best bang for your buck ever is called hi phos 8 beef mineral. Perfect combination of calcium and phosphorus and has all the other trace minerals needed and barely any salt. And the deer love it. I do 25# at each site and a trace mineral salt block and i have to refresh it 3 times a year

[lungdeflator]

Ive done the deer cane blocks and powder, trophy rocks, plain salt blocks, the mix mentioned above, and yes I have done water softener salt. The mix was very successful compared to the other ones, but then again the deer by us seem to enjoy any kind of mineral we put out. The water softener salt works but since its in the little pieces it dissovles fairly quick. It seems like if the deer need minerals, almost anything will do. If they dont then not alot will change their mind.

[reinhard1]

i just use the plain 50 lb block. always gone. no leftovers. good luck.

[matchset]

i put a white salt block out by one of my bear baits... a year later it was a three foot deep hole. nothing left of the block. and we had pics of moose hitting it! anything works, but for less than 5 bucks after the season at wallmart... u can't really beat deer cane. jmo.

[Bear55]

Those darn bears always try and walk off with my salt blocks, if they ever magically disappear on you it is probably a bear who doesn't want to share with the other animals.

[Crow Hunter]

Deer crave salt and will hit plain salt sites hard, but they need calcium/phosphorous/copper to build antlers... Just using plain salt will provide photo opportunities but won't influence antler size. I have been using the salt/mineral mix described in this thread plus a block or two, and they have worked well.

[B. Amish]

just a note. supplemental mineral hasn't been proven to increase antler size. if anyone has a source of a study that says otherwise, i'd like to see it.

i put out salt/mineral for one reason and one reason only - to get pictures and an inventory of the local deer herd.

[hockeybc69]

Totally agree on all points B Amish.

[sticknstring]

That makes 3 of us!

[Vexipro]

Im not saying im 100% sure it helps, but i think it does. Your providing them with supplemental minerals that much more than they would get in the wild. I also do it more so just to improve over all deer heard health.

[reinhard1]

that makes me think why i do it. dont have a trail cam but i'm thinking about it. would be fun to see what goes by up there in the northwoods. i think it's more psycological than anything else. one of the first things we do up there is look at our salt licks. just to see how much it was used and it gives us something to talk about. it's still amazing to see one big stump get chewed down to nothing. it gets to a point i feel guilty if i dont put one up there. been hunting the same place since 1962. does it increase my chance at a deer, i dont know about that. i went three years without one on time and success is not consistant at all. but what is consistant is the aticipation of walking to the lick to check it out. part of the hunting experience for me. good luck.

[hockeybc69]

Salt is an attractant mainly in the warmer months.

They do use them sparingly in late fall and winter.

Early archery, I will say that I think it can be good to sit near a mineral station, as the deer are still utilizing them.

But there are plenty of other areas I prefer to sit, rather than over a salt block.

[reinhard1]

you are right in your post, however we dont have our stand right over the salt liks. cant even see mine from my stand. but i do agree with your analysis on the times used by deer. when we were younger we thought that was the sure thing for bringing in the deer. just a tradition for us and part of the whole deal. will be bringing more up this spring. good luck.