Mineral licks...are they all that?

[Land_Owner]

There are so many of the "Flavor of the Month" variety of mineral blocks, stump "improvers", deer "cocain", you name it.  What works?  Is it worth the money?  Do they provide anything of benefit to the resource or are they just a lure?

[IL-Cornfed]

Most on the market are more lures than anything. Only homemade mixes can really give the deer many of the vitamins and minerals they need in their diet. However, their main advantage is allowing you the chance to position trail cams over them and collecting valuable data about what deer are in your area, population and sex ratios.

It's unfortunate that over the past few seasons they have made it illegal to use any sort of minerals to attract deer at ANY time of the year here. They claim that it may be possible to spread CWD this way.

[SHOOTALL]

tried the ones you listed , they worked somewhat ! the deer cain the best , but by accident i lost a bag of salt for melting snow by the side of my driveway . Put it there when it snowed , went to pick it up and the bag split !
Anyway the the deer have made a hole about 3 ft round and at least a foot deep ! at $4.00 a bag it is cost affective ! where legal !

[K.K]

Here in NY, we cannot even buy deer licks. It's a shame, I dont want to hunt over one, just provide minerals to them during the fawning and antler-growing months.  I have seen them lick salt off of the roadways, though. 

[billy_56081]

I use the commercial deer and elk mineral used on deer and elk farms. About $10 a 25 pound bag and the deer keep on coming back for more. It is nutritionally balanced.

[SHOOTALL]

KK think CABELAS

[IL-Cornfed]

This was always consistently, THE most productive and healthiest mineral recipe for whitetail and it was one that I used with great success for many seasons.

 WHITETAIL DEER HOMEMADE MINERAL MIX RECIPE

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 read 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.

They DIG for it!

[d_hiker]

Nice photo.  What kind trail cam do you use?

[Mack in N.C.]

do they work?....yes...on my family land i have 2 spots where i put minerals and so on...i first dig a sligh depression.......then i put salt blocks in the middle....then pour deer cane aroung them.......been doing this 3- 4 times a year for longer than i can remember.......the spots look like craters on the moon with deer trails coming from all directions..........mack

[kevthebassman]

I use regular trace mineral salt, and Arm and Hammer WASHING soda.  Deer love it, and it costs about $7 for 50lb of it.

The deer don't much care if the salt comes in the form of a $25 bottle of deer-caine or a $3 bag of salt.  They love it all.

[Mack in N.C.]

25 dollars!.....i sell it all day long for 9.99........its not the salt and the calcium my deer like...i add salt all the time to the licks...its the flavors they want....i sell about 10 different ones and the deer cane they like best.......mack

[kevthebassman]

$10 for how much?  A 10lb bucket?

It's the salt they're after, not the flavors.  Once it soaks into the ground it's dirt flavored, and they still eat it.  I've got a salt lick that is 6ft wide and 2 ft deep, all dug out by the deer... always fresh tracks on it.  The deer after the salt, plain and simple.  Anything else that's in with the salt serves one of two purposes; mineral additives to increase antler growth and general health, and gimmicky crap to part hunters from their money.

[bilmac]

Doesn't anyone run cows where you all live. Here there are salt blocks all over the place put there by cowboys.If you put out a salt lick here the cows would get the bulk of it, and the deer would share, just like every other salt block.

[kevthebassman]

Doesn't anyone run cows where you all live. Here there are salt blocks all over the place put there by cowboys.If you put out a salt lick here the cows would get the bulk of it, and the deer would share, just like every other salt block.

They sure do, just not where I hunt.  I hunt over beans and corn for the most part.  Lots of woods too.

[Mack in N.C.]

your 6ft wide and2 ft deep salt lick is just about 10- 15 ft smaller than mine .....say what you want but my licks are huge and my freinds that just use salt bricks and blocks without deer cane, theres dont get hit as hard...........9.99 for a 1 gallon jug...i used to use the powerdered and mix it but the store i manage now we carry it only in 1 gal jugs......maybe your deer dont have tastebuds like my deer.....mack

[kevthebassman]

your 6ft wide and2 ft deep salt lick is just about 10- 15 ft smaller than mine .....say what you want but my licks are huge and my freinds that just use salt bricks and blocks without deer cane, theres dont get hit as hard...........9.99 for a 1 gallon jug...i used to use the powerdered and mix it but the store i manage now we carry it only in 1 gal jugs......maybe your deer dont have tastebuds like my deer.....mack

That's on a lick I put out in August.  Is the stuff you're talking about the gel mix?

[Land_Owner]

I tried salt blocks and Deer Cocain.  The water body surrounding my land is called "Salt Lake" and for good reason.  The deer do not need salt in my neighborhood.  They need minerals though and I have not found that "Magic Bullet".  I know they do like the sweet molassas licks I used to stake out.