Mineral Sites for Whitetail Deer - Backinthepines.com

There's great debate over the topic of mineral stations and sites for whitetail deer today. Here are my thoughts on the topic, some scientific data, and a few other uses for mineral sites you might use.

Do you use minerals? If so, have you seen any results? If not... is there a specific reason you choose not to?


Whitetail Health & Antler Development | Benefits of Mineral Sites


-Robert

 

That is an interesting read. Do you believe Protein, Calcium and Phosphorous are the key parts for antler development?

 

We have an expert in house here, being our business. The truth? No deer mineral product is going to make your deer grow huge antlers. That is pretty much accepted.

Will minerals increase health? Yes. Bucks leech material for antler growth from their bones. Does lose calcium feeding fawns. Modest amounts help replace that over time. So while some minerals claim to build antlers like a steroid, the real truth is more like replentishing some losses like a sports drink (like calcium carbonate in our product). And protein helps with energy and development (Brewers yeast in our product). Finally, healthy deer do reach their best potential.

Mineral sites do attract deer. They want the salt. They actually need the salt. They are easier to maintain then bait. Deer don't detect salt from very far. Nor do they want too much. Additional ingredients can attract them from afar (sorry, this is a secret sauce for us).

Here are some good articles: Nelson Creek Outdoors

While at the site you can see a couple mineral site pictures. If you want to attract deer, they simply work and work well. And while they are there you might as well get that mineral and protein into them.

As for disease spread, limited studies have come up empty. But as deer communicate through saliva and licking branches and other body secretions, I don't believe mineral sites add any new vector for disease.

 

Not exactly - if we are talking direct supplementation of minerals... macro and trace I would say yes to the macro portion of that question. However, trace minerals, like selenium also play a key role. Depending on the bio availability of the minerals in the first place, it will depend on geographical locations to choose which minerals to supplement with.

For antler growth in general - minerals supplementation is smaller in comparison to things like age and range conditions and even genetics for overall size of antlers. I think those factors contribute much more to the story here.

I was hoping you would show up

 

Do you feel there is any possibility that minerals may play a role in body and antler size, on average, over several generations and over a large area given a holistic management approach?

 

There are a lot of factors for whitetails to reach their potential. A huge part is age, if they do not get old enough they will never reach their full potential. There is also no magic potion either that will just turn every buck into a 200 + inch MONSTER. But if you make sure that the deer get what they need, protein, calcium & phosphorous (in the right ratio), water, all of the vitamins and minerals they need, keep them as stress free as you can and let them mature they will have a better chance to reach their potential. I do believe very strongly that if you put out a mineral that is high in salt and does not have the vitamins and minerals they need it isn't going to help the deer grow into what it could be. I have over 4,000 posts and have never said I am an "expert" I just give my opinion mostly when I am asked. I also believe that too much salt is not good for deer. I know they will eat it but lets look at this very simply the companies that use a lot of salt do it for two reasons. One it is their attractant and two it is CHEAP. Will it draw deer in, yes it will, but just because they will eat it doesn't mean it will help the deer. Don't get me wrong deer do need some salt but not what most people feed them.

 

Look at pen deer. There isn't any magic steroid these deer farmers are feeding these deer like some people claim. They are giving these deer everything they need in a controlled environment and keeping stress way lower than any wild deer could ever hope for. They get the exact feed, protein, mineral and water when they need it. They move certain bucks apart to also keep stress levels low. But still not every pen deer is 300" plus because not every deer has the genetic make up to grow huge antlers no matter the environment.

 

Great read and some great comments above! I don't think anyone can say that adding a mineral supplement will not help your herd. IMO adding minerals and insuring that you have quality food, water, cover, etc. helps allow those deer to reach maturity and potential. I have ran trail cameras on our property down in Ohio for a long time over mineral sites and gradually over the years it seems the quality of the bucks has increased. Granted, a lot of habitat improvements have been done as well but I can think back when we started that we would only have an occasional good buck, now it seems like the bucks are adding mass earlier as well as character. I don't think you can have an effective management plan for a property that does not include minerals.

 

G9487 Nutritional Requirements of White-tailed Deer in Missouri | University of Missouri Extension

Good article here. I got some answers from those in the know today.

As you will see here, vitamin supplementation is generally unwarranted as it is rarely lacking with natural forages. However Lucky 7 has Brewers yeast and the associated B complex vitamins as they help provide the body with energy. Like a B-Shot.

Protein is quite important, which is why Lucky 7 uses Brewers yeast (approx 40% of it is protein).

Trace minerals are important and is why Lucky 7 contains them.

That leaves the big Calcium Phosphorus argument. If you read the article, you will see they mention those minerals are leeched from bone to grow antlers. Then those materials are slowly replaced by the diet later. This is an important point - large amounts of calcium and phosphorus in a supplement are literally excreted out of the animal and not utilized. They cannot grow antler in that form. Hence, Lucky 7 contains the amount necessary for that gradual replacement over time. That is how the deer's system is designed to work. You will also noticed that in the article states they are available in natural forage.

One benefit to the "extra" calcium is that deer milk levels can be bolstered a bit by supplementation. However, the degree of that benefit is unknown.

Last, you will notice salt is required for deer. And deer will not over eat salt anyway. No danger there.

The latest science is used in all our products. Others may follow a different school of thought, right, wrong or otherwise. In the end, there is a product to fit everyone. And beyond that, they certainly do attract and hold deer! We have an army of trail cameras in the shop (another niche I need to learn about) and had literally 20,000 pics and videos of deer over our minerals. The deer don't lie!

 

Surprisingly you sound very similar to a banned user. Imagine my surprise to find out that you share an IP address with him. Such a strange coincidence.

 

I do think we can talk about the original posters article without mentioning products every other word. But if you would like they say a picture is worth a 1000 words...we could post up big buck pictures if you would like to compare and give the readers something to look at

 

Timber Doodle will no longer be able to respond to your messages. We'll see what screen name pops up next though.

 

Didn't mean to start a product war here folks. Only wanted a good discussion going. I'm not a scientist, nor a biologist. Just wanted some other folks input lol. Thanks for reading though

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I thought it was a pretty good thread right up to the point it became an endless and shameless product plug infomercial....

Personally all I put out is JJ's High Calcium mixz, www.totalbs.com/suckerborneveryminute
It's a proprietary blend of both red and white course limestone mixed with blue maize, apples, salt and rum. Heavier deer guaranteed and they are even easier to shoot!

 

LOLZ, couldn't say I didn't see that coming.

 

I formulate, invent, and help others with their mineral products. I am a ruminant nutritionist who believes that so many products on the market are just "things in a fancy bag." Most don't understand that oxides are not very available compared to sulfates and even more bioavailable are the chelated forms of trace minerals. Vitamins are really not as important during peak flush as most of what a deer will consume will have a large volume of vitamins in the forages they consume spring and summer. That being said, as little as they add to the price of a bag of deer mineral, why not include a decent level. Unless a deer regularly consumes (every day or 2), they are flushed through the blood stream. Note that the rate of passage for ruminants in general is pretty fast.

Some deer minerals have antagonists in them, that bind up other traces. I recommend people to use a "clean dical" such as b@b premium dical out of Spencer, WI. They purify and extract a high quantity of iron and aluminum from their monocalcium phosphate. It also is less dusty. Ruminants general don't care for anything dusty. Their monocal is 23% calcium and 21% phos, whereas the typical monocals are 17% calcium and 21% phos.

As deer antlers are around 45% crude protein, 22% calcium and 11% phos and over 1% mg, some have written elevated levels of protein can result in around 20 inches of increased growth. My comments usually are that if one has a good food plot, genetics and mineral program, about the best one can expect would be around 15-20 inches of growth. Where i live and hunt, i'd pretty much be able to say that with confidence based on the type of bucks shot in the last 20 years compared to people a couple miles away in each direction.

I am a believer in enhancing nutrition, proteins, energies, and mineral contents through the forages one plants. I have been doing much research on products that gives one maximum nutrition and additives to be included in the soil and on the plant to "jack them up." One can get more grams of protein, calcium and phosphorus into a deers diet by doing all one can by having a sound plot/crop rotation and management program. That is where my passions lie and where many new products and services are coming forth. Even I am amazed what some simple concepts and costs can do for you.

 

^ What are your thoughts on Antler King Products? Good or bad I want to hear it. You can PM me if you want to take this discussion private.