The lick should be located in a spot that is easy for the deer to access from all directions. This past summer, I was developing a new deer mineral product and was constantly frustrated by the fact that I really didnt know what expected intake would be. Place the lick in a location that has a lot of natural cover. Research has shown that after a site is used, it will often become a part of the feeding and movement pattern. Give a Gift
Bogart, GA 30622 The Importance of Knowing Intake But we now know that was a really bad idea. Join us as we mix up the mineral and take it out and put. If a buck consumes 8 pounds of total food per day, then in order to hit an 18 percent protein level in his diet, he would need to consume 1.44 pounds of protein. When formulating free choice minerals, or any feed product for that matter, the vital elements include the ingredients used along with the percentage of those ingredients and the resulting percentage of actual nutrients (i.e. WHITETAIL DEER HOMEMADE MINERAL MIX RECIPE. They have a bit of a red pepper tint and some of the seeds are green. Compared to sheep and goats, whitetails are copper hogs that need a lot of the mineral. They have just about every option available to them. You can do more or less depending on the amount of use you get at a site. Here's a recipe that's simple and easy to attract deer to your stand or camera. At the same time, I reviewed the cameras located at each spot to identify how many deer were using the site each day. This being said, there are many variables at play and these results certainly do not provide a definite answer. Spread evenly the remainder of the bag of salt. This should be followed by developing a food-plot or native-plant fertilization program to ameliorate any deficiencies. Then use a shovel or pitchfork to turn up the ground. Important macro-nutrients include: calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and sulfur (S). Salt becomes less of an attractant, which means that in order to get continued mineral consumption, a different type of attractant must be used. More Info At www.huntingnet.com These make up about 60 percent of the total weight of the antler. The best mineral sites are located near water sources. How to Make the World's Best Homemade Deer Attractant Feed Mineral - YouTube Skip navigation Sign in 0:00 / 18:02 Intro How to Make the World's Best Homemade Deer Attractant Feed. All of these minerals are necessary for deer to maintain their health and help to keep their coats shiny and strong. Factors Affecting Mineral Intake These are the most potent and effective of the three elements. A solid habitat/nutrition plan should involve manipulating preferred plants to keep them within what we call the deer zone (within four feet of the ground), on a sustained basis. A good rule of thumb is about one site per 100 acres of property. Every two weeks, remove any remaining mineral and wash or wipe out the pan with 50 percent bleach water to kill bacteria and parasite eggs. One final deer mineral site consideration for non-nutritional factors is soil type. Minerals attract deer, and they seek them out when they enter these areas. You can use granular minerals or dicalcium phosphate, which can be found at a feed store. Add the molasses and mix until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed. Your Complete Wildlife Nutrition and Property Management, difference between coated and non coated seeds. Updates are provided, P.O. So here, during a time of year when mineral interest and use are high, Id like to recap which minerals deer need and how to address those needs. The 2 most important elements on a tag are the calcium levels and phosphorous levels. The most common intake claim by deer products on the market is 1 to 2 ounces per head per day or 1/16 to 1/8 of a pound. It may not display this or other websites correctly. Whitetail Institute Winter-Greens Deer Food Buying Guide Easy to use Effectiveness Affordability Portability Frequently Asked Questions Dump no more than 25 lbs per deer lick per application, Lightly kick a little dirt on top of the mineral to make it apear as natural as possible. However, if you are using mineral supplements or considering using them to improve the nutritional plan of the deer herd on your property, I think having at least an idea of what expected intake is is important. In conclusion, the best deer mineral recipe is one that contains trace minerals, salt, vitamins, and minerals that are beneficial to deer. This can help attract deer to feed stations during these stressful periods. Research in Tennessee supports this. Studies have shown that calcium and phosphorus are by far the two most common minerals in deer antlers, comprising 3035 percent of the mature antler by weight. Of course, the other macro- and micro-nutrients should be included in lesser amounts. The best way to provide supplemental minerals is by using a granular mineral that contains less than 30 percent salt and has Ca and P at the rate of 12 percent each. Interestingly enough, Larry later earned a doctoral degree in Range Management from Texas A&M University, and to this day he remains a recognized authority on range management and animal nutrition. Use a mineral site. Thats all there is to it. Antlers are comprised of roughly 20 percent calcium and 10 percent phosphorus. Pour your mineral contents all over the turned-up ground and mix it in with the shovel or pitchfork. Type of mineral formulation affected total deer use of baited sites, with a high salt formulation receiving over four times the number of daily visits from deer as other formulations. Do I believe that? So, if you have already addressed the larger concerns of habitat and herd management, mineral supplements can be another part of your overall management plan. If you don't want to bring your iPad into the bathroom, we can send you a magazine subscription for free! Maybe, or maybe not. If you plan to use a mineral mix for deer, you may need to increase the concentration of salt over time. Along those same lines, deer will more readily utilize minerals that are ground applied than offered in a man-made feeder. Email: info@deerassociation.com. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Look for the highest amounts of calcium and phosphorus on the label. Matt Harper is a deer nutrition specialist from Iowa. This final and vital piece of the puzzle is daily intake. In addition to calcium (19 percent) and phosphorus (10 percent), the next most common elements were magnesium (1 percent) and sodium (0.5 percent). Using the right ingredients and amounts, hunters can create a mineral recipe that will help to keep deer healthy and help to promote a healthy hunting season. ! Research in Tennessee supports this. This should be followed by developing a food-plot or native-plant fertilization program to ameliorate any deficiencies. To make a homemade deer mineral lick, gather ingredients for the mix. Also, slightly burying the pan helped to ensure the mineral would not be spilled. Comes in 50lb Bags at around $11.00 you need one bag. So mineral supplementation wont show any antler effect for at least a year. I've mentioned this before, but here is the recipe I use with prices. Do the math. Mineral licks arent going to magically grow trophy racks on a bucks head, but they are a piece of the management puzzle. Gordon Whittington talks with 13-year-old Troy Metzger about the 2016 hunt that landed the young man a monster non-typical buck on this edition of Big Buck Profile. To make a homemade deer mineral lick, gather ingredients for the mix. If youre trying to lure deer, place slow-releasing mineral blocks near bedding areas and water sources in the summer. For about $50 or less, you can buy all the ingredients you need to make several productive and quality mineral sites for deer. 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Type of mineral formulation affected total deer use of baited sites, with a high salt formulation receiving over four times the number of daily visits from deer as other formulations. Place the lick in an area that has plenty of natural browse available. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. I have found that mineral sites located in sandy areas are utilized less than mineral sites in heavier soils. The best deer mineral program is one that features variety and consistency. A balanced pelleted ration can deliver all the mineral nutrition needed by the herd. Dig a whole 2-3" deep by about 3 feet across. So why not just use straight salt? I then allowed the deer to use the sites for seven days, at which time I removed the remaining contents from the pan and weighed it in order to get a total usage. For one, as long as you have an idea of how many deer are on your property, knowing expected intake can help you figure out how much mineral you can expect to use each year. Regardless of the intensity of mineral supplementation, a yearling buck will still be a yearling buck. Have fun with it. During gestation and lactation does have high requirements for calcium and magnesium. In the old days, we simply dug holes and poured granular mineral into them. About 40 percent is composed of protein. Making your own deer mineral isn't hard, nor is it expensive. Tink's Estrous Gel Stream 3. Im talking smashed with a giant skillet flat. The amount of mineral that remained in the feeding pan was 3.6 pounds or 57.75 ounces. While the advantages of mineral supplementation have not been clearly documented, neither have any disadvantages. Powdered sugar brings the sweetness deer crave as the winter approaches. The Trace Mineral salt has all the different minerals which deer need after a long winter. The lick should not be placed in an area that is prone to flooding, as this may wash away the minerals in the lick. This is where we cover all things deer hunting, from experts and whitetail trivia to news, gear, and hardcore hunting advice. Surely, the knee-deep depressions in the soil caused by repeated years of mineral supplementation are evidence of deer need. This is especially true of dried molasses, which deer love. Pour in one of the bags of salt and one box of the A & H. Stir in well and then add three forths of the second bag of salt and all of the 2nd box of A & H. Mix in well and smooth over the top. Stan Potts heads to Montana with his rifle in search of a Big Sky buck. Deer are hoofed creatures, but that doesn't mean that any mineral that works for a cattle ranch or horses will do the same for whitetails. These two ingredients are bitter, so you may want to add some salt to the lick. Sodium helps to regulate blood pressure and fluid balance in the body. Dont expect to see trophy bucks walking around this fall just because you gave them a mineral boost this spring. Research shows granular minerals facilitate increased consumption by animals as they're able to literally eat (vs. lick) the mixture. Over the years, Ive written on a number of occasions about mineral supplementation for whitetails. If youre looking for a natural way to increase your deers antler growth, homemade deer minerals may be the answer. But theyre bitter on their own, so you need to add more salt to the mix. Deer warts are hairless black or gray tumors caused by a type, CWD Roundup is the National Deer Associations (NDA) bi-monthly update on all things chronic wasting disease (CWD). Stockpiled Forages, The Key to Growing Big Bucks. Nutrient levels mean virtually nothing if you do not at least have an approximate idea of how much of a product the deer are consuming. - The Best Explanation. Again, this isnt a magic trick that will ensure you have trophy bucks running around your property, but youll at least have peace of mind that your deer have access to all the minerals they will need to stay healthy and to develop antlers and healthy fawns. Anderson, SC, 2023 N1 Outdoors. For example, in much of South Texas (which is broadly deficient in P), low rainfall makes trying to grow traditional food plots a fools errand. Instead, we apply 50 pounds per acre of triple-superphosphate (0-45-0) fertilizer to native brush. Despite the number of products now on the market and the amount of information published, many user questions continue. Granular - these minerals are added to the soil, and deer get them by consuming the minerals and/or soil/minerals mixture. Site by Gray Loon. My purpose for running the mineral sites is to inventory the bucks that are in the area and to provide me with top-notch camera locations. Although many people assume that any mineral will grow trophy bucks, most deer are not that fortunate. The first step is have the soils analyzed for the critical macro- and micro-nutrients. Therefore, mineral supplementation prior to and during antler growth may be beneficial. Our deer blog is one of the longest-running and most popular ones out there. When formulating free choice minerals, or any feed product for that matter, the vital elements include the ingredients used along with the percentage of those ingredients and the resulting percentage of actual nutrients (i.e. Deer minerals are simple math. Typically, this attractant comes in the form of straight salt. Dump no more than 25 lbs per deer lick per application, Lightly kick a little dirt on top of the mineral to make it apear as natural as possible. Most folks would simply look at the tag and see that one product is 28 percent and the other 22 percent and just assume that the deer is getting more protein from the 28 percent protein product. That means their expected consumption should be 0.21 to 0.42 ounces per head, per day. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Predator Hunting (Coyote, Bobcat, Fox, Wolf, Cougar, etc. Once youve thoroughly mixed the minerals with the soil, youre done. That would certainly work. During the spring and summer, deer operate at a sodium deficiency due to the high potassium and water content of the forage. To my knowledge, there is little to no research on the subject as it pertains to deer. A much better approach is to use a covered trough with a roof high enough for a buck to easily get his head inside (and be able to see all around as he does so). When spring rolls around, hunters everywhere gear up to begin establishing or recharging the mineral sites on their hunting properties. Here is a recipe one of the MO conservation agents passed on to us hunters. As you can imagine, after a deer paws up and eats a bunch of salty dirt, its going to need a drink. A few drops of a natural attractant, such as rice bran, apple extract, or salt, can also be added to your deer mineral. A 1:1 or 2:1 Ca:P ratio is optimum. Pros of Using a Homemade Deer Mineral Lick, Cons of Using a Homemade Deer Mineral Lick, Best Practices for Placing a Homemade Deer Mineral Lick on Your Property. To begin with the non-nutritional category, location is critical. Next, clear the ground to bare dirt, about 3 feet in diameter. A good wrinkle to add here is to mix up the recipe used in the video -- that'll give you about 100 pounds of mix -- and then blend in some sort of dry attractant to help the deer find the location quickly and to add some additional flavor value that might keep them coming back for more. EXPLORE OTHER MEDIA 360 PROPERTIES FOR OUTDOORS ENTHUSIASTS, Hot Gear: Protect Your Phone, Docs with Confidence, Ultralight Tactical Tomahawk The Proven Multipurpose Outdoor Tool. But I think the aroma of the added products -- the general purpose mineral in the blend above -- helps deer find the location faster and may add some level of taste value as well. TINK'S Doe-in-Rut Buck Lure 2. Micro-nutrients include: iron (Fe), copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), iodine (I) and selenium (Se). They know that deer typically begin using supplemental minerals around spring green-up and continue until early fall. Research on domestic livestock has documented numerous benefits of mineral supplementation including increased forage intake, improved forage digestion, and increased reproductive success. If possible, try to position your mineral site near a water source, preferably in cover, as well as close to a good tree for trail cameras. Therefore, in these areas, salt may be just as necessary as calcium and phosphorus to whitetails during the spring and summer. Weve put together one of the best deer mineral recipe articles for you to try at home. This interferes with efficient sodium conversion in the body and increases the need for sodium. But running mineral sites can get a bit pricey. Plain Stock Salt - #50 - $4.30. Blocks these are commercial mineral blocks placed on the ground or on a stump, and deer get the minerals by licking the block or consuming the soil below it. Manage Settings Farm A had an average number of 11 adult deer using the site on a daily basis. Strongly consider buying a bag of rice bran or other attractant like apple extract that may entice deer to eat the minerals. Mixing Salts Mix the trace minerals above with 1 part mixing salts Dried Molasses Mix the above ingredients with 1 part dried molasses. For example, research has shown that a buck needs about an 18 percent protein diet during the antler-growing cycle to maximize antler growth. Now, consider two different protein supplements, one with a level of 28 percent protein and one at 22 percent protein. The first and most beneficial is to pour the GYT90 crude soybean oil and mineral mixture over supplemental feed. Crappy Weather/ Days off just not lining up for Coyotes. B.Y.O Deer Base also contains, magnesium, sulfur, potassium as well as all the essential trace minerals and vitamins needed by deer. The water is so powerful and so easily drained in your hands that you should definitely be buying water from a natural resource like a stream to get a better picture of what the water is going to be like . Micro-nutrients such as Cu, Zn and Se are particularly important to whitetails, responsible for many metabolic activities and immune development. Watering Note: If theres no rain in the forecast, consider watering the mineral site. ). Surely, the knee-deep depressions in the soil caused by repeated years of mineral supplementation are evidence of deer need, correct? Here are some deer mineral recipe tips and tactics to get your whitetails as healthy as they can be. Minerals are also important for does. Also, fawns will learn mineral site areas from their mothers and will return to sites even after they are weaned. Want to get a bunch of trail camera photos during the times of year when it's typically difficult to do so? 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