Mineral lick/ salt lick?

[Mennoniteman]

I've never had much luck with mineral links and am wondering what I'm doing wrong? This last time I followed the instructions & poured 25lb. of whitetail maxx on the ground at a level spot at a deer crossing, mixed lightly with soil and set a big salt block in the middle. The deer lick the salt block and ignore the mineral? It's been half a year now with the same results. Did the same thing in different parts of the state previous with the same results. Should I try a different product? Are mineral licks an overhyped waste time and money poured into the ground ? How do you pick a location for a mineral lick relative to food, bedding and water?
I couldn't find any specific threads about mineral licks here, I appreciate any and all input, ideas and random ramblings. What worked or didn't work for you?
(No endorsements please if you benefit from sales of that product, not opposed to free enterprise, just want unbiased opinions)

 

[Ed Brodt]

Here you go.

http://www.whitetailsunlimited.com/conservation/foodplotdoc/man-made-mineral-licks.phtml/

 

[mattpatt]

I don't use mineral licks as a supplement as I feel the deer just don't get that much benefit. However, I do use them to survey the deer population in the area and for that I just use a product called Trace Mineral Salt. You can usually get a 50lb bag of it for ~$6-7 at your local farm and ranch store. You can also use "pool salt" the kind made for swimming pools. Just start you a site and pour it on the ground. Keep adding to it and before you know it you'll have a wallered out hole in the ground.

 

[j-bird]

The label I found says the product you are using has a max of 30% salt. That tells me there are lots of other things in there that may very well be making it bitter tasting. I realize a high percentage of those other elements may be good for deer, but it does you no good if the deer won't eat it. Ever try to give a little kid medicine! It may be good for them, but they will fight you the entire way if it's "nasty" tasting. I think you may need something with a higher salt content or "sweetener" to get the deer to consume it. I'm not sure where that balance point is with deer. I simply use a $7, 50 lbs, trace mineral block - it's like 90%+ salt. I however use mine for cam sites and with no intent of "beefing up" my deer. I also know salt usage of deer is much higher when they are eating green plants.....something about their metabolism from what I have read. I have even used a "topper" on top of a salt block when starting a new site so the deer and smell their way to it.

I would suggesting doing some research into the salt content of lots of other mineral supplements out there and see what they are doing.

Even many "home-brew" mixes and stuff used in the cattle (beef and dairy) use a sweetener in the feed to get the animals to eat it (because just minerals are well, "nasty").

 

[Blizzard Ridge]

Give Real World's mineral a shot. If we could use it to survey populations in Illinois I would be using it all the time. There is actually a piece of legislation sitting on a desk somewhere that Don has submitted to the state trying to get legislation passed to allow off season mineral stations. I know Real World's mineral has some tasty stuff mixed with the nasty tasting minerals.

Also keep in mind that there are certain times of the year the deer do not need the extra minerals. During the summer months you will see the deer hammer mineral stations while producing milk and growing antlers, as fall comes in they will pretty much ignore the mineral until their body tells them they need it again. Which could be one of the reasons you did not see much activity at your mineral station. Keep dressing it back up and I would bet you will eventually see usage.

 

[useyourbow]

Some may argue but for me the dirt/ground you pour it on has just as much to do with success as to what you pour. I have on many occasions poured/used the same exact product and had absolutely exact opposite reactions on the same piece of property. I have had greater success with farm store livestock mineral blocks/granular @ $6.00 a fifty versus the high priced make your "bucks huge" marketing stuff. At $0.12 a pound you can experiment versus a $1.00 a pound for a bag with a deer on it.

Cheap brown trace mineral block first year, followed by cheap brown trace mineral the second year.

 

[Mennoniteman]

The label I found says the product you are using has a max of 30% salt. That tells me there are lots of other things in there that may very well be making it bitter tasting. I realize a high percentage of those other elements may be good for deer, but it does you no good if the deer won't eat it. Ever try to give a little kid medicine! It may be good for them, but they will fight you the entire way if it's "nasty" tasting. I think you may need something with a higher salt content or "sweetener" to get the deer to consume it. I'm not sure where that balance point is with deer. I simply use a $7, 50 lbs, trace mineral block - it's like 90%+ salt. I however use mine for cam sites and with no intent of "beefing up" my deer. I also know salt usage of deer is much higher when they are eating green plants.....something about their metabolism from what I have read. I have even used a "topper" on top of a salt block when starting a new site so the deer and smell their way to it.

I would suggesting doing some research into the salt content of lots of other mineral supplements out there and see what they are doing.

Even many "home-brew" mixes and stuff used in the cattle (beef and dairy) use a sweetener in the feed to get the animals to eat it (because just minerals are well, "nasty").

I have some stump likker that never worked either. That would be sweet, would you pour that on the mineral lick?

 

[Mennoniteman]

Some may argue but for me the dirt/ground you pour it on has just as much to do with success as to what you pour. I have on many occasions poured/used the same exact product and had absolutely exact opposite reactions on the same piece of property. I have had greater success with farm store livestock mineral blocks/granular @ $6.00 a fifty versus the high priced make your "bucks huge" marketing stuff. At $0.12 a pound you can experiment versus a $1.00 a pound for a bag with a deer on it.

Cheap brown trace mineral block first year, followed by cheap brown trace mineral the second year.
View attachment 6596

Thanks for the great picture. That is a huge area compared to what I was trying to start. I am starting to see that I may need to add more "cheap stuff" to get the overall available quantity up.

 

[Chestnut Valley Farms]

Rock salt and trace minerals from local farm store. Out the door for $12 bucks. Mineral sites close to water source always do better

 

[useyourbow]

Thanks for the great picture. That is a huge area compared to what I was trying to start. I am starting to see that I may need to add more "cheap stuff" to get the overall available quantity up.

That spot was started with a 12" cube/block of trace mineral. Ideally the mineral leaches into the dirt and the whitetails eat the soil. With the inexpensive stuff you can start multiple sites and see what takes and refreshen accordingly. The site in the picture is one of four mineral licks we started that year. Two did well and the other two didn't. Like others have mentioned, I use licks for herd inventory and to aid expecting does. If a little extra mineral gives the fawns an extra step when they are born the whole herd benefits. I have not seen or read any direct evidence that mineral supplement grows bigger antlers. Nature does a pretty good job of providing for it's wildlife. As a matter of fact I don't believe the Hanson buck had access to a man made mineral lick and look how he turned out, just saying.

 

[j-bird]

I have some stump likker that never worked either. That would be sweet, would you pour that on the mineral lick?

The answer I think is in your own (original) post. The deer are telling you they like the salt block better than the mineral mix. Again, more than likely because of the higher salt content. You can add the stump licker if you want or simply get some rock salt or water softener salt and mix it with the mineral product. The increase in the salt content should facilitate better usage.

This is going to sound stupid but. Peas and Carrots. Say you like one or the other but nothing both. If you like carrots but not peas and someone serves a pile of peas with carrots on top you eat the carrots and then quit when you reach the peas. BUT, if you mix the peas and carrots together or have more carrots than peas then you increase the chance of it all being eaten. Buy using rock salt or the like it will dissolve with the mineral product faster as well. Don't put that block back out there. The deer will simply re-shift their focus back to that block if you do.

All just my opinion..... Again location, time of year and the like can all impact it as well.

 

[Mennoniteman]

That spot was started with a 12" cube/block of trace mineral. Ideally the mineral leaches into the dirt and the whitetails eat the soil. With the inexpensive stuff you can start multiple sites and see what takes and refreshen accordingly. The site in the picture is one of four mineral licks we started that year. Two did well and the other two didn't. Like others have mentioned, I use licks for herd inventory and to aid expecting does. If a little extra mineral gives the fawns an extra step when they are born the whole herd benefits. I have not seen or read any direct evidence that mineral supplement grows bigger antlers. Nature does a pretty good job of providing for it's wildlife. As a matter of fact I don't believe the Hanson buck had access to a man made mineral lick and look how he turned out, just saying.

Thanks guys, I appreciate all these tips. I'm not looking for antler miracles, just would like a working mineral lick on my property. I'm getting some good ideas, keep them coming.

 

[Buckeye]

I use Redmond #10 44lb mineral salt block (10.00 at local feed store) it's the same as Trophy Rock 12lb rock for16.00 except it's in a block form. Redmond and trophy rock is the same company.

 

[Mennoniteman]

I use Redmond #10 44lb mineral salt block (10.00 at local feed store) it's the same as Trophy Rock 12lb rock for16.00 except it's in a block form. Redmond and trophy rock is the same company.

Do you know if there is an attractant in Trophy Rock or why do people say it gets hit hard?

 

[Buckeye]

Do you know if there is an attractant in Trophy Rock or why do people say it gets hit hard?

It's natural sea salt with 60+ trace minerals in it

 

[DocHolladay]

This is Trophy Rock analysis...

This is a mineral mix that I make and had analyzed......

What didn't get included in my analysis was the vitamin content. I asked for it and it didn't get done(I didn't get charged). I know what one of the mixes I use has for vitamins and I add an extra mineral and vitamin supplement to it to boost them because the total mixture drops those two things once complete.

Do either one grow bigger antlers? Not that I have seen, but I have seen a change in their coats and the way the fawns look health wise. Does it help with antler development? Don't have the equipment to test the deer before and after supplement use. I don't see as many ribs and vertebrae as I once did before I started using minerals. I tell every one it's like a prenatal vitamin for the doe when she is pregnant and then the fawns get the nutrients when they suckle, once born. The bucks get some benefit out of it to, but it's mostly used for their bodies and not their antlers. Even if it is a small bump in nutrition, it's better than them lacking altogether. I keep sights refreshed every 3-4 months depending on usage and don't hunt over it. My state says that any mineral or mix used has to be 51% salt to be legal and I tried to keep it at the minimum. I have found that deer won't eat the mix on certain parts of the property but will in another part. I have poured the mix out and they didn't touch it for months, but move it 100yds and they dig a hole you can hide a small car in. I can't say that it works or doesn't but the small changes in the deer that I do see make me keep using it.

 

[Jason Broom]

If you want your deer to get proper mineral uptake, make sure to get both macro and micronutrient levels checked in the soils where you plant your food plots. Amend for both pH and nutrient levels; that is the hands-down best way to get minerals to your deer.

The salt blocks with trace minerals are not bad for deer, but their value isn't in the mineral content. The reason deer are attracted to salt blocks in the early spring and into summer is that their diet is comprised of succulent vegetation and they need to void their bladder frequently, losing sodium in the process. If they have access to a salt lick, they will definitely make use of it...as long as it doesn't taste nasty.

Don't get sucked into thinking you'll grow bigger antlered bucks with mineral supplements...that's a bunch of hooey. Age and overall nutrition, along with a lesser genetic component, will determine antler development. If mineral stations have a purpose outside of population surveys, it MAY be to act as a natal vitamin for gestating and lactating does. To be certain deer are getting the nutrients they need, look to the soil in your plots and old-fields, first...leave the salt/mineral blocks for replacing lost sodium caused by a lush diet. IMHO - YMMV - n' all that.

Jason

 

[dgallow]

Haven't read the plethora of replies but gist of the OP was mineral acceptance issues.

Before playing around with a bunch of mineral products...try my $10 mineral test plan.....offer $10 worth of this product before doing anything else because if your animals will not use this product they won't use 99% of the other mineral products on the market and they may need no mineral at all or only this product. Contact me by PM if interested in purchase....price is $10 for 44 lbs of product and $40 to cover S/H in continental US 48.

Most stock mineral mixes, individual ingredients, and processed salt suffer from animal palatability issues (from overconsumption to refusal) that is why salt, molasses, flavorings and other items are added to encourage/regulate consumption. And most recs state to put mineral near water to encourage consumption.....okay that is to increase consumption to sell you more product as when the animal is in true need of a mineral their quest for such literally knows no bounds!

If your animals do not eat much mineral, then consider they may be getting all they need from the diverse forage base in front of them! Nothing wrong with that and actually a good testament to habitat management and habitat quality!

OF all the elements needed the one most commonly in major deficit to the animal in lacking in 99% of vegetation is sodium (Na). The majority of plants do not contain the amount of Na which the animal needs....and that varies with time of year....the animal has to either eat soil or lick a Na rich source to get the sodium they need.

Supplemental Na comes from two primary feed sources....from either one-half of the NaCl molecule (table salt) or one-third of the NaHCO3 molecule (sodium bicarbonate aka 'baking soda'). Remember a product call Deer Cocaine?....it was a NA source but not salt so what were you buying at an inflated price?...the same stuff you could have taken from the kitchen or pool chem supply shed! I want to mention one downside of 'bicarb'...animals tend to find it very palatable and documented cases of metabolic disorders have been seen in stock which over-consume bicarb....bicarb should be offered side by side with limestone if one chooses that route.

Salt isn't salt and the animal will tell you what salt source they find most palatable. For ex, in my cattle mineral feeder are two salt blocks along with a pricey certified organic mineral (thank God the consumption of that is way less than 1 oz per day). The processed white salt block from TSC is as new/unused as the day I bought it for $4 and change.....the Redmond Dura-block which I paid $10 for to a local mom/pop vendor has a nice dished out top surface from obvious licking. Deer and a wide range of other mammals use the same Dura-blocks about on the ranch.

For whatever reason the seasalt deposit which Redmond Mineral mines and sells as stock salt is highly preferred an palatable to most all animals (wild and domestic). I just haven't seen any refusal issues of this product....plus it contains 60+ other elements at trace quantities. It can be purchased in many forms either loose (~$8) or in press formed blocks ($10)....the Dura-block contains a dextrin binder which slows weathering if fed open-air, the All-Natural block can be used in covered feeders.....and they offer 1-3 loose forms of 'sea-rock salt' for either mineral feeders or land application or dumping it on the ground. IF you insist on 'deer only' products from the same mine at a higher mark-up then Trophy-Rock and 465 can be purchased at more vendors than the stock products....just won't weather as well as the Dura-block.

Feel free to save the $40 S/H fee and purchase my $10 test mineral plan from your local Redmund Mineral dealer. Redmund salt is easy, simple, effective and keeps your money local and less irons in my fire! To each his own for minerals and mineral supplementation plans!

 

[giveiturbest]

We use Trophy Rock, the deer are starting to hit it again. They don't normally use it to much during the winter, but now that does are pregnant they are hitting it with regularity. When starting a mineral/salt lick, I would bait it with some corn or something to get them on it. I normally find it on sale at one of the big box stores mid summer and buy em out, 6-8 rocks a year on our 250 acres is plenty.

Good luck

 

[Jason Broom]

The trace mineral blocks DGallow mentioned are just as good (if mineral blocks are of any use at all) as the branded products, but literally 1/2 to 1/4 the cost.