Mineral licks
 

I am going out this weekend to put some mineral licks out/ scouting to find a spot to hang my tree stand. What kind of mineral licks would you recommend? Last year we used the flavored/scented salt blocks. I have also used the deer cocaine blocks. Are these good? Keep in mind that I am hunting Conservation Land and may have to walk quite a ways so I dont want to be carrying the 50lb salt blocks. Thanks.

RE: Mineral licks
 

I have never had much luck with them in the fall. Some get tore up spring and early summer, but by fall the leaves usually fill them up.

I have had good luck in thespringwithdeer cocaine but it really does nothing for the deer, they just love the salt in it.

RE: Mineral licks
 

I went to our local MFA Feed Company and bought a 50 lb bag of the Gold Star Super 12 Mineral and took a few pounds of it and put it in different locations around the farm.The Deer seemed to like it and have been using it more and more each year as they work it up and I refresh it every so often.You can pack the whole bag with you or split it up and use it that way.I saw some of the smaller flavored mineral blocks in Wal-mart today and they would be moreeasy to carry a long ways through the woods.Some people even mix their own concoction of different minerals together and dig a hole and pour it in the ground.For the most part all these fancy mineral blocks have some of the same ingredients! :eek:

RE: Mineral licks
 

I've only ever just used salt. There is a salt lick on our land that the deer have been digging at for 15 years. Every year we pour more salt in the hole.

RE: Mineral licks
 

Too late! Minerals are very important during spring and summer during the formation stages of the antlers. Too late now. They may get some usefullness out of the salt content for the hot weather. But antlers are already formed.

RE: Mineral licks
 

I have a camera over a salt block, flavored mineral block and a whitetail addiction lick. the deer are tearing up the whitetail addiction and salt and one fawn took a whiff of mineral block but that was it. I guess in your situation I'd go w/ something like whitetail addiction. works good and is cheap.

RE: Mineral licks
 

we use 50 lb ofplain mixing salt...12-15 lbs Dicalcium Phosphate (comes in 50 lb bags)...find a decomposing stump that is soft enough to crumble in your hands. if it is not a huge stump, then find rotten logs or pieces of rotten stumps and pile them around the main stump. if you have a shovel and there is some really rich dirt from recently decomposed stumps or logs, shovel several scoops on top of the main stump. pour the salt and dical on top of your stump / decomposed logs. usually i will get two 50 lb bags of salt to start out the lick and freshen it up with 4 parts salt, 1 part dical. Ive read several articles about how the dicalcium phosphate will potentially increase antler growth up to 15-30 inches, and it also helps the does out when they are carrying fawns and lactating. Its really easy, and once you find a good spot to make one (good rich soil areas of the property are the best)all you have to do is add to it several times a year. Thereare a couple old lickson our property that we havent touched since last season and they are still chewing on the stumps and pawing all around it!! Make sure you mix the salt in with the dical because they will not eat the dical by itself at first. Good luck and if you make one, put up a trail cam and show us the pics.

RE: Mineral licks
 

We use just a bag or a box of morton rock salt and it works well. Its easy to tote around if u have a long walk and if u dont have any luck with it your not out much.

RE: Mineral licks
 

I used deer cocaine a couple years ago worked Very well dont really know why we qiut using it though but very simple to use and works really well

RE: Mineral licks
 

We make our own as well.

1 part dicalcium phosphate
1 part sodium bicarb
2 parts trace mineral

The "part" can be anything, just use that ratio. I agree, though.....Little late for mineral licks.