Most folks would simply look at the tag and see that one product is 28 percent and the other 22 percent and just assume that the deer is getting more protein from the 28 percent protein product. Basically, the deer will tell you where they like to eat. This is where we cover all things deer hunting, from experts and whitetail trivia to news, gear, and hardcore hunting advice. Mineral licks arent going to magically grow trophy racks on a bucks head, but they are a piece of the management puzzle. And, honestly, the only difference I can tell is in the price. Any one of a hundred things can influence how often a deer will use a supplemental mineral and how much it will consume. I've done more research on this that I care to disclose, but from . 2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loose kind without the medications. Whitetail Institute Mineral for Deer 5. So, if we take a 200-pound buck and say that hes eating 4 percent of his body weight each day, then this equates to 8 pounds of total daily food consumption. Making your own deer mineral isn't hard, nor is it expensive. Most commercially-made products are going to run about $20 a bag and each bag will service one site for a couple of months. Therefore, I took the total number of deer that used the site over a seven-day period and divided it by seven days to reach an approximate number of deer using the site each day. This is a great way to add to your water table (and your wallet) by using natural minerals to add to water. Then use a shovel or pitchfork to turn up the ground. What is the Most Important Factor in Whitetail Nutrition? Deer are hoofed creatures, but that doesn't mean that any mineral that works for a cattle ranch or horses will do the same for whitetails. The first step is have the soils analyzed for the critical macro- and micro-nutrients. Choose an area that is open with plenty of sunlight exposure. While this will help them find you more quickly, it will also add flavor. Pour in the mineral and the rice bran at a ratio of 2:1. Rice bran is around $10 for a 40-pound bag. We also identified magnesium deficiencies in some Michigan deer when we discovered dozens of them eating mud rich in this mineral. People have used corn, apples, cherries, and salt in a variety of ways to bring deer into an area near a hunting blind or deer stand. Make sure you dont place too many deer mineral blocks at a time, but you should put out one lick for every 40 acres of land. Build your own deer base is designed to make your own deer mineral using individual ingredients or you can add it to either your current mineral to make it more fortified. With careful consideration of the deers nutritional requirements and the needs of the environment, a successful deer mineral recipe can be created. If you use it, they will come. Recalibrate. Most professionals relied on information generated primarily for small ruminants, including sheep and goats. Therefore, mineral supplementation prior to and during antler growth may be beneficial. What Minerals Should Be Included in a Homemade Deer Mineral Lick? Along those same lines, deer will more readily utilize minerals that are ground applied than offered in a man-made feeder. They have just about every option available to them. During the summer, finding locations that deer frequent often can be tough. Spread evenly the remainder of the bag of salt. Almost all soils more than 2550 miles from a seacoast are low in sodium. To get started, click the link below to visit mymagnow.com and learn how to access your digital magazine. Choose a location that is away from human activity, like your house or outbuildings. Clovers and Perennials- Are you planting for now or the future? Research shows granular minerals facilitate increased consumption by animals as theyre able to literally eat (vs. lick) the mixture. Type of mineral formulation affected total deer use of baited sites, with a high salt formulation receiving over four times the number of daily visits from deer as other formulations. JavaScript is disabled. Anderson, SC, 2023 N1 Outdoors. July 1, 2022 |Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, February 27, 2023 |The Realblog with Stephanie Mallory, February 28, 2023 |Brow Tines and Backstrap. Top 5 Best Homemade Deer Attractants Reviewed 1. Could the use of salt/mineral mixes simply be due to an increased need for salt? Research has shown that after a site is used, it will often become a part of the feeding and movement pattern. Yes, whitetails will eat dirt, but the vast majority of minerals they consume enter the system through the plants they eat. Deer, during this time of year, are actively searching for it. Deer are very finicky when it comes to eating, especially when it is supplemental products offered to wild deer. Look at the post in Whitetail deer hunting. If a buck consumes 8 pounds of total food per day, then in order to hit an 18 percent protein level in his diet, he would need to consume 1.44 pounds of protein. Part 1, Importance of Soil pH. Even in the deer world, we are continuously finding that what we thought was fact one day is completely disproved the next. Because of the large quantities of minerals required for antler growth, whitetails have developed the ability to bank calcium and phosphorus in their skeletons and then transfer these minerals during antler growth. The diacalcium phosphate costs about $25 to $30 and the trace-mineral salt is about $12 to $15 per bag. As I was at the time formulating a 20-year research plan for our institute, I decided it was a natural fit to include mineral supplementation in the plan. Here's how to create your own. You could also create your own homemade mineral licks for deer, by combining various bulk minerals (e.g., stock salt, trace minerals, dicalcium phosphate for deer) from your local coop. Clearly minerals are important in antler development. Weve put together one of the best deer mineral recipe articles for you to try at home. A classic study on the mineral needs of deer was conducted at Penn State University in the 1950s. Homemade Mineral Lick Go to your local feed store and buy (1) 50lb bag of granulized dicalcium phosphate, (2) 50lb bags of trace mineral salt, and (1) 50lb bag of rock salt. Ingredients: Makes 200 lbs. Growing antlers are composed mostly of proteins (80 percent by weight); whereas hardened antlers contain roughly equal amounts of proteins and minerals. Your Complete Wildlife Nutrition and Property Management, difference between coated and non coated seeds. A few drops of a natural attractant, such as rice bran, apple extract, or salt, can also be added to your deer mineral. The placement of a homemade deer mineral lick on your property is an important factor in encouraging deer to visit and use the lick. But if you want to spice it up, you can add a dash of any general-purpose mineral. The best place to put a deer lick is near your closest water holes, ponds or water sources and near your food plots. When spring rolls around, hunters everywhere gear up to begin establishing or recharging the mineral sites on their hunting properties. Deer minerals are simple math. A much better approach is to use a covered trough with a roof high enough for a buck to easily get his head inside (and be able to see all around as he does so). The results of these studies suggest that mineral supplementation especially calcium, phosphorus, and sodium may provide some benefit, especially in situations where deer are nutritionally deprived or areas with minerally deficient soils. Discussion Pull up a seat and join us. Blocks these are commercial mineral blocks placed on the ground or on a stump, and deer get the minerals by licking the block or consuming the soil below it. Well provide the latest updates on CWD spread, research and policy from across North America. Tink's Estrous Gel Stream 3. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. Magnesium is perhaps the third most important mineral with sodium being not far behind. Research shows granular minerals facilitate increased consumption by animals as they're able to literally eat (vs. lick) the mixture. Notice the pond in the background. N1 Outdoors - How To Make Your Own Deer Mineral Recipe (and what ingredients you'll need): Trace Minerals 2 parts trace minerals. In the above video, I share a simple recipe for making about 100 pounds of the mix for less than $40. Think of minerals more like a vitamin, filling the gap in any deficiencies that might exist in a deers diet. Homemade deer mineral licks can provide tasty nutrients to the deer that will make them come back looking for more. Of course, the other macro- and micro-nutrients should be included in lesser amounts. calcium, phosphorus, zinc, etc. A lot is made over the power of mineral sites to grow antlers and create a healthier deer population. In terms of trying to identify the total number of different deer using each sight, how much did human error play into the results? Using a mineral mixture that has less than 50 percent salt will not attract deer. In a similar study conducted at Auburn University, researchers tried to detect differences in body and antler size between an unsupplemented and supplemented group. The best places for minerals are around a water source ponds, creeks, lakes, etc. This interferes with efficient sodium conversion in the body and increases the need for sodium. Place the lick in a location that has a lot of natural cover. Whether the addition of supplemental minerals is truly benefitting the deer, or if the deer are simply using the site because of the salt, isn't really a primary concern of mine. You can provide deer these minerals and supplemented nutrition a variety of ways. For example, for many years, it was commonly accepted that adult bucks did all or most of the breeding. Wildgame Innovations, for example, has all manner of attractants that have a powerful aroma that should help deer find your mineral site more quickly and may add a flavor component that the deer love. Studies show that there are about 11 minerals in deer antlers. This makes deer actively seek out concentrated sources of sodium such as natural or manmade licks. In so doing, we get fantastic response from the deer herd. The feeding pan had a total of 4.27 pounds, or 68.24 ounces, of mineral remaining. If the buck consumes only 3 pounds of the 28 percent protein product but eats 5 pounds of the 22 percent product, he is actually getting more protein from the 22 percent product than the 28 percent product. Find an area located in some cover close to the water source. Lesser amounts of other minerals were found including potassium, barium, iron, aluminum, zinc, strontium and manganese. Larry Redmon and Richard Reed (the latter now deceased) were local cattlemen and avid deer hunters, and they had a question Id never heard. In conclusion, the best deer mineral recipe is one that contains trace minerals, salt, vitamins, and minerals that are beneficial to deer. Nutritional consumption factors revolve around the attractant agent used in the product. This is also why mineral licks make excellent trail camera spots in the summer. The Best Way to Cook Chanterelle Mushrooms, 12 Reasons Why Your Venison Tastes Like Hell, Watch Pennsylvania Black Bears on Live Den Cam, Midwesterner Discovers Very Rare Melanistic Deer, Why an Old-School .30-06 Hunter is Switching to the 6.5 PRC, Southerners Shoot the Oldest Bucks, Texans Bag the Most Does, and More Highlights from the 2023 NDA Deer Report, Lost and Found: Neighbor Finds Hunters Huge Buck More Than a Year Later, Alabama Rut Kicking, Police Dog Saves Deer Hunter from Icy River, and More Deer Hunting News. Dont expect to see trophy bucks walking around this fall just because you gave them a mineral boost this spring. The Trace Mineral salt has all the different minerals which deer need after a long winter. Realtree is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible experience to everyone, including those with disabilities.2023 Jordan Outdoor Enterprises, Ltd. All rights reserved. 12/12 Trace Mineral - #100 - $35.20. This particularly is true for sandy soils, as well as highly acidic (low pH) or basic (high pH) soils. The best place to put a deer lick is near your closest water holes, ponds or water sources and near your food plots. At the same time, I reviewed the cameras located at each spot to identify how many deer were using the site each day. THE RISE AND FALL OF THE MISSOURI WILD TURKEY, 2021 Missouri Spring Turkey Season Worse in 24 Years, Missouri Wild Turkey Regulation Changes Needed, MDC Mythbusters Missouri Turkey Population, 2022 Missouri Wild Turkey Poult Production, 1st Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 2nd Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 3rd Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 4th Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 6th Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 7th Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 8th Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, 9th Annual National Wild Turkey Symposium, North American Wildlife and Habitat Facebook Page. Although this winter has been warmer than average for much of the country, many, Deer warts are one of the most easily visible diseases of whitetails, and every year deer hunters ask us about this health problem. A balanced pelleted ration can deliver all the mineral nutrition needed by the herd. Additionally, a homemade deer mineral lick can also include minerals like iron, manganese, and cobalt to provide additional health benefits. I've used all manner of commercial mineral products over the years, and I've also epxerimented with my own blends. Many hunters believe that it is simply because bucks need the minerals for antler growth and does for raising fawns during these months. You are using an out of date browser. Over the years, Ive written on a number of occasions about mineral supplementation for whitetails. Making deer mineral licks is not a hassle and you can do it on your own in a few simple steps. You might go to your mineral site and see that it has been pawed at or dug out and little mineral is visible, but it is hard to tell how much was eaten and how much leached into the soil. According to research, yes. For several years now, I have been formulating free choice minerals for wild deer. But theyre bitter on their own, so you need to add more salt to the mix. In fact, theres significant scientific evidence to suggest Cu deficiencies are linked to spontaneous occurrences of brain diseases such as mad cow and CWD. If the mineral soil is buried in the ground, you may need to add more salt to it. Interestingly, the immense prehistoric deer called the Irish elk (Megaloceros giganteus) went extinct during the last global warmup shortly after the Ice Age, apparently due to the loss of tundra plants high in Ca and P. Fossil evidence supports these deer were victims of spontaneous cervical fractures caused by osteoporosis. Next, choose a central location near cover and dig a shallow, 6-inch deep hole a few feet in diameter. In areas where it is legal to use deer mineral, here is an economic option for you. Stan Potts heads to Montana with his rifle in search of a Big Sky buck. Place the mixture in a shallow container, such as a baking pan or pie plate, and place it in an area frequented by deer. Comments on this site are submitted by users and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views or opinions of COLE Publishing, Inc. We routinely give our cattle minerals, Larry said, and we wondered if it would be possible to make a mineral for deer?. There are commercial and "homemade" granular mixes available. In this video I show you the results from my homemade deer minerals. Join us as we mix up the mineral and take it out and put. I believe that when properly provided, minerals can increase the productivity and quality of a deer herd. Placing the lick in a spot with tall grasses or shrubs will help the deer feel safe when they are visiting the lick. #1. There are commercial and homemade granular mixes available. During gestation and lactation does have high requirements for calcium and magnesium. They bed seemingly wherever they want and there are no scrapes or super-active trail systems to target. 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