I have been competing with the land owners/hunters that are on properties right next to me that I believe to be baiting. Is it too late to set up a mineral lick site? Or should I focus on mock scrapes this time of year? Or both/neither?? Please help!!
I have found deer are not intrested in mineral sights in the fall.I have alot of action around mineral may-sept.I would try mock scrapes but both cant hurt GOOD LUCK
Make a mineral and a mock. But if your short on cash and want results fast i would invest in a mock scrape
deer here are still coming to mineral licks but not like they do for the summer...also tryking to add a new food source may put the deer off for a week or two. I do know the deer like the cornlix block type attractors and they last but it may take a bit befor they will hit it(maybe set yourself up for the future) and another quick food attractor can be peanut butter and apple jelly(I throw in busted up acorns and corn syrup) but again don't expect it to produce overnight. Definitely the best thing to setup on now for bucks is the scrapes though as stated above.
Two weeks ago, I shot my doe standing in my mineral site. Before and after that, I had young bucks come to the mineral site and check it out. They didn't use it though, they were just checking it out. I'm guessing as a scent check to see who has been around. My site is pretty much full of leaves at this point though, which leads me to believe even the does have backed off it. I would go the mock scrape at this point, and as soon as you can in the spring start a mineral site.
I think if I was in your position and trying to draw deer from one food source to another I would go with a feed station or bait pile that is perhaps in the middle of your parcel or on the way to where you hunt. I would not hunt over it but figure out where the deer are coming from and setup a mock scrape on those routes...sooner or later the does and young ones will be eating your bait and the bucks will be looking for the hot does, so even if they won't go in to eat they will be checking the area...the scrapes are a signpost they will visit to see who's around...be nice if you could find an already active one though its a little late be scouting and spooking em out.
I believe in mineral licks but they are not really intended for you to hunt. The mineral licks are more beneficial to the deer during the spring and summer months when they lose a lot of sodium and other minerals due to their diet on green vegetation. The vegetation has a lot of water in it so it pretty much flushes the deer's body of certain minerals. I'm not familiar with baiting regulations in your state but that is up to you. Baiting will increase deer activity in an area once it is found for sure. Found mock scrapes to work very well with getting game camera pictures(night time photos) but I have never been successful hunting over one but I have heard of people killing nice buck within sight of their mock scrapes.
