Mineral licks

Who’s set them up? I’m looking for feed back on did it help your herd out? How long did it take to see results in the racks? Or a waste of time?

Put em out now so they get soaked in these winter and early spring rains. My lick sites still had plenty of tracks going to it the other day when I freshened them up

How much of the mixture do you put out at each site?I’ll be putting in around 18 on our club this year. I figured 1 per food plot.

Last year I put out 100lbs dical, 100lbs white salt, and 100lbs red salt into the lick. Freshened it up this year with the same minus the dical and more salt instead. If I can find some easily I'll get it, but not worried about it. I am not doing it to grow racks, it's just for general deer health. A good salt lick is like natural gatorade for the deer. I only have two large licks in my property

Yep. We make our own too. Probably start mixing some up soon

I have tried making some but apparently not putting them in the right spot. Gonna keep trying

Dirk daddy how many acres are you running?

Get a bag of molasses to mix in there. I hear some people will mix like cherry kool aid too/

TSC sold a mineral block that smelled like Blueberries this year.
I put two out as a camera traps.

The young Bucks either needed it, or loved it.
They couldn't even wait for nightfall early on.
The camera would catch the same Bucks
sneaking in during the next day for a lick.

As with all this stuff, their fascination faded over time.
Or, they no longer needed any. Good luck !

One or two trophy rocks a year should be plenty per site.

How many lbs of mixture do y’all normally put at each site

Our club has 22 green fields with trough feeders on each field. We have a mineral site beside each feeder. Deer can come get 20% protien feed and minerals at the same site. No problem getting deer there. We use two different minerals, one is made by Sportsman's Choice and the other is 30-06 from Whitetail Institute. Both worked great. The 30-06 [which is more expensive] worked by far the best. It is the best we have used in over 10 yrs. GREAT content and the deer can not stay away. I have cameras on 12 of the sites and deer eat the minerals even before the feed. We put out a half bag of the Sportsman's Choice at each site and a third of a bag of 30-06 at each site. This process is expensive, but between the 20% protien feed and the great minerals, we know we are helping the bucks, and the does and the fawns. It really helps with milk production during a time does really need it.

May hav to try 30-06

I used the trophy rock - worked decent - tried the lucky buck. My sites are by my feeders except for one that is in the woods - in 2 seasons they hav not really Dug up the ground much - was expecting to get wallerEd out spot - has not happened

Good info on 30 06

You will have holes dug out with 30-06. Get the regular one, not the one with protien. Whitetail Institute has specials this time of the year. Go on line and subscribe to their newsletter and you will start getting updates on specials. I always wait til they give free shipping on 30-06. This will save you quite a bit. Bottom line TRY it.

You definitely need the packaging with a picture of the big deer on it. It is a lot like deer corn compared to what comes out if the bin.

Thanks Stoney- I put out 2 mineral trophy rocks today at 2 of my least favorite spots - I hav ordered another type mineral for one of my favorite spots and I am gone try/order 30-06 on my other favorite spot - I will get the one w out protein

I’ve tried lots of things but my deer prefer the trophy rocks 3-1. You can try what you want but that’s what I’ve seen. Now I have seen deer won’t touch minerals in certain areas and destroy them in others.

The T. Rocks have been pretty good for getting buck pictures - I got 2 out and I will try 2 other things

Stoney is correct. 30-06 is by far the best I've used. I put my trust in the Whitetail Institute years ago for their mix and talked extensively about their research behind it. I use a full 20 lbs. at each site, put out now and again in late May. I do mix (3) cans of iodized salt from DG in each hole as well. The iodine helps them fight parasites, internal and external. Every (100) acres gets a site.

Thanks Big HH - good info

30-06 is so good, I have pictures of turkey eating and even lying in the sites as well as other animals. I have used trophy rocks in the past. but believe me they don't attract better or have better healthful ingredients than 30-06. Do kind of mix it in the soil when you put it down. If you have a camera, put it over the site and see for yourself how it attracts. Read the ingredients on line and see how healthful it is

I always put out minerals in summer but that is probably late - I also getting a bag of minerals from feed store put together by Auburn so I will look at 4 diff minerals - hope to have all out in week to 10 days

Anything with 20% or more salt is just an attraction.

One last extremely important component is to select clay-based soils for your mineral sites. Sandy or loamy locations will hardly get touched, as many of you have likely noticed, or will now. If you have to wheelbarrow the soil in, do it. Time well spent. Good luck!

Whitetail Institute has free shipping right now FYI. I just ordered some of the 30-06 and will give it a try.

most of my place is loamy sand. Am I wasting my time?

I'm following this thread also. I put out some kinda mineral last year and the deer didn't touch it. After reading this I'm starting to think site selection was the issue.

Not sure AUman - somebody here will likely no - I hav seen lot info on best times when I google best times to put out deer mineral - u may also get some info when u Google best soil r best places to put deer mineral sites - try both

What I read so far is they need to put in clay. It holds up best and doesn’t leach out. We have 19 plots. I’m putting one in each plot starting next week. Hopefully they will use them if they are not using some of them I will change locations.

Sorry, been gone a few days. To ALFisher's question; yes it will be a waste of time using granular, such as the Whitetail Institute's 30-06, in loamy soils. That has been my experience. I have moved all of my sites into clay-based areas, and they destroy every spot. I have one former spot that I used to tote 5-gallon buckets of red clay into. The loamy area hardly got touched until I brought the clay in. Since then, I have moved my site maybe 500 yards to a natural clay area. You may have to do the same if your entire place is loamy and/or incredibly sandy. Hope that helps.

This ^^^^......Clay that stays moist.....A small clay water hole that the mineral can wash into does great

Just put out some 30-06 mineral and Bone collector mineral today

I put out several trace mineral blocks into my established sites last Saturday. I picked up two of the blueberry and molasses scented ones for the heck of it and put them out as well in different locations. Deer loved them, they didn’t last a week. Not sure if they have much nutritional value, I’m gonna look at them and see if they do. If they do, I’ll put a bunch out later when the antlers are growing as doesn’t look like they will last long.

Refreshed ours up yesterday before this rain

I put out 6 bags of 30-06 this weekend, I put them out in established sites that always hold a little water. This will be interesting to see how they use them, that stuff sure smells good.

stL32 - You won't be sorry!
Hope you have cameras out over them. The smell draws them in fast. Contents couldn't be better.

Stoney - I am no mineral expert - but hear u want phosphorus and calcium in mineral - 30-06 had more of this in it than most minerals I hav seen or atleast more than the other 3 I put out