# Mineral locations for deer



## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

It time to mineral up again. It's one of the simples things to do for your deer that won't brake the bank and it will help your does and bucks year round.

We got about 43 mineral holes on our food plots that's pretty well established across the 2500 acre property .


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## bobinbusan (Feb 16, 2010)

Where do you buy this stuff?
Thanks
Bib


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

Any co-op but we use the one in Frisco city Co-Op 1-251-267-3176


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## Caspr21 (Oct 4, 2007)

price?


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

Wes 

Trace Mineral salt 50lb Blocks Was on sale for *$5.00* a block at Tractor Supply Co.

Livestock Minerals 50lb bag *$11.60* a bag at Co-Op in Frisco city


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## ABailey (May 25, 2010)

How often do you use the mineral, do you just dump a whole bag out on the salt block.


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## CountryFolksCanSurvive22 (Dec 3, 2010)

That looks like something I might be interested in. Do the deer continue to lick and visit the mineral sights after weathering of the minerals?


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## Realtor (Oct 1, 2007)

CountryFolksCanSurvive22 said:


> That looks like something I might be interested in. Do the deer continue to lick and visit the mineral sights after weathering of the minerals?


sure, they lick the dirt. we used to put the minerals/salt in a huge stump.. the deer over the years ate and ground the stump onto the ground.....


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

*First year you make your mineral holes*

We do it once a year and Just as soon as deer season goes out to help the does and provide bucks calcium and phosphorus for antler growth. The first year you make your mineral hole locations use the whole bag and work it into the first few inches of soil in about a 3' circle and sit the block on top of it. Put it on the edge of a food plot where rain water won't flood your plot with the salt run off. For best results for the mineral holes to really work well. Do it each year and always in the same spots from year to year. They will figure it out and will remember that spot because they like it alot but they just don't know why...lol


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## perchjerker (Mar 2, 2012)

You don't add Di calcium phosphate for lactating does ?


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

perchjerker said:


> You don't add Di calcium phosphate for lactating does ?


Please Give us the details around these extra minerals you speak of with price and where we can buy them? Is it something that any club can afford to do? Thanks


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## BOGIA (Oct 7, 2007)

freshmarine said:


> FreshMarine.com mission is to provide you with a low-cost source of top-quality marine fish, corals, live rock and sand, invertebrates and live plants all at great prices. Those of you that we serve will have the opportunity to receive fresh livestock fish in healthy condition. Livestock orders are packed with care, expertise, and confidence. Therefore, the fish you recieve will look happy and healthy. For corals and live rock, it is healthy and free of unwanted pests like bristle worms, aiptasia anemones and mantis shrimps.
> http://www.freshmarine.com


 what does this have to do with deer?


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## perchjerker (Mar 2, 2012)

*Bogia*

Di CALCIUM PHOSPHATE , comes in bags is cheap. Can be purchased at your local CO-OP. It helps during lactaion period. I usually mix 3 to one with other trace mineral salt.(3 being the trace mineral) Something else you guys may try. If you have stumps you'd like gone pour this mixture over the stump. Deer will dig it up for you !


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## Codslayer (Mar 2, 2012)

If you have these mineral stations, is it considered baiting in Alabama? And is it to late to put out this or those "mineral rocks" that you see in Wally World?


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## born2fizh (Feb 6, 2008)

The time to put out minerals is in the spring to help the deer get the nutrients they need to grow biggg horns.


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## perchjerker (Mar 2, 2012)

These mineral licks are for the deers welfare and not to be hunted over.


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

I think anyone that deer hunts at all would know that but thanks for the reminder!



perchjerker said:


> These mineral licks are for the deers welfare and not to be hunted over.


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## archer-1 (Feb 4, 2009)

Codslayer said:


> If you have these mineral stations, is it considered baiting in Alabama? And is it to late to put out this or those "mineral rocks" that you see in Wally World?


Depends on the Officers descression. Some say that white salt is ok but not red mineral blocks, most of them dont consider it a bait anymore than a food plot would be. We have picked the red ones up the week before Archery season in the past and put white ones in their place.


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## Codslayer (Mar 2, 2012)

perchjerker said:


> These mineral licks are for the deers welfare and not to be hunted over.


Thanks, but that was not the question or intent. My question should have been more clear, is it considered baiting if you have mineral blocks or stations on you land in Alabama during hunting season, even if you are not hunting over it?


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## perchjerker (Mar 2, 2012)

Mineral licks would be considered huntingf,if you were hunting over them. Its pretty much up to the game warden. I always put a lick next to each food plot. I run them all year and never had any problem. Deer use the salt mainly in hotter months.I never use the blocks,just trace mineral and dical. If you put a block out just before deer season and hunt near it,you might have problems. Pure salt and mineral rocks are not considered bait.


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## nastukey (Aug 8, 2012)

Those mixtures on the original post are high in salt and low in the main minerals that are necessary for proper antler growth and overall deer health. Deer love the salt but it really doesn't do much for them in the long run but make them thirsty. Bucks specifically need calcium and phosphorus for antler growth. The dicalcium phosphate provides theses minerals in the proper ratio (2:1). A bag of dical is pretty cheap. In the past I have purchased a bag of dical, trace mineral, and stock salt and mixed these with a small coffee can in a 1:2:1 ratio. The stock salt could be left off probably since the trace mineral has a high salt content in it. The reason salt is important is it acts as an attractant to the deer and gets them to consume the mix. The dical has a bitter flavor to it and left by itself is less likely to get eaten. These fancy mixtures in the store that you see (C'mere deer and others) are mainly salt and really are nothing more than an attractant. If you really want to help your deer place a suitable mineral mixture like the one above out in early spring and than freshen it up around July. The bucks will benefit from the added nutrition with body and antler growth. These minerals will also help the does with their lactation and overall health. Also if you are like me and do not have soil moisture suitable enough for growing quality summer plots a feeder with protein pellets or soybeans mixed with corn can give the deer the added boost. I might add though a feeder with just corn is nothing more than an ice cream stand for deer. They love it but a deer fattened up on high carb corn is not necessarily a healthy deer.


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

nastukey said:


> Those mixtures on the original post are high in salt and low in the main minerals that are necessary for proper antler growth and overall deer health. Deer love the salt but it really doesn't do much for them in the long run but make them thirsty. Bucks specifically need calcium and phosphorus for antler growth. The dicalcium phosphate provides theses minerals in the proper ratio (2:1). A bag of dical is pretty cheap. In the past I have purchased a bag of dical, trace mineral, and stock salt and mixed these with a small coffee can in a 1:2:1 ratio. The stock salt could be left off probably since the trace mineral has a high salt content in it. The reason salt is important is it acts as an attractant to the deer and gets them to consume the mix. The dical has a bitter flavor to it and left by itself is less likely to get eaten. These fancy mixtures in the store that you see (C'mere deer and others) are mainly salt and really are nothing more than an attractant. If you really want to help your deer place a suitable mineral mixture like the one above out in early spring and than freshen it up around July. The bucks will benefit from the added nutrition with body and antler growth. These minerals will also help the does with their lactation and overall health. Also if you are like me and do not have soil moisture suitable enough for growing quality summer plots a feeder with protein pellets or soybeans mixed with corn can give the deer the added boost. I might add though a feeder with just corn is nothing more than an ice cream stand for deer. They love it but a deer fattened up on high carb corn is not necessarily a healthy deer.


Dicalcium phosphate, also known as calcium monohydrogen phosphate, is a dibasic calcium phosphate. It is usually found as the dihydrate, with the chemical formula of CaHPO4 • 2H2O, but it can be thermally converted to the anhydrous form. It is practically insoluble in water, with a solubility of 0.02 g per 100 mL at 25 °C. It contains about 23 percent calcium in its anyhydrous form.

Dicalcium phosphate is mainly used as a dietary supplement in prepared breakfast cereals, dog treats, enriched flour, and noodle products. It is also used as a tableting agent in some pharmaceutical preparations, including some products meant to eliminate body odor. It is used in poultry feed.

nasturkey
You must have missed the blue label ingredents tag in the picture from the original post from the live stock bag minerals,because the first two ingredents are *24%* *calcium and 4% phosphorus *needed for antler growth and you can compare that label with most any high end mineral products you can dig up, I'm pretty sure of it but if not please list them also If you don't mind please tell us what local co-op you actual use to buy your dicalcium phosphate mineral your talking about with the % ingredents listed from the tag and in what size bags you get it in an the price of course.


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## perchjerker (Mar 2, 2012)

Franklin any co-op or farm supply will have DI-cal. Last I bought was a 25 lb bag. As an attractant you might try rice bran in front of your trail cameras. They love it and it is the main ingredient in lots of deer products such as BUCK BRAN.


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

perchjerker said:


> Franklin any co-op or farm supply will have DI-cal. Last I bought was a 25 lb bag. As an attractant you might try rice bran in front of your trail cameras. They love it and it is the main ingredient in lots of deer products such as BUCK BRAN.


Thanks perchjerker for the tip but I get thousands of pictures just on minerals holes just the same without having to buy rice bran or corn. The Question still is not answered on what co-op you buy at along with the brand and price you and nasturkey have talked about?


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## Johntravis89 (Aug 21, 2012)

Personally I watch deer stick there hooves in it and lick there hooves over and over! That's how they have always consumed it at my camp


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## nastukey (Aug 8, 2012)

Franklin hunting club said:


> Dicalcium phosphate, also known as calcium monohydrogen phosphate, is a dibasic calcium phosphate. It is usually found as the dihydrate, with the chemical formula of CaHPO4 • 2H2O, but it can be thermally converted to the anhydrous form. It is practically insoluble in water, with a solubility of 0.02 g per 100 mL at 25 °C. It contains about 23 percent calcium in its anyhydrous form.
> 
> Dicalcium phosphate is mainly used as a dietary supplement in prepared breakfast cereals, dog treats, enriched flour, and noodle products. It is also used as a tableting agent in some pharmaceutical preparations, including some products meant to eliminate body odor. It is used in poultry feed.
> 
> ...


Look apparently you were offended by something that I said or at least that is the impression that I get from reading your post. 

First things first....the screen name is "nastukey" not nasturkey. 

Secondly, I am not raving on anything. I was just trying to properly distinguish between an attractant that is overloaded with salt(NaCl) and only sold for the distinct purpose of bringing an animal in close to kill it and a properly mixed composition of minerals that actually benefits the animal whether it is harvested or not. By the way I did notice your "blue label" product and that is quite a bit of calcium compared to the percentage of phosphorus which is why I made the comment in my original post. 

I live in Bay County, FL. This past spring a relative and I went together and bought all of the ingredients from his hardware/farm supply store. It cost right at $50 for a 50lb bag of dical, stock salt, trace mineral, and dried cane molassas. The dical was the most expensive of all at about $27. We mixed the minerals in an old feed barrell and then divided it up equally between us. 
Furthermore, I have also used FRM (Flint River Mills) deer mineral plot which has 16% Ca and 8% P and I think somewhere around 50% NaCl with other trace minerals (Mg, Se, etc.) making up the difference for about $16 for 25lbs at this same store. Depending on how my funds are this coming spring I may even give the Record Rack Deer Mineral from Tractor Supply a shot as it has the proper percentages and it is a bit cheaper at $13.99 for the same size bag. 

Look, I apologize if anything I said in my original post was taken the wrong way. My purpose was to try and give a little bit of insight on this topic. I realize nothing I said was groundbreaking as several other people have brought up some of the same points. 

Let me just say one more thing, my efforts to find the best mineral supplement for where I live in the panhandle has been a great challenge because just when I think I have information on something I find someone else who had negative response to it. The point here is the minerals that are needed by deer are limiting in the environment at different levels across the region. One item that works in a certain area might not be touched in another area not to far away. I heard one individual say the only supplement that deer in his area would touch was trophy rock but then others have not experienced the same results. Chances are coastal areas are not going to have as much problem with naturally occuring minerals/salts as areas further inland but then these inland areas are also going to have better quality soils which compensate for any mineral deficiency by holding on to nutrients/minerals a lot better than the sandy coastal communities. My point here is it is hard to say that one mineral supplement is better than the other because it all depends on what the deer in your particular area are able to access in their natural habitat.

Take it for what it is worth. Have a great day!!


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

No problems nastukey just wanted you to explain yourself if your going to post on this tread that I started, But Thank you very much for posting up some very good information and alot more details. Good job :thumbup:


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## Franklin hunting club (Sep 25, 2009)

*Thank you nastukey *very much for posting up some very good information and a lot more details you didn't originally talk about or explain very well. :thumbup:

The spelling was accidental on the screen name man so sorry about that and I have No problems with you nastukey. I just wanted you to explain yourself in detail if *you’re going to post on this thread that the* *original post* *are high in salt and low in the main minerals that are necessary for proper antler growth and overall deer health. Deer love the salt but it really doesn't do much for them in the long run but make them thirsty. Bucks specifically need calcium and phosphorus for antler growth*. 





*Here is a old post that says it all! *

HOMEMADE DEER MINERAL RECIPE 
by Allen “horntagger” Morris

This was passed to me from a private land conservationist from Missouri Department of Conservation in the county I have land in. This is just one example of how working with any game and fish department can benefit you. So now I am passing it along to you. You will be amazed on how well this works. 
The ultimate goal of mineral supplements in deer management is to increase antler size and improve overall health of deer herds by providing minerals or trace minerals that may be lacking in a given area. 

Although the jury is still out on effects of mineral supplements on wild deer populations since most studies have been on pen raised deer. Studies on wild population have been inconclusive and to a degree the same on pen raised deer due to other variables such as supplemental feeding that takes place in these areas. The direct benefits will probably be far greater in certain regions that lack certain trace minerals in the soil and plants. 

One mixture or home recipe of deer minerals we recommend to landowners is a mix of one part Dicalcium Phosphate, 2 parts trace mineral salt (loose), and 1 part loose stock salt. All of these are available to purchase at most local feed and farm supply stores. 

Just to give you a little background on these minerals and what they are designed to do lets start with the Dicalcium Phosphate

Dicalcium phosphate is used primarily as dairy cattle feed additive and other animal feeds. It promotes feed digestion, weight gain, and milk production, which is obviously beneficial to a lactating doe deer. Dicalcium phosphate contains roughly between 18 and 21 percent phosphorus and 19 to 23 percent calcium. 

You're probably asking why this is important by now. Well if your talking about growing antlers on deer you need to take a look at what is the make up of a deer antler. 

Hardened antlers contain 40 to 50 percent organic matter from mostly proteins while the most abundant minerals consist of calcium and phosphorus. The demands for these minerals on a daily basis can be significant for antler production. 

In addition, a lactating doe's milk contains high percentages of both calcium and phosphorus to pass on to their young, also causing a significant mineral drain on the doe. What makes all this significant is the fact that phosphorous cannot be synthesized by the body so it must be provided in needed levels in the animals diet. This is where a mineral mix such as this could be very valuable if an area is lacking in these naturally.

Trace mineral salts do two things for deer. The first and foremost is it does have the salt/sodium to attract the deer and promote the use of the mineral. Secondly, it provides the trace minerals such as magnesium and potassium that are very important to herd health but are not found in significant quantities like others.

Stock salt is again like part of the above. It has the sodium to attract deer to the minerals. Most mineral mixes have salt as their most abundant ingredient since a mix of just phosphorus, calcium, and other trace minerals have little attraction to deer once mixed with the soil. 

As for directions of use we suggest using a 3-pound coffee can to measure out 1 part dicalcium phoshate, 2 parts trace mineral salt, and 1 part stock salt. Mix all these together once ready to use but keep components separate during storage. Dig a hole in the soil about 36 inches wide and 6 inches deep and mix the mineral well with the soil. 

This should be replenished after 6 months and then once a year thereafter. Most use seems to be during the spring and summer months on mineral licks. It's a good idea to keep these areas replenished and stocked in the same spot to maintain use.

Because of shedding of the summer coat begins this time of year, the deer need the salt, and maybe next year you will get this out early in the year to help with antler growth and fawn health.

http://www.mosportsmen.com/land/2001buck.jpg


Mineral Lick November 14th, 2001 

WHITETAIL DEER HOMEMADE MINERAL MIX RECIPE 
Printable version 
Ingredients: Makes 200 lbs. for about $???? 

1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores. 
Comes in 50lb Bags at around $???? you need one bag. 

2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loos kind without the medications. 
Comes in 50lb Bags at around $???? you need two bags. 

1 part Stock salt, ice cream salt. 
Comes in 50lb Bags at around $???? you need one bag. 

Directions: 

-Use a 3 pound or similar size coffee can to use as your measure for each part of the mix. 

-Mix all together well but not until read to use, keep ingredients separate until ready to put to use. 

-Dig or tear up a circle in the soil about 36 inches wide and about 6 inches deep. 

-Mix your mineral mixture with the soil. 

Maintenance: 

-Replenish in 6 months with fresh supply of mineral, and then each year there after.


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## bamaman08 (Dec 22, 2008)

I've always heard you need to put the licks in spots with clay to hold the minerals there...anybody had results to prove this wrong? We've always only put our licks in clay areas, but would like to expand them to new areas that don't have near the amount of clay.


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