How are the salt blocks that wal-mart sells? Do they work? are they also safe for the deer? Also does anyone know the laws in New Hampshire. When does it have to be removed before hunting season?...

We have mineral feeders out for cattle and salt blocks have been around for ever, both mineral as well as white salt blocks....guess what...a 40 pound block is about 5 bucks at a feed store...and deer will come to it and to the spot where you put it to lick soil for years after

Check local laws for sure

Excessive salt witll make the deer thirsty. They will drink more water and lay down. Salt blocks are one of the worse things you can give to a deer. Deer require about 12-18 % salt during the antler growing period and about 2-4 % after that.

Salt by definition for animals is " self limiting" they wont go to a salt block or lick unless they need it.

Absolutely not true... They may need some sodium or potassium and will ingest everything else to get it...

You must misunderstand self limiting. The animal will seek salt in their diet from varous sources, but given free access to a salt block, they will only utilize it if they have a need.

This is why we have salt blocks available to cattle. And deer will avail themselves to it as they need to. But You wont ever see one stand there licking till they are toxic.

Salt for livestock is normally offered " free choice" . The stock have a natural instinct which tells them how much they need.

Dan O.

Right, Dan. And I think that deer also have that natural instinct. What I have noticed, the deer here will hit the salt licks pretty often in the spring when everything is greening up. Then they seem to taper off through the rest of the year, unless they find new growth. Late fall/Winter will result in less usuage. I keep a couple of licks well supplied, but I don' t use them as " bait" . Too inconsistant.
Russ

Using that defination, yes. However, in the free choice in the wild they will consume until their system registers the cut off point. Unfortunately the cut off point is not registered until after it has been passed as the salt in the deers system needs time to break down and the brain to make the decesion to stop the intake. By that time the animal has consumed substantially more salt than they need. Salt blocks will limit the intake more than granulated because of the effort to lick, desolve the salt in the ingestion process. Deer do need potassium and sodium especially during the green up period, about 12 - 18 % max. This rate is reduced into the post green period to the pre-green up period when the salt/sodium/potassium intake is re increased by the needs for these elements.

lunchbucket; I think what everyone is saying is that the deer won' t consume enough salt to be toxic to their system if offered free choice. They may over consume for their needs but never suffer ill effects. In my instance free choice is the only method possible. Salt licks that I put out last year are still only partly consumed. On the other hand the mineral blocks (apple flavoured) have a high turnover rate and the deer have eaten the stump that I put them in until the stump roots under ground are gone.

Dan O.