Mineral licks need to be established in early spring and maintained year round to be effective. I' m not knocking the deer cane because I' ve used it before and had good luck with it but for the for the money you sure don' t get much. I' ve got a recipe that will cost you about $60 initially but will only cost around $20 per year after that and the deer love it. You' ll end up with 300 lbs of salt and minerals which is way cheaper per pound than any commercial brand on the market. Hit the link to my website below and click on the mineral sites button. It' s got a list of all the ingredients and the directions to get you going. Good luck!!!!