I am 2 weeks out from hitting the new lease in GA for a scouting trip. Myself along with a hunting partner were planning on building some gravity feeders this weekend in preparation for the trip. After identifying some spots on Friday and Saturday, were going to spend Sunday morning handing feeders and cameras, etc.
After spending some time thinking about traveling to refill these feeders, the length of battery life in the camera's, problems with other animals getting into the corn, etc it got me to thinking about other methods of verifying the wildlife on the land. I came across some forums discussing home made mineral licks. I have used mineral rocks in the past and other types of hard blocks for attracting game and they have worked with moderate success but the idea of mixing up the chemicals myself then mixing them into the ground has escaped me. My intent would be to place +/- 6 mineral licks around the property and hang cameras on them from June thru Mid August. My thought is, after revisiting the sites and checking cameras we would then hang some feeders and stands where we are seeing the most activity prior to the start of deer season. I have read these only need to be refreshed once a year, usually before the start of spring and deer come back to them year after year. It seems to me like a more cost/time effective way of bringing them in.
Has anyone else out there used this method before? Pros & Cons. Do you have a certain mixture you use? Here are a couple I have found:
Option 1:
1 bag Deer Caine Black Magic
1 50 lb bag of trace mineral
1 50 lb bag di-calcium phosphate
1 gal feed grade molasses (powdered will work too and make less of a mess)
Dig a hole 4' in diameter about 8-10" deep. Be sure to bust up the loose soil, especially if there is high clay content.
Mix the trace mineral first with the dirt from the hole. Add the di-cal and mix, then the Black Magic. When all of that is mixed in the loose soil add your molasses and turn the soil some more.
Raise the sides of your mineral lick so there is a depression in the middle to catch rain water.
A 5 gallon bucket of creek water poured in the hole will get your lick started.
Option 2
50lb. stock salt
100 lb. Trace mineral salt
50lb. Di-calcium phosphate
50lb. dried molasses
1 part Di-calcium phosphate
2 parts trace mineral salt
1 part stock salt
1 part dried molasses
I put one in about a month or so ago. But i just put out 50lbs of trace mineral salt. the feed store told me they didn't have the DI-calcium phosphate and i didn't think adding more salt would make that big of a difference. Last year i had a 50 mineral block in this spot and it was all but gone when i put this out.
SOy sauce.....Trust me
😉
SOy sauce.....Trust me
😉
I understand its the salt that attracts them to the spot, there seems to be an ongoing online argument over the phosphate, which I understand is hard to get and the trace minerals. Is the amount really enough to promote any real growth in the animal or rack. I don't know but some of these guys swear by it.
I think if you do mineral licks in large quantities(and size) yes, they do aide in antler growth. Same with food plots. Small little plots and small licks probably are attractants more than anything. I poured out soy sauce in a few test spots over the last couple years and I have had 100% success in the deer finding them and destroying it. The most impressive was a stump they tore apart within a weeks time
