My Mineral Lick Recipe/Methodology
Posted: Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:05 pm
Hey guys,
I meant to post this a couple days ago but got sidetracked. I just wanted to share some of my methods and ingredients for my homemade mineral licks. If you look at the ingredients of most commercial attractants you will see that they are all mostly salt and do little to anything else for the deer. You can buy theses additives in most grain elevators or livestock stores for around $60. The mixture is a ratio of ingredients using mostly salt, but you have to have the salt so the deer take in the minerals. They will not eat the minerals by itself. The mixture makes 250 lbs and here is my recipe:
-50 pounds of Stock Mineral Salt
-100 pounds of Trace Mineral salt-looks red (has some minerals)
-50 pounds of Di-Calcium Phosphate (This is what the deer need for antler development)
-50 pounds of dried Molasses (horse feed additive but attracts deer to area)
The Mollases is optional, but I recommend it when setting up a new lick. This helps the deer find the mineral lick. (However, it should be set up in such a way where they travel anyway.)
First off, decide how many sites you want to put on your property. I make a map and pinpoint my locations prior to heading out into the field. Make sure you pick areas that are close to feeding areas or are transition routes from feeding to beddding. Do not set up in or near known bedding areas! I have made this mistake before and it never turns out well. Remember your goal here....To take an inventory....not hunt over If you have an idea what your deer are doing, you will easily find these areas where your trailcameras and licks should be places. Make sure you pick spots that you can enter/exit easily without alerting any deer if possible. Your trailcam photos will mostly be at night, but who cares you get to see who lives in the area.
Last weekend, I put out my annual mixture and made 10 different mineral licks on one of the properties I hunt. I physically hauled in 25 pounds to each area. Don't mix ingredients until the day it goes in the ground! I mix mine at home in the back of my truck before heading out. When you mix, get a coffee can and do the 1:2:1:1 ratio from aabove and you will then have a proper mixture. I mix it in a big trash can in the back of my truck because that is a lot of weight to move around after it is all mixed. After each spot, I head back to the truck and dig out 25 more pounds and put it in a 5 gallon bucket. When you reach each individual site, dig out a six inch deep hole about 24-36 inches wide and add your mixture to the hole. Using a shovel, add the dug up soil to the mixture. Idealistically, do this prior to a rain, so the minerals and salt properly leach into the ground before animals begin visiting the spot. It is some hard work, but the deer really like it and you will get a great inventory of your property if you place them properly. If you have any questions we can discuss any topics here in the thread.
Here is a couple photos of deer using the lick...
I meant to post this a couple days ago but got sidetracked. I just wanted to share some of my methods and ingredients for my homemade mineral licks. If you look at the ingredients of most commercial attractants you will see that they are all mostly salt and do little to anything else for the deer. You can buy theses additives in most grain elevators or livestock stores for around $60. The mixture is a ratio of ingredients using mostly salt, but you have to have the salt so the deer take in the minerals. They will not eat the minerals by itself. The mixture makes 250 lbs and here is my recipe:
-50 pounds of Stock Mineral Salt
-100 pounds of Trace Mineral salt-looks red (has some minerals)
-50 pounds of Di-Calcium Phosphate (This is what the deer need for antler development)
-50 pounds of dried Molasses (horse feed additive but attracts deer to area)
The Mollases is optional, but I recommend it when setting up a new lick. This helps the deer find the mineral lick. (However, it should be set up in such a way where they travel anyway.)
First off, decide how many sites you want to put on your property. I make a map and pinpoint my locations prior to heading out into the field. Make sure you pick areas that are close to feeding areas or are transition routes from feeding to beddding. Do not set up in or near known bedding areas! I have made this mistake before and it never turns out well. Remember your goal here....To take an inventory....not hunt over If you have an idea what your deer are doing, you will easily find these areas where your trailcameras and licks should be places. Make sure you pick spots that you can enter/exit easily without alerting any deer if possible. Your trailcam photos will mostly be at night, but who cares you get to see who lives in the area.
Last weekend, I put out my annual mixture and made 10 different mineral licks on one of the properties I hunt. I physically hauled in 25 pounds to each area. Don't mix ingredients until the day it goes in the ground! I mix mine at home in the back of my truck before heading out. When you mix, get a coffee can and do the 1:2:1:1 ratio from aabove and you will then have a proper mixture. I mix it in a big trash can in the back of my truck because that is a lot of weight to move around after it is all mixed. After each spot, I head back to the truck and dig out 25 more pounds and put it in a 5 gallon bucket. When you reach each individual site, dig out a six inch deep hole about 24-36 inches wide and add your mixture to the hole. Using a shovel, add the dug up soil to the mixture. Idealistically, do this prior to a rain, so the minerals and salt properly leach into the ground before animals begin visiting the spot. It is some hard work, but the deer really like it and you will get a great inventory of your property if you place them properly. If you have any questions we can discuss any topics here in the thread.
Here is a couple photos of deer using the lick...