I have been given a 20 lbs. bucket of Luck Buck. I have never used mineral on my property before and was wondering how much to put out at a site. I plan to put my trail camera's at the sites to get a better idea of the deer population. Thanks for the help.
I think we put out about five pounds at a time but it depends on how often you can get out there. Put it all out if you want. You just want to make sure its there when the deer come by but if you miss a couple days they will come back.
I recommend finding a stump or using a partially rotted log and dumping about 5-10 lbs worth on it and set a camera on it. Then check the camera after a few weeks and see if they are still frequenting the mineral site. If the deer frequency starts to slow down then you know about how much will last you 2 weeks. Then you can gauge how much mineral to put out and come up with a schedule. We typically put out a 25 lbs bag every other month on our 9 acres. It really depends on the property and how many deer are in the area.
I recommend 10-15 pounds per spot. I have had years where i have had 4 mineral sites on 160 acres and saw as much as 1400 lbs of consumption per year. I have tested every combination of salts and numerous flavors and here is what i am 100% confident in. Note i also formulate minerals for other nutritionists and companies. This is my passion and addiction, You want to start with a hole about 3 feet across. Dig it about 2-3 inches deep. You never want to pour a pile on the ground. You want to lay it down , spread out. Deer are ruminants and are designed to have their noses on the ground. You also don't want to dig the hole too deep as when there are heavy rains, you don't want the mineral to become hardened. Ruminants consume higher quantities of mineral in the loose form than block or hardened form. You also want to kick lightly some dirt upon the mineral at first placement. You want the mineral site as natural as can be. You also want to use a natural mineral that uses scents/flavors that are natural to ruminants. You also want a mineral with the salt levels between 15-25% as that is the preferred range for free choice ruminant minerals. Putting minerals on stumps is not one that is natural nor will it get maximum consumption. So many people put out small amounts of mineral per season and it's a lot like taking a multi vitamin or daily vitamin every so often and think it's going to do much good. You want regular consumption. You want as many units of the major and trace minerals consummed per season. Yes, it will cost money but people need to decide if they are doing it as an attractant or are they trying to increase health and rack building. If your trying to build body size and rack size you need to look at this as a yearly investment. If gets goood consumtion 200 days a year, an effective mineral program will need 10-15 pounds of mineral per deer in the core area. Note not all deer will regularly hit the mineral spots but if a deer consumes around 1- 1 1/2 oz of mineral 2-3 times a week, your looking at some volume to do good.
My goal when I put out mineral is strictly to get decent pictures and hopefully get a pic of a mature buck to hunt during the season. I will put about half of a 5 gallon pail to start the season. Then usually just a coffee can full every month or so to freshen it up. I usually top with half a bottle of buckjam also. Seems to be enough to keep them frequenting the site but like I said I'm only in it for pictures.
Minerals are one of the most essential things a hunter can provide to improve the herd and help them thrive. Minerals help momma does produce quality milk for their fawns, help bucks maximize their antler potential, and helps the overall health of the herd. Pictures are great, but that shouldn't be the only reason to put minerals out. Don't sell mineral short, it can be the determining factor that helps them get the nutrients to get through a tough winter.
I will concur with Doug (above) if pictures is all you care about just go with an attractant don't bother with minerals....so either use bait or the HIGH salt content "minerals" out there.
I put 16 lbs out twice a year on some sort of stump, if I need to refresh them after the initial time I use 3 lbs and spread it around.
I took a 26" white oak log about 28" in diameter and drilled the top out putting 7/8" holes about 3 " deep. It holds about 8# of mineral, I don't waste any on the ground and my mineral site is portable, plus I know exactly when to add more.
If all you care about is pics (which is perfectly fine IMHO), I'd suggest a simple Trophy Rock. They work great, provide some trace minerals and are simple and easy to monitor and replace when needed. No messing with loose minerals or trying to guess when to refresh it. I generally put out about 10-15# worth of loose mineral in soil sites (agree with Nutritionist here). As far as reliably improving herd health and antler growth, few things will provide as drastic a response as healthy and fertile soil with proper PH. If a test calls for minerals, add them in the fertilizer... copper, magnesium, sulfer, etc... I like to use excessive lime, I feel it provides environmental benefits that impact the deer beyond plant tissue content. Groundwater and native foliage that gets browsed are effected locally by the lime and PH. Look around at the areas of the country that consistently produce huge bucks, they are very often limestone country and have good natural mineral content. Some are dry ag areas that are irrigated with hard ground water.
