I've used a ton of different minerals over several decades and the one that gets the most attention is a three part mix of cattle spring hi-mag mineral, red salt and white salt. They ignore trophy rock right next to it. Trophy rock is second but it's very close in chemical makeup to red salt. You can find trophy rock bagged sometimes for less money but it's still expensive compared to the best mix.
They prefer loose mineral to any kind of rock/block.
I have just dumped it on the ground, I've dug a hole and dumped it in and I've mixed the dirt in with it. There is no difference I can see in the deer reaction to these so I just dump it on the ground now.
Lots of ideas on what makes a good mineral site but I have never had any luck determining this. Place three or four times as many as you need (at least one per 100 acres) and the deer will let you know which ones to keep.
