What is everyone's experience with deer making pit stops at or near active salt lick sites into gun season. I have a site where there is a bunch of activity during bow season. I have not put any new salt on this site in a couple months, but it's apparent that it's soaked in the ground well and they seem to visit it pretty often. My theory is that they may not be really consuming the salt lick, but since it has become a central spot for deer, hogs, coyotes, whatever other wild life over the past couple years that they just meander through to smell and see who else has been in the area.

Has anyone had luck hunting near a salt lick deep into December and January? If not, when do you typically see activity reduce back to levels no different than the surrounding woods?

I have a trophy rock at one of my plots and have watched deer eat in the plot then go to the rock. I've seen it from bow season until the end of gun season.

They only work salt licks in hot weather. I have killed deer in early bow season but I never see any sign when the temp drop.

Yep, what’s the point of visiting during gun season?

Are trophy rocks legal?

i can show you pictures of 6 foot wide 2 foot deep established mineral sites that are full of tracks year round we put about 200 lbs of mineral in them twice a year and they are tore up all year

Deer hit the salt year round around here.

They may use the site more during hot weather but that isn't the only time they use it.

Trophy Rocks are 100 percent legal to hunt over.
Only the name brand ,Biio Rocks and all other
none name brands are illegal. I got this information
from the Montgomery game and fish department.

I have a camera on a lick that has been running non stop for 3+ years. On our place the deer continue to use the lick throughout the year but activity greatly decreases about October and will pick back up in march/April. We're talking thousands of pics versus a hundred in a 3 weeks soak on th camera.

When the acorns fall the mineral use skids to a haul tin my experience.

Been my experience when bucks shed velvet and does wean fawns mineral lick activity same as stops.

Need one of them chit stirring icon things.

Yep. Think in the heat of summer is when they crave the salt and minerals. Not so much after it cools off.

On private land where there’s little pressure deer will use them year round with very little difference between summer and winter. When it snowed back in February deer on my place were at the Trophy Rock as usual - 8:00 am like always.

Our place has very little pressure but they don’t utilize the salt very much from late October to March.

So Cullman Co they are used year around. Common to see usage regardless of season

I see it year around also. But I think mine in the winter they are simply passing by and stop for water or goofing off and not there for the mineral. They aren't pawing and digging or spending much time at them in the winter like summer.

Sounds like a mixed bag. Maybe I’ll catch one moving past this season