making your own mineral site
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 272

i saw a thing where u can make your own site with one part red trace mineral, two parts di calcium, and one part stock salt using a 3 lb. coffee can. my question is do u use this at one site or do u double it at one site? has anybody had any luck with this? i was hoping to put this out soon but the snow doesnt want to go away for some reason here in ma. thanx
#2

that mix works great for me! this is a picture of one of my sites that is just one year old. Its about 5 feet in diameter and 2 1/2 ft deep. they kill it. I put more than just a coffee can size in each site but thats just because i dont get to go to replenish very often often.
#3
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 272

thanks for the response. how often do u replenish yours? and should i wait til the snow is gone here to do my site? theres like 2 to 4 inches and some spots with nothing. where there is snow its packed snow. thanks. do u hunt in any of these spots or is it just inventory? i was using buck jam but it gets expensive. the deer love that. where do u set up your spots? clearcuts, pines, edges, brooks, etc. thanx
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Southeast Missouri
Posts: 2,178

We made the same mineral Sites using similar ingredients,put ours out already this year in Feb and early March after the snow melted away but we still have gotten a few more light snows after that but it won't harm the mineral lick and it helps to soak it into the ground more then we refresh the Licks every 3-4 months depending on how hard they are hit!
Where to put a Mineral Lick.....ideally near a decent water supply,in an area with good cover,where Deer travel,by a food source where they feel safe,on a level plain/surface so it doesn't run off down-hill.....putting it close to where You will be Hunting in a blind or ladder stand is wise,or in the heavy Timber where You set up or where You want to draw Deer in to Your Property.
I wouldn't put one out along a Neighboring Property line,You want the Deer to use it further in on Your Property to be Harvested....use common sense and think out Your locations before putting out a mineral lick.Another thing to think about is how many to put out?
We have about 3 on our 100 Acre Farm,on the Hunting Lease with over 350 Acres we have about 6 scattered across different areas,3 close to Food plots,2 near ridge tops and thick Woods with a natural year round Spring within a few hundred yards or so,another near a man-made Pond and another near a newly planted clover food plot!
I have also added extra salt or other Store bought minerals to existing homemade mineral licks,put out a Trophy Rock or even a plain old white 50 lb salt block to attract Deer....and You'd be surprised at all the other Animals the Mineral and Salt will attract to use it also!
Where to put a Mineral Lick.....ideally near a decent water supply,in an area with good cover,where Deer travel,by a food source where they feel safe,on a level plain/surface so it doesn't run off down-hill.....putting it close to where You will be Hunting in a blind or ladder stand is wise,or in the heavy Timber where You set up or where You want to draw Deer in to Your Property.
I wouldn't put one out along a Neighboring Property line,You want the Deer to use it further in on Your Property to be Harvested....use common sense and think out Your locations before putting out a mineral lick.Another thing to think about is how many to put out?
We have about 3 on our 100 Acre Farm,on the Hunting Lease with over 350 Acres we have about 6 scattered across different areas,3 close to Food plots,2 near ridge tops and thick Woods with a natural year round Spring within a few hundred yards or so,another near a man-made Pond and another near a newly planted clover food plot!
I have also added extra salt or other Store bought minerals to existing homemade mineral licks,put out a Trophy Rock or even a plain old white 50 lb salt block to attract Deer....and You'd be surprised at all the other Animals the Mineral and Salt will attract to use it also!

Last edited by GTOHunter; 03-24-2013 at 08:25 AM.
#5

we set ours up in areas of heavy traffic... thats really the the only method to picking out a spot for me. they typically go out around late spring/ early summer (mid May). we usually put out about a 25 to 30 pound mix of it in each site. We are not allowed to hunt over any bait other than salt in my state so we do not hunt over these sites. Mainly just there to get a head count and to supply some minerals to the deer that would not be so readily available otherwise
#6
Spike
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Wisconsin USDA Zone 5A
Posts: 36

I think this is what he was asking about....1 50# bag of di-calcium phosphate
2 50# bags of trace minerals salt non medicated
1 50# bag of fine stock salt or ice cream salt.... use a 3lb coffee can mix 1 can phosphate 2 cans trace 1 can salt
2 50# bags of trace minerals salt non medicated
1 50# bag of fine stock salt or ice cream salt.... use a 3lb coffee can mix 1 can phosphate 2 cans trace 1 can salt
Last edited by Hoyt63; 03-25-2013 at 01:13 PM.
#9
Boone & Crockett
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Ponce de Leon Florida USA
Posts: 10,079

Just dig up a hole about 3 feet diameter and 6 or so inches deep, pour about half a sack of Di-Cal and a half sack of trace mineral salt in it and dig in some of the dirt you dug out of the hole with your mixture. I don't know why you would want to add salt to trace mineral salt, it is about 96% salt anyway. A clay type soil is best for a lick.
#10
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Mi.
Posts: 250

Another way to have a good mineral station is to take a section from a 2' log, cut a wedge out of it that stops about 4-6" from each end of the log.....fill with your prefered mix of minerals.
This way it doesn't soak into the ground further & further with each rain, though it will soak into the log.
But if you fail to keep it filled, the deer start eating away your log in short order.
A large stump criss-crossed with a chain saw and covered with mineral also works well.
I've sites made both ways & both ways work well & require less mineral than a ground one.
This way it doesn't soak into the ground further & further with each rain, though it will soak into the log.
But if you fail to keep it filled, the deer start eating away your log in short order.
A large stump criss-crossed with a chain saw and covered with mineral also works well.
I've sites made both ways & both ways work well & require less mineral than a ground one.