Mineral sites
01-25-2003, 05:08 PM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Waynesboro Georgia USA
Posts: 1,113
Mineral sites
This is to good not pass on, so I copied and pasted it for you guys. Its from a guy at Woody's Taxidremy site. http://www.woodystaxidermy.com/forum...&threadid=7595
My dad and I are doing three of them, so I'll let you know how good it turns out.
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<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO BUILD A MINERAL SITE
Deer management practices and habitat enhancement procedures have grown radically over the past few years to a level of heightened awareness that most game officials once only dreamed of. More people are starting to get involved with and with more folks just getting into the areas of “QDM” then it only makes sense that more questions are raised and knowledge has to be passed on to quench the hunger these new deer intellect appetites desire. Deer management is a series of in-depth steps that are taken to ensure a better health level of your overall deer population on your hunting grounds, but let me be the first to assure you that in no way is their one simple method that will give you the results you want in having bigger, better deer. With that said, I’d like to share with you one simple step you can take in your overall management plan and that is “How To Build A Mineral Site.”
Many folks have heard of deer utilizing salts and minerals in their diets. You’ve probably even seen deer blocks or special products that claim to give deer the added edge to go from a 100-class buck to a 150-class buck, but this isn’t the case with mineral sites at all. Oh, it’s true that deer use mineral sites, but it’s not the miracle tool that is going to take last years spike and turn him into the “Hanson” buck. Deer find salts tasty and will lick the sites because it’s an attractant to them. Yet salt is just that, an attractant. Salt licks will draw deer, but in order to be a beneficial site the area must contain calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, and other minerals. If you’re serious about starting mineral sites on your hunting property then read on…
First let’s go over what the “Georgia DNR” laws are regarding hunting over a mineral site. IT’S BAITING! That’s pretty simple isn’t it… OK, a more in depth looks at the law says that 10 days prior to hunting no salts, minerals, and/or other attractants can be visible at the site. This means that 10 days prior to you hunting the area that your entire site has to be 100% dissolved into the ground. Now that we’ve covered the law and now that you know what’s what then let’s continue on to the how to part.
You can’t start without a few tools and products, so let’s get those listed right off the bat.
Shovel
Hammer
Rock Rake
(2) Bag of White Mixin’ Salt *50 lbs
(1) Bag of Ragland 12% Hy-Phos Mineral Salt *50 lbs
(1) Bag of FRM Cattle Mineral *50 lbs
(1) Trace Mineral Block *50 lbs
(1) Bag of Whole Kernel Corn *50 lbs
(1) Gallon Jug of Molasses
(2) Box of Rock Salt *5 lbs
(1) Bag of Plain White Sugar *5 lbs
(1) 5 Gallon Bucket of Water
This is your grocery list, so make sure you have everyone of these items prior to heading out to build your mineral site. Once you have all the tools and necessary items in hand, you’re ready for step two.
The next part of the mineral site plan is site location. This is VERY important and can mean the difference between deer using the site and not. Let’s look at some do’s and don’ts on where to locate a mineral site…
DO locate the site next to an established trail.
DO try to find a heavy based soil with more clay than sand. (*This is not a must but will help)
DO place the site next to or in cover that hides deer.
DO NOT locate the site out in the wide open.
DO NOT locate the site next to a road or high vehicle volume area.
DO NOT use this site for luring deer for illegal harvest practices.
When looking for a place to locate a site, I generally tell folks to find a trail leading to a food plot and locate the site just a few yards back off the edge of the plot in the thicker brush area. Deer use the area coming to the plots and will feel safe using the lick being that it’s in cover.
Now that you’ve got the know how of where to locate the site and you come to that area, it’s time to build your masterpiece. Follow the steps below…
#1: Clear a spot that’s 5’x5’ in size.
#2: Using the shovel, dig a small 8” to 10” hole in the center of the cleared area and allow the edges of the hole to very gently slop outward to the edges of the 5’x5’ cleared spot. This area will look like a dent when prepared properly.
#3: Now take the rock rake and rough up the soil on the spot.
#4: Place the trace mineral block in the very center of your site.
#5: With the hammer, bust up the block into smaller chunks and leave all the chunks piled up in the center of the site.
#6: Take the first bag of white salt and pour it all over the site (Center and sides)
#7: Now take the bag of Ragland 12% Hy-Phos minerals and pour it over on top of the white salt that’s on the site.
#8: With your rock rake, work the white salt & Hy-Phos minerals into the ground.
#9: Pour about 3 gallons of water *SLOWLY* onto the entire site and allow it to go into the ground.
#10: Pour all of the FRM Cattle mineral, all of the Rock Salt, and all of the Sugar on the entire site. Mix it in with the rock rake but do not add any extra water yet.
#11: Pour about half of the second bag of white salt onto the entire site. DO NOT MIX IT IN YET.
#12: Take the gallon jug of molasses and starting from the outside edges and working your way in pour it out slowly. Try to cover the entire site.
#13: Pour the rest of the white salt you have left on top of the site so that in covers up the molasses.
#14: Pour the remainder of the water on the site *SLOWLY* but do not mix it in.
#15: Spread the corn all around the site, out to about 20 yards from the site. Allow the concentration of corn to come in near the site.
Your site is built. Now with any luck you’ll get a few rains that will help melt the contents and the deer should start to take to it pretty quick. Upkeep of the site depends on how much it’s being used. If the site were really getting hit hard I would refresh the site every quarter. Refreshing the site usually consists of one bag of plain white salt and one bag of Ragland Hy-Phos minerals. Always mix the refresh contents into the site with a rock rake. At least once a year, add a 5 lb bag of sugar and a gallon of molasses. Whenever you add sweetner to a site also add High Content Minerals like FRM Cattle Mineral.
You can buy FRM Minerals from most any feed/seed store. Ragland 12% Hy-Phos mineral can be bought from the “Tractor Supply Stores.” Any mineral salts that contain over 10% calcium and phosphorus will suffice though.
I wish you the best of luck with your sites and remember this is only one step in the right direction!
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
In some places its illegal to hunt over baits or salts, so check local laws. In Georgia its legal as long as the salts and minerals are commpletly dissovled ten days prior to the hunt.
Help Us help Others
www.hhh-usa.org
Edited by - mike bell on 01/25/2003 18:23:56
My dad and I are doing three of them, so I'll let you know how good it turns out.
__________________________________________________ ___________________
<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE ON HOW TO BUILD A MINERAL SITE
Deer management practices and habitat enhancement procedures have grown radically over the past few years to a level of heightened awareness that most game officials once only dreamed of. More people are starting to get involved with and with more folks just getting into the areas of “QDM” then it only makes sense that more questions are raised and knowledge has to be passed on to quench the hunger these new deer intellect appetites desire. Deer management is a series of in-depth steps that are taken to ensure a better health level of your overall deer population on your hunting grounds, but let me be the first to assure you that in no way is their one simple method that will give you the results you want in having bigger, better deer. With that said, I’d like to share with you one simple step you can take in your overall management plan and that is “How To Build A Mineral Site.”
Many folks have heard of deer utilizing salts and minerals in their diets. You’ve probably even seen deer blocks or special products that claim to give deer the added edge to go from a 100-class buck to a 150-class buck, but this isn’t the case with mineral sites at all. Oh, it’s true that deer use mineral sites, but it’s not the miracle tool that is going to take last years spike and turn him into the “Hanson” buck. Deer find salts tasty and will lick the sites because it’s an attractant to them. Yet salt is just that, an attractant. Salt licks will draw deer, but in order to be a beneficial site the area must contain calcium, phosphorus, vitamins, and other minerals. If you’re serious about starting mineral sites on your hunting property then read on…
First let’s go over what the “Georgia DNR” laws are regarding hunting over a mineral site. IT’S BAITING! That’s pretty simple isn’t it… OK, a more in depth looks at the law says that 10 days prior to hunting no salts, minerals, and/or other attractants can be visible at the site. This means that 10 days prior to you hunting the area that your entire site has to be 100% dissolved into the ground. Now that we’ve covered the law and now that you know what’s what then let’s continue on to the how to part.
You can’t start without a few tools and products, so let’s get those listed right off the bat.
Shovel
Hammer
Rock Rake
(2) Bag of White Mixin’ Salt *50 lbs
(1) Bag of Ragland 12% Hy-Phos Mineral Salt *50 lbs
(1) Bag of FRM Cattle Mineral *50 lbs
(1) Trace Mineral Block *50 lbs
(1) Bag of Whole Kernel Corn *50 lbs
(1) Gallon Jug of Molasses
(2) Box of Rock Salt *5 lbs
(1) Bag of Plain White Sugar *5 lbs
(1) 5 Gallon Bucket of Water
This is your grocery list, so make sure you have everyone of these items prior to heading out to build your mineral site. Once you have all the tools and necessary items in hand, you’re ready for step two.
The next part of the mineral site plan is site location. This is VERY important and can mean the difference between deer using the site and not. Let’s look at some do’s and don’ts on where to locate a mineral site…
DO locate the site next to an established trail.
DO try to find a heavy based soil with more clay than sand. (*This is not a must but will help)
DO place the site next to or in cover that hides deer.
DO NOT locate the site out in the wide open.
DO NOT locate the site next to a road or high vehicle volume area.
DO NOT use this site for luring deer for illegal harvest practices.
When looking for a place to locate a site, I generally tell folks to find a trail leading to a food plot and locate the site just a few yards back off the edge of the plot in the thicker brush area. Deer use the area coming to the plots and will feel safe using the lick being that it’s in cover.
Now that you’ve got the know how of where to locate the site and you come to that area, it’s time to build your masterpiece. Follow the steps below…
#1: Clear a spot that’s 5’x5’ in size.
#2: Using the shovel, dig a small 8” to 10” hole in the center of the cleared area and allow the edges of the hole to very gently slop outward to the edges of the 5’x5’ cleared spot. This area will look like a dent when prepared properly.
#3: Now take the rock rake and rough up the soil on the spot.
#4: Place the trace mineral block in the very center of your site.
#5: With the hammer, bust up the block into smaller chunks and leave all the chunks piled up in the center of the site.
#6: Take the first bag of white salt and pour it all over the site (Center and sides)
#7: Now take the bag of Ragland 12% Hy-Phos minerals and pour it over on top of the white salt that’s on the site.
#8: With your rock rake, work the white salt & Hy-Phos minerals into the ground.
#9: Pour about 3 gallons of water *SLOWLY* onto the entire site and allow it to go into the ground.
#10: Pour all of the FRM Cattle mineral, all of the Rock Salt, and all of the Sugar on the entire site. Mix it in with the rock rake but do not add any extra water yet.
#11: Pour about half of the second bag of white salt onto the entire site. DO NOT MIX IT IN YET.
#12: Take the gallon jug of molasses and starting from the outside edges and working your way in pour it out slowly. Try to cover the entire site.
#13: Pour the rest of the white salt you have left on top of the site so that in covers up the molasses.
#14: Pour the remainder of the water on the site *SLOWLY* but do not mix it in.
#15: Spread the corn all around the site, out to about 20 yards from the site. Allow the concentration of corn to come in near the site.
Your site is built. Now with any luck you’ll get a few rains that will help melt the contents and the deer should start to take to it pretty quick. Upkeep of the site depends on how much it’s being used. If the site were really getting hit hard I would refresh the site every quarter. Refreshing the site usually consists of one bag of plain white salt and one bag of Ragland Hy-Phos minerals. Always mix the refresh contents into the site with a rock rake. At least once a year, add a 5 lb bag of sugar and a gallon of molasses. Whenever you add sweetner to a site also add High Content Minerals like FRM Cattle Mineral.
You can buy FRM Minerals from most any feed/seed store. Ragland 12% Hy-Phos mineral can be bought from the “Tractor Supply Stores.” Any mineral salts that contain over 10% calcium and phosphorus will suffice though.
I wish you the best of luck with your sites and remember this is only one step in the right direction!
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>
In some places its illegal to hunt over baits or salts, so check local laws. In Georgia its legal as long as the salts and minerals are commpletly dissovled ten days prior to the hunt.
Help Us help Others
www.hhh-usa.org
Edited by - mike bell on 01/25/2003 18:23:56
01-28-2003, 09:37 PM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: cazenovia, NY USA
Posts: 2,973
RE: Mineral sites
Thanks Mike - I've read the link you give for Woody's - and am familiar with Dawn2Dusk and his mineral system, you are probably aware that he has also come up with a PVC pipe Mineral Lick System, that has some merit.
Personally, I feel the jury is STILL out on the benefits of mineral Licks - We keep one or two going during spring and summer - but I really doubt they contribute much to antler growth, especailly considering dispersion of young bucks each year - when considering small property management.
The reason we keep them is to "condition" the deer to certain travel routes, and little more than that. I feel that straight salt will accomplish that - but we offer mostly minerals, to help lactating does more than any other reason - we skip the molasses, sugar, and corn part.
Thanks for the link.
Personally, I feel the jury is STILL out on the benefits of mineral Licks - We keep one or two going during spring and summer - but I really doubt they contribute much to antler growth, especailly considering dispersion of young bucks each year - when considering small property management.
The reason we keep them is to "condition" the deer to certain travel routes, and little more than that. I feel that straight salt will accomplish that - but we offer mostly minerals, to help lactating does more than any other reason - we skip the molasses, sugar, and corn part.
Thanks for the link.
01-29-2003, 06:18 PM
#3
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Livonia Mi USA
Posts: 551
RE: Mineral sites
Watch that salt.... Nearly 200 lbs. in a lick formula that has a total weight of about 350 Lbs. Thats a lot. The trace block is nearly 98% salt... It's easy to get deer to eat salt, it's the quality vitamin/mineral that makes the improvement. High salt intake and the cattle mixes may well reduce the deer's ablility to intake valuable nutriant or become binding with the nutrient and passed. Cattle are different that deer. When you add the cost and time involved and the fact that there is little if any scientific data on the elixer, the known brands of vitamin/mineral mixes do not cost that much more and have some research. If the product produces, believe me it would have a deer on the bag and be highly advertised.
Romans 10:9 Psalms 42
Romans 10:9 Psalms 42
