The best location for a salt/mineral lick is on an existing well traveled trail(no more than 4-5 ft off the trail), near a water source and by the side of a trail leading to a food plot. Natural minerals and salt are fairly common in almost all areas where the deer live however by making one and placing them near areas you want to hunt you can influence their travel routes. Do not place the lick so near water that the ground water table reaches the lick and leaches it away.

Creating your Mineral/Salt lick.
At the chosen location use a shovel to denude the area of grass, brush or debris, then dig a shallow depression in the bare soil. If bagged mineral salt was bought, spread the bag, in the hole then shovel dirt back over it and mix with the loose dirt. (Most directions tell you to mix with pond or creek water and pour into the depression.) Sprinkle a little on top of it to help the deer find the lick quicker.

If a mineral block salt lick was acquired, dig a hole to the depth of the block plus one inch. Set the block in place and lightly cover the block. To initially attract deer to the lick sprinkle some food on the ground above the lick. Over time the lick will dissolve in the ground.

Be aware that it takes time to dissolve a mineral salt lick block and some deer will not start using the lick until it dissolves into the soil. For this reason if a quick utilization is desired the hunter might opt for the bagged mineral salt or mix the two for longer refresh times.

Any salt lick should be refreshed at about six to twelve month intervals to keep the traffic active on the trail. This interval will be determined by the amount of rain and water table fluctuations.

Once you have the deer coming to the lick site, they will literally eat the soil, creating a crater in the ground.