Salt Licks for deer

[Salmonstalker]

I'm sure this isn't the first time this has been brought up on this page, but here I go anyway. Salt blocks for deer, do they work as an attractant? My hunting partner and I were recently talking about setting up trail cams this spring, and letting them soak for a couple months. Salt blocks came up in conversation. What's your guy's experience (if any)? Thanks in advance.

[JakeLand]

Over here on the westside salt blocks or mineral blocks = bear but I've had great success with the powder apple crush that you pour on the ground. The deer and elk have had it dug down close to two feet from them digging it up

[Wolfdog2314]

Apple flavored Buck Lickers. Sportsmans carries them. Size of a brick. The further you go east the better salt and stuff works. In my experience. Make sure to put a trail camera over it!

[vandeman17]

trace mineral salt, granular works best for me. Spread it out, mix it in the dirt, put it in old stumps/logs etc. 

[NOCK NOCK]

IMO they are not the best "attractant".  Once deer/elk find them they will frequent them, but not so sure they actually attract deer.

[Jimmer]

IMO they are not the best "attractant".  Once deer/elk find them they will frequent them, but not so sure they actually attract deer.

+1 they do not attract, but will use on occasion when found. Definitely not a pattern tracker.

[jackelope]

I can say confidently after multiple salt lick setups on the west side that they don't work like they do on the east side. I've got several thousand pictures a year over east and over here I don't get squat using trace minerals. Apples or the like work great, but they disappear quick. You have to check your cameras and keep up on them more than you do with salt.

[UBA]

+1 trace mineral. Eastside

[grundy53]

I can say confidently after multiple salt lick setups on the west side that they don't work like they do on the east side. I've got several thousand pictures a year over east and over here I don't get squat using trace minerals. Apples or the like work great, but they disappear quick. You have to check your cameras and keep up on them more than you do with salt.

It depends on your area. I have found areas where the deer lap it up and dig up the ground to get it. Other places they don't hardly touch it.

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[grundy53]

I think they work for finding out what is in your area. But come hunting season they aren't hitting it nearly as much. I think they like it the best when their antlers are growing and the does are either pregnant or lactating. I prefer the loose over the block.

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[grundy53]

Over here on the westside salt blocks or mineral blocks = bear but I've had great success with the powder apple crush that you pour on the ground. The deer and elk have had it dug down close to two feet from them digging it up

That's odd you would think the Apple scent would attract more bears then just mineral lick. Luckily I haven't had much problems bear wise either way.

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[jackelope]

I can say confidently after multiple salt lick setups on the west side that they don't work like they do on the east side. I've got several thousand pictures a year over east and over here I don't get squat using trace minerals. Apples or the like work great, but they disappear quick. You have to check your cameras and keep up on them more than you do with salt.

It depends on your area. I have found areas where the deer lap it up and dig up the ground to get it. Other places they don't hardly touch it.

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That's sure a possibility. I found that in my examples, it was the case down around Mt St Helens and out by me in east king county in the DNR land.

[Rem14]

After trying all kinds of salt etc., switched to Trophy Rock the all natural mineral lick. What a difference the deer are at it all the time!!!

[dvolmer]

How do salt licks work out in desert'y kinds of areas and in sagebrush???  Never used them but always thought of using them.  I would love to give it a try.

[fowl smacker]

I have a lot of deer (many regulars) around my house.  They will not touch a salt lick.  They'll eat apples, cherries, strawberries,  bread, dandelions, and my fruit trees though!

[muleracks]

For the lazy archery hunter in early September; piss on a bush near camp.   It will take some hunting skill to get the "trophy" buck but young 3x2 and 3x3 will be joining the does and fawns at your bush in camp.  This is true in the high mountains on the east side of the Cascades.

[Boss .300 winmag]

Hhhhmmm

[Doublelunger]

Go to the feed store and get mixing salt, trace mineral, and dicalcium phospate. I mix at 1:1:1 ratio in a 5 gallon bucket. Mix it into the soil as best you can with a rake or shovel. I try to get mine out as early in the spring as possible, seems the rain helps it absorb and gives it more staying power. I've got craters dug into the ground where I use it. You get 150lbs for about 30 dollars too, and it seems "trophy" bucks like it too...

<-----at least this guy did

[Wacenturion]

Had a couple 20 lb. Trophy Rocks out on the property since late 2015.   The deer and possibly the elk, licked them down to pratically a small flat rock you might have skipped across the water as a kid.  A couple weeks ago I started trying out some of the Imperial Whitetail mineral products, i.e 30-06, 30-06 plus protein, and Cutting Edge Optimize.  They offer a mineral sample pack (see link below).

http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/big-mineral-starter-pack/

Wanted to experiment a little so at two different locations I created three holes about 15-20 feet apart and used each of the three products, one in each of the three holes.  I used half of each sample pack(s) for the two different locations.  The first picture below shows the three holes at the first site.  The second photo shows one of the holes where I didn't have to dig as the remnants of the Trophy Rock stimulated the deer to dig it for me.

The next morning I looked through the binos up on the hill where the site was and there were 5 whitetails.  Two of which were slightly above the site by about 30 feet or so, and the other three each on their own personal mineral hole.  The other mineral site also showed nose marks the next day as well.  Didn't take long....

[LeviD1]

If your buying mineral make sure to look at the contents. Most mineral blocks labelled for deer or to grow bigger racks are still 97-98% salt. At that point your just buying over priced salt. I found a place that sells 50 lb bags that is 12% phosphorous, 12%calcium, I think if I remember right 35% salt then the rest trace mineral. The animals terrorize that more than anything else I have ever done. Then I throw a 50 lb salt block in the middle.

[LeviD1]

I forgot to mention, by mid August they are pretty much done hitting the mineral and salt fyi. So it's best to have it out all other times of year more so than the fall even though that's when places push to sell it. Helps recover from winter and I have read during antler growth bucks will essentially rob mineral from other bones however that works to push antler growth and it helps pregnant does from not being deficient. I get a little carried away and feed my deer as soon as I can get to my properties in spring to help keep their energy stores up from winter fat supplies.

[hal]

we use mineral licks on all 6 of our cameras. All wildlife enjoy them. Once they find them they continue to come back. We tried food blocks (seeds etc) but the bear will stay with them until there gone.We are in a free range area, so anything that has a strong scent will attract cows. The mineral blocks are exempt from the new baiting laws as well.

[PA BEN]

The white deer cane blocks work great, that's all I use when I put my game cameras out.

[PA BEN]

The white deer cane blocks work great, that's all I use when I put my game cameras out in the spring.

[PolarBear]

Pregnant and lactating does hit my selenium blocks that I have out for my cattle but nothing else will.  They won't touch regular trace blocks. Our soil lacks selenium.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Pregnant and lactating does hit my selenium blocks that I have out for my cattle but nothing else will.  They won't touch regular trace blocks. Our soil lacks selenium.

90ppm selenium loose or block form is our go to. I read somewhere it increases production rate of deer. Like more twins and triplets?

[PolarBear]

I have it out year round and last year we had a huuuuge acorn crop.  The does would go from the selenium block to acorns then back to the block.  They loved it and the fawns were as healthy as I have ever seen.  The bucks loved the acorns as well but wouldn't touch the blocks.  We have seen an increase of twins and one set of triplets.

[Gabat26]

Instead of salt licks I use the liquid attractant. This's a mix of sweet acorn and molasses which is enriched with minerals. Deer always hear it and come back for more.

[AL WORRELLS KID]

While exploring along the RXR tracks in the woods up by Stampede Pass, I came upon an old RXR salt storage shed (must use the salt on the tracks as it's on a pretty good RXR grade).
The deer had opened the door and had the 50 LB salt sacks chewed up pretty good. They had dug down in the ground to get at the left over salt out in front of the shed.
 If that wasn't enough, just down the tracks was the old train accident site where a couple of boxcars loaded with wheat, had left the tracks. I looked like the Railroad just bulldozed dirt over the spilled grain, but that didn't stop the deer from getting to it.  Bear tracks too, as they had dug down to get at the grain, (just visible about 3 feet under but lots of it left.
 There were plenty of fresh tracks on the trails, leading in from all directions. Wow! What a place for a stand.
(By the smell of the fermenting grain underground, I suspect the Critters would make for easy targets, if you can still get them to "STAND UP STRAIGHT".)   
 Doug

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

The deer will be all over them when in the velvet and early spring.  Once horns get hard they dont hit the salt as often. 

[usmc74]

Get the salt with selenium if you put out anything at all.  The selenium helps to combat the hoof rot.

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

The deer have hoof rot now?

[usmc74]

no, not the deer.  But If you are putting out blocks where elk are at, why not do selenium?  I don't think they cost any more, or not much more.

[greenhead_killer]

I’ve found that the rock looking licks you buy at feed stores for horses work great. Also, the primos red spot stuff works pretty well on the wt

[AL WORRELLS KID]

I have a lot of deer (many regulars) around my house.  They will not touch a salt lick.  They'll eat apples, cherries, strawberries,  bread, dandelions, and my fruit trees though!

Our friends have had good luck stringing a fishing line around their garden at about a Deer's chest level. I guess they can't stand being touched in the dark by something they can't see. 
Doug