Better late than never right?!? :smiley_crocodile:
So now that we know why we are using minerals, what they can do for us and our deer herd, and how to make our own mix, it is time to look at the hands-on portion of mineral sites. We will take a look at site selection, preparation, maintenance, and monitoring. I want to reiterate once again, that I am neither a whitetail biologist, nor am I an expert on mineral supplementation. What I am is an educated consumer who has used the internet, and my own personal experiences to create a mineral supplementation plan for my hunting areas that I believe are just as effective as the latest gimmick.
Site Selection
I look for three things when I choose a site. The first thing I consider is location, location, location. I want the site to be near the intersection of several trails, or at very least, two well used travel routes. This ensures that the deer will visit the area several times over the course of time I am supplying minerals. The second factor I consider is I like for my site to be near a water source. Often times after deer visit a mineral site they will head to a nearby water source shortly thereafter to quench their thirst. This mix is very salty, and we all know how the consumption of salty foods can work up a hearty thirst. The last thing, and in my opinion the most important aspect of site selection, is choosing an area that the deer feel secure visiting. Choosing an area in, or near a bedding area, is optimal. If you strive to keep human intrusion at a minimum on your property, then you can really choose a site anywhere you like.
Preparation, Maintenance, and Monitoring
Prior to activating my site, I mix all the ingredients in a wheelbarrow making sure to mix all the ingredients together as thoroughly as I can. Phil Hicks was able to mix his in a concrete mixer and that’s the ticket if you can make it happen!!!
This is the area where I choose to allow the pictures to do the talking. I will quickly touch on each topic and follow that with pictures of my site. Once you choose your site, simply rake away any debris in an area roughly 3-4’ in diameter. After I do this, I use a shovel to trench around the outside of the site. Then I continue using the shovel to break up the ground about 4-6” deep. Once I have done this, I used a garden hoe to break up the dirt clods as fine as possible.
After we have a nice foundation of loose soil roughly 4-6” deep, it is time to mix in our minerals. I start with about 75 pounds, and use a garden rake to mix it in the soil as thoroughly as possible. Once I have done this, I add about ten more pounds to the top of the site and very lightly rake. This process ensures two things: we get our minerals mixed in deep enough to constantly be available, and we have minerals that will be immediately available.
Maintenance is simple. Once we get a few good rains, I visit the site and remove all debris. Then I mix in another 10-15 pounds of my mix. After that, I may add 5-10 pounds of the mix sometime in late July just to freshen things up. But after the second application of our minerals, we really have the recipe for an active mineral site.
Monitor it with your favorite trail cam and you are sure to be in for some great pictures!
Here is my site. You can easily see the watering hole, and the remnant of last year’s site is still visible…
I added some corn for instant attraction and placed my trail camera to the left of the site. I am ready to enjoy a summer of great pictures!
This is the other site I created in Paradise. Right behind the camera is the water hole I created last year. The food plot is to the left of the site and one of the best trails I’ve ever seen is running left to right across the photo…
I have $60 and 40 minutes of my life in these sites. It will help my does produce high-protein milk in order to ensure their fawns grow up as healthy as possible. My bucks will benefit from this site, even if it doesn’t turn him from a 130” to a 170”. And I benefit from this site because I can monitor it to see what bucks I have to hunt, keep detailed records of doe and fawn numbers, and it gives me the peace of mind that I am doing what I can to ensure that my deer herd had every chance to reach their full potential before the hunt begins this fall. And if nothing else, this picture is the reason I will always have mineral licks out!!!
So now that we know why we are using minerals, what they can do for us and our deer herd, and how to make our own mix, it is time to look at the hands-on portion of mineral sites. We will take a look at site selection, preparation, maintenance, and monitoring. I want to reiterate once again, that I am neither a whitetail biologist, nor am I an expert on mineral supplementation. What I am is an educated consumer who has used the internet, and my own personal experiences to create a mineral supplementation plan for my hunting areas that I believe are just as effective as the latest gimmick.
Site Selection
I look for three things when I choose a site. The first thing I consider is location, location, location. I want the site to be near the intersection of several trails, or at very least, two well used travel routes. This ensures that the deer will visit the area several times over the course of time I am supplying minerals. The second factor I consider is I like for my site to be near a water source. Often times after deer visit a mineral site they will head to a nearby water source shortly thereafter to quench their thirst. This mix is very salty, and we all know how the consumption of salty foods can work up a hearty thirst. The last thing, and in my opinion the most important aspect of site selection, is choosing an area that the deer feel secure visiting. Choosing an area in, or near a bedding area, is optimal. If you strive to keep human intrusion at a minimum on your property, then you can really choose a site anywhere you like.
Preparation, Maintenance, and Monitoring
Prior to activating my site, I mix all the ingredients in a wheelbarrow making sure to mix all the ingredients together as thoroughly as I can. Phil Hicks was able to mix his in a concrete mixer and that’s the ticket if you can make it happen!!!
This is the area where I choose to allow the pictures to do the talking. I will quickly touch on each topic and follow that with pictures of my site. Once you choose your site, simply rake away any debris in an area roughly 3-4’ in diameter. After I do this, I use a shovel to trench around the outside of the site. Then I continue using the shovel to break up the ground about 4-6” deep. Once I have done this, I used a garden hoe to break up the dirt clods as fine as possible.
After we have a nice foundation of loose soil roughly 4-6” deep, it is time to mix in our minerals. I start with about 75 pounds, and use a garden rake to mix it in the soil as thoroughly as possible. Once I have done this, I add about ten more pounds to the top of the site and very lightly rake. This process ensures two things: we get our minerals mixed in deep enough to constantly be available, and we have minerals that will be immediately available.
Maintenance is simple. Once we get a few good rains, I visit the site and remove all debris. Then I mix in another 10-15 pounds of my mix. After that, I may add 5-10 pounds of the mix sometime in late July just to freshen things up. But after the second application of our minerals, we really have the recipe for an active mineral site.
Monitor it with your favorite trail cam and you are sure to be in for some great pictures!
Here is my site. You can easily see the watering hole, and the remnant of last year’s site is still visible…
I added some corn for instant attraction and placed my trail camera to the left of the site. I am ready to enjoy a summer of great pictures!
This is the other site I created in Paradise. Right behind the camera is the water hole I created last year. The food plot is to the left of the site and one of the best trails I’ve ever seen is running left to right across the photo…
I have $60 and 40 minutes of my life in these sites. It will help my does produce high-protein milk in order to ensure their fawns grow up as healthy as possible. My bucks will benefit from this site, even if it doesn’t turn him from a 130” to a 170”. And I benefit from this site because I can monitor it to see what bucks I have to hunt, keep detailed records of doe and fawn numbers, and it gives me the peace of mind that I am doing what I can to ensure that my deer herd had every chance to reach their full potential before the hunt begins this fall. And if nothing else, this picture is the reason I will always have mineral licks out!!!