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WHITETAIL DEER MINERAL MIX RECIPE
Ingredients: Makes 200 lbs depending on the bag sized you buy.
1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores.
Comes in 50lb Bags, and you’ll need one bag.
2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loose kind without the medications.
Comes in 50lb Bags , and you’ll need two bags.
1 part Stock salt, ice cream salt.
Comes in 50lb Bags, you’ll need one bag.
Directions:
Keeping the ingredients separate until use will ensure you have the proper ratios when it’s time to put out your larger mineral sites, or another option is to premix them in smaller qualities and just package them up for individual use packs. I’ll either mix and put them in one gallon bags for my secret spots, or even 1 gallon milk jugs. It takes longer to place with the milk jug thought because of the smaller hole.
To get things started, take whatever sized can or measuring cup you’d like as long as it’s fairly consistent every time you make a batch.
Measure out 1 part dicalcium phoshate, 2 parts trace mineral salt, and 1 part stock salt. Mix all these together once ready to use in the larger mineral sites, or when putting together your smaller premade packs.
Dig a hole in the soil about 36 inches wide and 6 inches deep and mix the mineral well with the soil. Repeat every 6 months, or as desired. Typically we prefer to put out our minerals in late March or April when the soil starts to thaw a bit as that’s when they typically get used the most, but you can put them out anytime you’d like when just getting started. Also even though we suggest every 6 months for refreshing, we typically go overboard a tad with ours and do it closer to every 3 months. I’m sure we waste some of our mix, but if it ends up freezing in the ground, it’ll still be available in the Spring again once it thaws.
For the very first time you place your minerals in the Spring, you may want to add a crushed food scented additive like sugar beets, corn, or something else with a scent of food to it to help draw in the deer and help them find your new mineral sites, but only in the Spring as it will be deemed baiting by most states later in the year as your hunting season gets closer.
Disclaimer: Some states classify even the plain mineral sites as bait, so be sure to look into your states regulations on whether or not you can use them, or hunt within a certain distance from them.
Good luck with your whitetail management goals, and good luck next Fall!
David Enstad
MissionOutdoors.net
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