Prepeping for deer hunting.

[alleyyooper]

Having mapped out all the trails the deer on my property made in the fall of 2019 spring 2020. Marked all scrapes and rubs found, along with sighting bucks during the season I am ready to prep.

Yup prep the property to hold deer and draw in bucks dominate breeding bucks and steer them to use certain areas.
First is to start the spring food plots, which mid summer will be redone for fall food plots.
Making the year round scrapes with licking branches. I have a few wild grape vines that I clip chunks off of and zip tie to tree branches.

Next on the list is to make the mineral pit lick area. This is Purina all purpose cattle mineral, mix in a sweet feed. I dig a shallow hole about 5 ft. Dia. Down to the clay soil in the area to hold this mix. It is meant to supply the does, with the minerals they need while the fetus is growing and for the bucks when they are growing antlers. I stop supplying this mix in late June when th surrounding fields of corn and soy beans are feeding the deer.

I switch to resupplying a mineral In a supplement fix the deer go nuts over in the summer. Mix it with the dirt and over a couple years the deer will have a shallow hole dug.
The recipe.you will need the following!(all loose in bags no blocks)

Fine stock salt.

Trace mineral(some places call it trace mineral salt- get non medicated)

Dicalcium phosphate (ask for DiCal)

now mix at a ratio like this(an old half gallon coffee can works great for a measuring device)

1 Part stock salt

1 Part DiCal

2 Parts Trace mineral

mix only what you need.



Also note- Dical can be hard to find, I have not figured out what can be used in place of it yet, but I am working on it.

Also Dical can be expesive. I think I gave .43 cents a pound($21.50 for a 50LBS bag here) but shop around one place told me 43 bucks for a 50 lbs bag!! I did a little calling around and found it cheaper.

now I like mixing all that up into a 5 gallon bucket. then I take a shovel and a rake into the woods/field or whatever find a location(or to renew an old spot) dig about a 2 to 3 inch deep "pit"(if possible-some places are rocky) in about a 5x5 or 6x6 area. now rake the soil inside around untill its decent and loose(again if possible) then I use my shovel and scoop the minerals out of the bucket and spread it as evenly as possible in the area I just raked. once all minerals are added I rake the loose soil back around to mix the mineral into the soil. spread the soil as evenly as possbile, and you are done!

I normally start a new area soon after I stop the mineral and sweey feed mix.
But I do add to the old sites about ever three months here in Michigan till mud season (mid Nov to late April.

I have a pond that stays wet till end of August & a creek that stays wet till about first part of Sept and even then some areas hold water all year around.

If I didn't have a water sourse I would make water sources and keep them filled.
All this keeps deer on my property that venture to the crop fields till they become mature.

Al