It's probably similar just what it's called up here. I usually get the one with the highest % of calcium (around 20%) and phosphorus (about 16%) and then the trace mineral is about 97% salt with 3% being trace minerals
I've tried the 30-06 mix, Monster Raxx, and the QDMA mix haven't really had good results with any of the. As was stated earlier it is hard to argue with the results that many on here are having but for some reason on the property I'm hunting the deer just don't seem interest when I put out minerals. Not sure what I'm going to try yet this year. Some of the guys I work with have had good results with Luck Buck.
Try a pure white stock salt block, if they won't hit that then they're probably getting mineral and salt somewhere already and just don't need any more. At that point (if they won't hit that pure salt) and you want an attractant then it'll have to be food of some sort. Either a grain, forbe, legume or a product like apple based feed or acorn based feed, etc...
Southern states trace mineral block does fine for me. Throw out a 50 pound block a few times a year and there ya go.
Use Big and J cube and granular (not at the same site) to attract the deer, then RAKS Big Game Mineral. It has the best calcium to phosphorus ratio that I have found for the price. I get the 40 lb. bag. Last me for awhile.
I've used lucky buck for 5 years now, and the deer absolutely kill it. I'm just wondering if it really helps with antler growth. I have seen bucks get bigger from year to year, but nothing dramatic. Just curious if some of these other products might give more gains.
Some states don't allow the use or bait or minerals. To avoid the spread of CWD and other diseases supposedly. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
You have the wrong mindset if bigger antlers is your goal. There is no magic formula to make 3.5+ year old 115" deer suddenly bloom into booners. Managing for big antlers starts with healthy deer and nutrition just like any livestock. Sure, the deer a person has on the hoof can be improved but the big drastic improvements start with the fawns that have not hit the ground yet. Manage for those does to be healthy and well fed so they have everything they need and that relays through the fawns and through their life, make sure the bucks have every chance to rebound as fast as possible from the rigors of the rut and go in to it as healthy as possible so the stress is minimized. Layer that effect for a few years and you'll see the improvements you want. It has to be played for the long game. We often get caught up in wanting instant gratification, fast cause/effect scenarios and for the most part that's just not very realistic in most circumstances. We're all that way to varying degrees but we do ourselves a grave injustice to hope we can pour big antlers from a bag because we're in essence just setting ourselves up for disappointment. Besides being able to pour big antlers from a bag would just suck, the bar for what's "big" would just rise so fast that we'd be right back to where we started and wanting something "bigger".
This thread has me excited to get my spring time mineral sites and cameras running again... HURRY UP SPRING!
I take minerals with a grain of salt yes they provide needed minerals for all deer yes they can attract deer to a spot and yes the deer seem to enjoy it. There is no proof that it makes deer grow larger racks, matter of fact I have read studies that stated that there was zero evidence that minerals caused bucks to grow larger racks. That being said food plots, supplemental feeding, minerals all help deer with overall health that may lead to physical improvements but it can not change a bucks genetics.
Id suggest looking up Liebig's law of the minimum before anything. And then finding (or making) a mineral that contributes the most trace minerals. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
This is pretty much my reasoning behind my mineral sites. Although I do use Monster Raxx and not just salt, I just like to see those bucks in velvet.
With any mineral, it's very important to read the listed ingredients and the quantity used. Looking at the Lucky Buck analysis, it consist of 64%-65% salt. 12.5%-13.5% Calcium, 46ppm Iodine and 59ppm Selenium. Here's their complete ingredients list: INGREDIENTS: Salt, Calcium Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Ferrous Carbonate, Iron Oxide, Copper Oxide, Cobalt Carbonate, Calcium Iodate, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Mineral Oil. What I see missing here is Phosphorus. There's not a ton of knowledge about exactly what the process for growing antlers requires, but we do know that it requires a reserve of Calcium and Phosphorus. Most mineral mixes use di-calcium phosphate to meet this requirement, with that addition of salt as an attractant and avenue to get the deer to consume the di-calcium phosphate. To me, it really looks like Lucky Buck would make a solid attractant, but I don't see where it's going to positively influence the overall heath and possible antler growth potential.
