DIY Deer Minerals
A life lesson engrained in me over the years is easily represented by the old adage: Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Furthermore, I’ve come to learn that anything worth doing right is often worth doing yourself. The term “DIY” has been hot for the past decade, but the majority of sportsmen know that we have embodied the DIY movement for centuries. Whether it is building your own hunting blind, reloading your own ammo, or crafting your own calls, nothing is more fulfilling than making something uniquely yours. It is this mindset that prompted me to create my own mineral mix for use on our farm each spring and throughout the summer months. As is often the case with all DIY projects, trial and error is often the best educator and this mix was no different!
From past research, I know that my mix needs to have a high concentration of calcium and phosphorus in order to assist antler growth. The mix should introduce trace minerals such as magnesium and zinc to aid in structural development as well. But more importantly, I need to ensure the deer will find my mineral site and I can achieve this by including something in the mix that deer can’t resist – salt.
Why salt? During spring green up and early summer, deer are almost always suffering from a sodium deficiency due to the high potassium and water content of the forage they consume at this time of year. This affects their ability to efficiently convert sodium in the body, and subsequently increases their need for sodium intake. This deficiency forces deer to actively seek out concentrated sources of sodium such as our mineral sites. With the basic needs of my deer herd taken in to account, it is time to take a look at the mineral mix itself…
My DIY Mineral Mix:
One-Part Stock Salt
One-Part Di-Calcium Phosphate
Two-Parts Trace Mineral Salts
Depending on current prices and availability, you should be able to round up these ingredients for roughly $60-70. This mix makes close to 200 pounds and will effectively start and maintain 2-3 sites per year. The stock salt is essentially the same salt used to create another beloved DIY project, homemade ice cream! Di-Calcium Phosphate is an additive used in dairy cattle operations to aid in digestion and protein retention. This will perform the same function in our local deer herd. Trace Minerals are commonly used as dietary supplements for smaller livestock such as sheep and goats. Each of these items should be readily available at most well stocked feed mills.
This weekend, I plan to revisit two sites that have been very active sites for me over the past few years. There are still several variables we can address such as site selection, preparation, maintenance, and monitoring; but that will have to wait for another day! With any luck, I’ll have some pictures of this year’s shooter bucks in the early stages of antler development within the next 60 days!!!
