Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Bowhunting Deer mineral supplements

Has anyone had direct experience with the many kinds of mineral supplements used for deer? They advertise these relentlessly on the outdoor channel and I have used some similar products in Africa for Antelopes. The African versions are all in 50lb blocks, not granular forms.

Anyway, I have a corn feeder going on my farm, and I was hoping for some feedback on a mineral supplement to add to this.

This worked well for me in TX. It's legal there to use this, unfortunately it's illegal in a lot of states so be sure to check your states law on baiting...

1 part Di-calcium phosphate, you can did this at feed stores.
Comes in 50lb Bags

2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loose kind without the medications
Comes in 50lb Bags

1 part Stock salt
Comes in 50lb Bags

Directions:

-Use a 3 pound or similar size coffee can to use as your measure for each part of the mix.

-Mix all together well but not until ready to use, keep ingredients separate until ready to put to use.

-Dig or tear up a circle in the soil about 36 inches wide and about 6 inches deep.

-Mix your mineral mixture with the soil.

Maintenance:

-Replenish in 6 months with fresh supply of mineral, and then each year there after.

I first found this recipe in 2002 or so and it worked well. I just did a search and copied and pasted the above as it is the exact same recipe for mineral I have used. I had to loom for the di-cal, it wasn't at every feed store but it shouldnt be too hard to find

Drummond

The mineral mix mentioned above has worked well for me for the last 15 years !

You can add dried molasses to that mix as well. I've also seen folks add stuff like dried KoolAid to it, but the molasses works for us.

I'm having a struggle with the Di-calcuim Phosphate not a single feed store has it. I live in ranch and farming country too. There are several thousand head of cattle on the ranches surrounding my farm. I have plenty of the other ingredients on hand already for my livestock.

Any other options for this? is it a landscape or fertilizer supplement? Any other way of finding it?

I have the same problem. See if you can find the red mineral mix for cattle in 50lb bags. I mix it 50-50 with common salt and it works well. It's the salt deer are after anyway. They could care less about the bitter tasting minerals,,, and don't put it where you don't want a big mud hole.

Your feed stores should be able to get it even though they dont stock it. IMO the Di-Cal is important and its best to use right now while they are growing. There is another supplement that has Di-Cal in it thats used in dairies that I have heard works but I'll have to look and see what that was

Drum

I've ordered two 50lb bags. Don't need that much but I'll have it on hand now. I don't get it til July 15th though. I want this out now!

You could set out some sort of sweet block now to get them used to coming then on July 15 your set as the deer will already know it's there. Just a thought

Drummond

just put the dical on the same spot when you get it ..

I have been thinking about exactly that. I put in a whitetail deer block that is commercially made, and then considered just adding the two ingredients I have now.

There are both Mule and Whitetails here. I've personally seen more Whitetials but the neighbor claims that the mulies are about 4:1 over the whitetails?

Will they both equally use the corn feeder and the mineral lick? When I lived where there were only blacktail deer they never used the lick, or the corn, Blacktails are a whole nother breed of deer!

Several years back before the farmers were growing much corn here, It took a long time for the whitetails to start eating the corn I put out. I started mixing up some cheap apple juice with half water and soaking the corn before I put it out. After they started eating it good I quit the apple juice. miles

Mixing Beast Feast w/corn will get them coming pretty quick, too. Then, just corn.

I guess I need to know what "beast feast" is?