Mineral Article: DIY Style

[Stressless]

Been running that 25# trace mineral, 15# stock salt, 15# Di-Cal (50%/25%/25%) for 4-5 years, I run 7 mineral sites over 500 acres. Each year the does and fawns really hammer it, espesally when the does are lactating. As soon as the velvet starts to getting into surge growth, I've noticed the bucks hit it a couple times a day. One thing I've found is that none of the sites are "consistently" hit, in that one year one or two spots will be hit multiple times a day and others only a couple times week. These "hot spot(s)" shift from mineral lick to mineral lick sometimes in the same year and definitely shift year to year. I generally keep the licks in the same spots, travel corridors, where there is some moisture but not wet as it disperses the salts too fast. One thing I've been doing, after the mineral site is setup, is adding a 50 lb Trace Mineral Block with selenium 90 as most areas in Ohio are selenium poor.

From rodents of all sorts, to carnivores to deer - even birds have been captured utilizing the mineral sites. It really helps.

First bobcat litter in the county around the mineral site.

 

[cspot]

About time for me to put out another block. I started putting it up on a block of wood and I get almost a year out of it.

 

[Stressless]

With the terrible conditions to get out and about neighbor Cliff and I got all our minerals and mixed them up the years worth over the weekend.

I got two of six locations out as the cams showed deer very actively hitting a couple licks that either they kept open or the salt melted thru - those were the 1:1:2 ratio ones.

Talked about with Cliff and we decided to add another part of dry molasses based on what some other folks were doing and reporting better usage than the standard 1:1:2. We'll see, I'll tell you what thou... that dry molasses sure smells good to this hooman. He's a chemical engineer by trade so he brings Hi Mag and Hi Phosphorous percentages into his. I just do the Trace Mineral, Salt and Di-Cal but thought the dry molasses was a nice addition.

My mix was fairly standard - I did it by volume to fit in a 5 gallon bucket, I have a bunch with lids and could get the amount below in and had a couple inches left to be able to mix it together with standard nursery shovel.

I used a 64oz measuring jug for figuring the 1/2 gallon marks. Got everything from Heritage Ag.

2 1/2 gallons trace mineral salt with selenium.
3/4 gallon dry molasses
1/2 gallon stock salt (next year I'm prolly going to replace this with more Trace mineral
1/2 gallon Di-Cal

 

[Chancegriffis]

Just stumbled upon this thread and I am definitely going to give this a shot come mid March! LOVE THIS GROUP!

 

[Stressless]

It's that time of year if you put minerals out, was just checking the local co-ops for Di-Cal etc... will be putting it in the dirt next week.