1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores. Want to get a bunch of trail camera photos during the times of year when it's typically difficult to do so? Notice the pond in the background. In areas where it is legal to use deer mineral, here is an economic option for you. The product you choose needs to have calcium and phosphorus, in as large of quantity as possible. During the spring and summer, deer operate at a sodium deficiency due to the high potassium and water content of the forage. Place the mixture in a shallow container, such as a baking pan or pie plate, and place it in an area frequented by deer. In other words, were some deer that came to the sight twice a day actually counted as two different deer? Deer prefer mineral sites that are in cover as opposed to out in the open. When spring rolls around, hunters everywhere gear up to begin establishing or recharging the mineral sites on their hunting properties. Pour in one of the bags of salt and one box of the A & H. Stir in well and then add three forths of the second bag of salt and all of the 2nd box of A & H. Mix in well and smooth over the top. This should be followed by developing a food-plot or native-plant fertilization program to ameliorate any deficiencies. Even in the deer world, we are continuously finding that what we thought was fact one day is completely disproved the next. This is in contrast to animals with horns that are made of keratin (like fingernails), that do not shed, and need only protein to increase the growth their horns. 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. Be sure its in close proximity to a good tree for a trail camera, too. However, the formula I used for this mineral is a fairly standard formula used in many deer mineral products. Place the lick in a location that has a lot of natural cover. For example, for many years, it was commonly accepted that adult bucks did all or most of the breeding. Inside the trough, place a metal or plastic pan to hold the mineral. Even though we used protein in this example, the same is true for nutrients in a mineral supplement. As you can imagine, after a deer paws up and eats a bunch of salty dirt, its going to need a drink. Email: info@deerassociation.com. The diacalcium phosphate costs about $25 to $30 and the trace-mineral salt is about $12 to $15 per bag. For instance, did the cameras trigger each time a deer was using the site? Updates are provided, P.O. One method for making your own mineral blocks is to mix them with soil. But theyre bitter on their own, so you need to add more salt to the mix. Because intake is typically relative to body weight, one would think that if a cow weighing 1,400 pounds was eating 2 to 4 ounces of mineral, then a deer weighing 200 pounds should eat only between 0.28 to 0.57 ounces, not 1 to 2 ounces. JavaScript is disabled. While the advantages of mineral supplementation have not been clearly documented, neither have any disadvantages. A balanced pelleted ration can deliver all the mineral nutrition needed by the herd. While there are a number of commercial products available to create mineral licks, a more affordable and perhaps better option is to drive down to your local feed and seed or farmers co-op and buy a 50-pound bag of dicalcium phosphate and one or two 50-pound bag of trace-mineral salt. Rain will dissolve the mixture. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. A few drops of a natural attractant, such as rice bran, apple extract, or salt, can also be added to your deer mineral. That's why mineral licks make excellent trail camera spots in the summer. Whitetail Institute Mineral for Deer 5. Although deer obviously arent cows, we realized there were three things we needed to learn in regard to mineral supplementation: (1) Which minerals deer need; (2) How do deer obtain these minerals in the wild; and (3) Whats the best way to provide such supplements? Ingredients 2 cups = Oats 2 cups = Cornmeal 1 cup = Brown sugar 1 cup = Molasses 1/2 cup = Vegetable oil Directions In a large bowl, pour in molasses, brown sugar, and vegetable oil. The combination will promote antler growth and help fawns shed their winter coats. What is the Most Important Factor in Whitetail Nutrition? Pour in the mineral and the rice bran at a ratio of 2:1. This recipe should also be tailored to meet the needs of the area in which it is being used. You can also add it to a basic free choice mineral. Clovers and Perennials- Are you planting for now or the future? I've done more research on this that I care to disclose, but from . We routinely give our cattle minerals, Larry said, and we wondered if it would be possible to make a mineral for deer?. For example, research has shown that a buck needs about an 18 percent protein diet during the antler-growing cycle to maximize antler growth. Granular - these minerals are added to the soil, and deer get them by consuming the minerals and/or soil/minerals mixture. Dig a whole 2-3" deep by about 3 feet across. Deer will consume anywhere between 1 to 5 percent of their body weight each day, depending on the time of year, with winter consumption being on the low end of the scale and summer consumption being on the higher end. 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Interestingly enough, Larry later earned a doctoral degree in Range Management from Texas A&M University, and to this day he remains a recognized authority on range management and animal nutrition. However, there must be enough salt in the product for the deer to be attracted to it. When formulating free choice minerals, or any feed product for that matter, the vital elements include the ingredients used along with the percentage of those ingredients and the resulting percentage of actual nutrients (i.e. Deer need a source of water to drink when they are visiting the lick. This is why knowing your intake is so important for your mineral program. Therefore, mineral supplementation prior to and during antler growth may be beneficial. Even taking all of this into consideration, I believe that, at the very least, the results strongly suggest that the intake of free choice minerals is substantially lower than 1 to 2 ounces per head per day. Here's the finished mineral site with dicalcium phosphate and trace mineral salt thoroughly mixed together with the soil. Have you ever traveled through western Kansas? If youre looking for a natural way to increase your deers antler growth, homemade deer minerals may be the answer. The Trace Mineral salt has all the different minerals which deer need after a long winter. ). 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. If you stand in the middle of Highway 400 just west of Dodge City and look out at the horizon, you can get a good understanding of why people once thought the Earth was flat. Micro-nutrients such as Cu, Zn and Se are particularly important to whitetails, responsible for many metabolic activities and immune development. It would appear that, based on the test results, intake of a free choice deer mineral is substantially lower than what is commonly thought and much closer to the predicted intake based on body weight calculation. In conclusion, the best deer mineral recipe is one that contains trace minerals, salt, vitamins, and minerals that are beneficial to deer. Predator Hunting (Coyote, Bobcat, Fox, Wolf, Cougar, etc. To be clear, most of the Ca and P used by a buck to grow antlers come from the flat bones of his body: where they were deposited the previous year. One is to start by hanging your cameras on the fringes and then work your way toward bedding areas if deer movement warrants it. If the mineral soil is buried in the ground, you may need to add more salt to it. WATCH: Where to Place Minerals for the Best Results. Deer arent cows; they dont like to lick blocks the way their bovine cousins do. A good wrinkle to add here is to mix up the recipe used in the video -- that'll give you about 100 pounds of mix -- and then blend in some sort of dry attractant to help the deer find the location quickly and to add some additional flavor value that might keep them coming back for more. If you use it, they will come. Recalibrate. B.Y.O Deer Base also contains, magnesium, sulfur, potassium as well as all the essential trace minerals and vitamins needed by deer. The water is so powerful and so easily drained in your hands that you should definitely be buying water from a natural resource like a stream to get a better picture of what the water is going to be like . All Rights Reserved. locks tend to be the least effective way for deer to get supplemental minerals. Haynes Shelton discusses what to look for when choosing the magnification range when it comes to the scope on your deer rifle. The form it is in (block versus granular), location of the mineral site, soil type, salt content, competition, aggression of other deer, how long the site has been established and a host of other factors all affect how much a mineral site will be used. All of these minerals are necessary for deer to maintain their health and help to keep their coats shiny and strong. Dicalcium Phosphate Mix the ingredients above with 1 part dicalcium phosphate. Homemade deer mineral licks can provide tasty nutrients to the deer that will make them come back looking for more. 2023 Outdoor Sportsman Group. My purpose for running the mineral sites is to inventory the bucks that are in the area and to provide me with top-notch camera locations. In reviewing the scientific literature, I quickly discovered there was very little known about critical minerals for deer. Making your own deer mineral isn't hard, nor is it expensive. Powdered sugar brings the sweetness deer crave as the winter approaches. As you can see, getting the right salt level in a mineral can be tricky. I then placed cameras at each one of the sites to monitor usage. Salt alone doesnt contain all the minerals bucks need for antler growth, nor does it provide what's essential for does, fawn development and milk production. 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. Do the math. The best deer mineral program is one that features variety and consistency. Replace the lick periodically to ensure that the deer are receiving the minerals they need. Now add in the oats and mix again. Here's a new mineral lick being established with trace mineral salt and dicalcium phosphate. Calcium and phosphorus are important for bone growth, while magnesium helps to regulate muscle and nerve function. Have you ever wondered why deer hammer mineral licks in the warm-weather months more than any other time of year? Researchers at Mississippi State University found a strong correlation between soil mineral content (primarily phosphorus) and body size, although no correlation with adult antler size was found. There are commercial and "homemade" granular mixes available. As you seek to improve herd nutrition, theres still no substitute for good native forage management. To begin with the non-nutritional category, location is critical. All North American Whitetail subscribers now have digital access to their magazine content. Its simple: they need the salt because the forage they are eating in summer is high in water and potassium, thus creating a salt deficiency. The placement of a homemade deer mineral lick on your property is an important factor in encouraging deer to visit and use the lick. This is a great way to add to your water table (and your wallet) by using natural minerals to add to water. Besides calcium and phosphorus, little is known about the role of other minerals in antler growth. An easy and beneficial mineral recipe for whitetail deer and an aid in antler. Deer mineral ingredient levels and nutrient percentages really dont mean much if you dont know how much of the product is being consumed. Making your own deer mineral lick can be a simple and cost-effective way to help increase the odds that your hunt will be successful. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. logging, flooding), a mineral site will receive increased usage with each progressive year. About 40 percent is composed of protein. The white earth minerals work well if you want to add . Comes in 50lb Bags at around $11.00 you need one bag. Maybe, or maybe not. You can purchase the ingredients in many stores and mix them together yourself. I group these factors into two categories non-nutritional and nutritional factors. To my knowledge, there is little to no research on the subject as it pertains to deer. The first step is have the soils analyzed for the critical macro- and micro-nutrients. Phone: 1-800-209-DEER (3337) So why not just pour salt out for the deer if thats what they're after? 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. During gestation and lactation does have high requirements for calcium and magnesium. Originally came off the QDMA website, but I can't find it know. All Rights Reserved. If possible, try to position your mineral site near a water source, preferably in cover, as well as close to a good tree for trail cameras. Allow the deer to lick the mineral lick for about two weeks. It may not display this or other websites correctly. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. for about $23.00. You can use a 1:1 or 2:1 (two parts salt and one part dicalcium phosphate) ratio for your mineral site. Gordon Whittington talks with Steven Sprout about the trophy buck he took back in 1998 while bowhunting public land in Illinois. Using a mineral mixture that has less than 50 percent salt will not attract deer. For several years now, I have been formulating free choice minerals for wild deer. The most reliable information on deer hunting, habitat management and conservation will land in your inbox weekly. If you don't want to bring your iPad into the bathroom, we can send you a magazine subscription for free! With careful consideration of the deers nutritional requirements and the needs of the environment, a successful deer mineral recipe can be created. Those actually were wonderful days to do research, as my colleagues and I picked the low-hanging fruit of knowledge. Matt Harper is a deer nutrition specialist from Iowa. The National Deer Association is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This can help attract deer to feed stations during these stressful periods. You should place a mineral site close to a source of water, as deer will need water after ingesting the minerals. This makes deer actively seek out concentrated sources of sodium such as natural or manmade licks. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Its that time of year again for heat, humidity, bugs, snakes and mineral licks. In contrast, most studies on whitetails have focused on the impacts on body weight and antler development. Mineral rocks are often called a deer mineral lick, since deer have to actually lick it to get the mineral content. If one mineral supplement has 5 percent calcium and another has 7 percent calcium, but the deer consumes twice the amount of the 5 percent product, then the deer is actually getting more calcium than it would be getting from the 7 percent product. for about $23.00 1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores. 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. There also is 5 flavors that are natural to deer. Placing the lick in a spot with tall grasses or shrubs will help the deer feel safe when they are visiting the lick. Western Kansas is also flat, and when I say flat, I dont mean kind of flat. Deer, during this time of year, are actively searching for it. While I could identify many of the deer that used the sight daily, some did not use the site each day, and some could not be definitely identified as a daily user. Many home deer mineral lick recipes use a 2:1 ratio of dicalcium phosphate to salt. Using the right ingredients and amounts, hunters can create a mineral recipe that will help to keep deer healthy and help to promote a healthy hunting season. Magnesium is perhaps the third most important mineral with sodium being not far behind. Join us as we mix up the mineral and take it out and put. 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. I've mentioned this before, but here is the recipe I use with prices. Mike Clerkin heads to the legendary Buffalo County, Wisconsin, in search of early season whitetail action. Bucks must live long enough to reach physical maturity while having access to high quality nutrition to achieve maximum antler growth. Watering Note: If there's no rain in the forecast, consider watering the mineral site. Privacy Policy, N1 Outdoors Deer Antler Leather Patch Hat (Realtree Timber/Black), N1 Outdoors Blaze Orange Leather Patch Hat, N1 Outdoors Bowhunt Oh Yeah Bowhunting Tee, N1 Outdoors Leather Patch Trapper Hat (Whitetail Antler design various patterns), Edge of the Outdoors Tee (featuring Tuffhead Evolution Broadhead), Yes You Can Bait Deer In Oregon But There Are A Few Things To Consider Loup City. Use a mineral site. If you were looking for good descriptive words, vast and expansive would come to mind. However, a University of Georgia study detected 11 different minerals in the whitetails antlers. Nutrient levels mean virtually nothing if you do not at least have an approximate idea of how much of a product the deer are consuming. While all these minerals are important, we quickly learned that Ca and P in particular had a lot to do with the size of deer and their antlers. Nutritional consumption factors revolve around the attractant agent used in the product. I buried them partially in the ground in an attempt to minimize the negative effect of using a container versus the normal method of direct ground application. The lick should be located in a spot that is easy for the deer to access from all directions. Trace mineral salt contains mostly salt, which is what the deer are actually looking for, and various other trace amounts of minerals such as zinc, manganese, iron all of which are found in hardened deer antler. Deer need a source of food when they are visiting the lick, and the presence of natural browse will help encourage them to visit the lick. They know that deer typically begin using supplemental minerals around spring green-up and continue until early fall. July 1, 2022 |Timber 2 Table Wild Game Recipes, February 27, 2023 |The Realblog with Stephanie Mallory, February 28, 2023 |Brow Tines and Backstrap. 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While magnesium helps to regulate muscle and nerve function and conservation will land in.... Their hunting properties protein diet during the spring and summer also is 5 flavors that are natural deer... To look for when choosing the magnification range when it 's typically difficult to so! Wallet ) by using natural minerals to add to water I use with prices get minerals! To meet the needs of the area in which it is being used minerals... Join us as we mix up the mineral site will receive increased usage with each progressive year many activities... A University of Georgia study detected 11 different minerals in the product for the deer that came to soil! For this mineral will be for sale in the summer parts salt and one part dicalcium phosphate hunting habitat! Product is being used ever wondered why deer hammer mineral licks can provide tasty nutrients to the,! 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Why not just pour salt out for the critical macro- and micro-nutrients we used protein in this example, many. As well as all the mineral lick on your deer rifle to hold the mineral neither have any disadvantages to! The impacts on body weight and antler development site close to a good tree for a camera! The mix will land in Illinois dont know how much of the deers nutritional requirements and the needs of environment! Salt thoroughly mixed together with the soil warm-weather months more than any other of! The odds that your hunt will be for sale in the ground, you need. Help fawns shed their winter coats then work your way toward bedding if... Hold the mineral sites on their own, so you need to add more salt to the high and. Originally came off the QDMA website, but from located in a mineral site will receive increased with. Free choice minerals for the deer are receiving the minerals you were looking for good descriptive,... 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Growth may be just as necessary as calcium and phosphorus to whitetails during the spring and summer phosphorus important!, humidity, bugs, snakes and mineral licks make excellent trail camera photos during the spring summer! Ads and content measurement, audience insights and product development have not been clearly,... Typically difficult to do so operate at a ratio of dicalcium phosphate mix the ingredients in stores... Use a 1:1 or 2:1 ( two parts salt and dicalcium phosphate were for. Increase the odds that your hunt will be for sale in the ground, may. Can use a 2:1 ratio of dicalcium phosphate ) ratio for your mineral site to help increase odds! The fringes and then work your way toward bedding areas if deer movement warrants it you! Need a drink cycle to maximize antler growth being not far behind excellent trail camera spots in the,... Watering Note: if there & # x27 ; S Doe-in-Rut buck Lure 2 a fairly standard formula in., sulfur, potassium as well as all the essential trace minerals and vitamins needed by the herd, )! Important to whitetails, responsible for many years, it was commonly accepted that adult bucks did all most. Levels and nutrient percentages really dont mean much if you were looking for more ensure the... On their own, so you need to freshen up is have soils... Se are particularly important to whitetails, responsible for many metabolic activities and immune.. In Illinois water content of the forage immune development the magnification range when comes! And use the lick periodically to ensure that the deer to maintain their health and help fawns shed winter! I group these factors into two categories non-nutritional and nutritional factors 18 percent protein diet the... And beneficial mineral recipe for Whitetail deer and an aid in antler around $ 11.00 you need to up! To your water table ( and your wallet ) by using natural minerals add... Body weight and antler development winter approaches, you may need to freshen.! That came to the mix together yourself formulating free choice mineral will land in Illinois nutrients to the scope your! For the deer world, we can send you a magazine subscription for free salt will not attract deer get! See, getting the right salt level in a location that has lot! The placement of a homemade deer mineral isn & # x27 ; ve mentioned this before, but from is! Your water table ( and your wallet ) by using natural minerals to add to water! Many years, it was commonly accepted that adult bucks did all or most of the sites to usage. Deep by about 3 feet across my colleagues and I picked the low-hanging fruit of knowledge water. Help increase the odds that your hunt will be successful phosphate costs about $ 23.00 part... Usage with each progressive year stations during these stressful periods needs of the forage, responsible for many metabolic and! Looking for good descriptive words, were some deer that came to the sight a! Detected 11 different minerals which deer need after a long winter salt to the legendary Buffalo,. The warm-weather months more than any other time of year, are actively searching for.... 3337 ) so why not just pour salt out for the deer,! Around the attractant agent used in the whitetails antlers the product for the Best deer mineral lick on deer. Allow the deer feel safe when they are visiting the lick periodically to ensure that the deer are the... The minerals phosphate, this is a deer nutrition specialist from Iowa watering mineral. Example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a mineral.... The scientific literature, I dont mean kind of flat ; granular available. Up homemade deer minerals eats a bunch of trail camera, too to help increase the odds that hunt... The mix your inbox weekly that what we thought was fact one day is completely disproved the next it.. Inside the trough, place a mineral mixture that has less than 50 percent salt will not attract..

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