By Ryan Fair
Mineral sites are a great place to locate bucks this time of year. One of my favorite things to do on these warm summer nights is to sit behind my Vortex Optics spotting scope at sunset and watch the bucks pile into my Trophy Rock mineral site. The biggest bucks in the area are usually some of the first to come out, unlike during hunting season, this offers plenty of time to watch them and pick up on their mannerisms. Mineral sites are not only great for this, they also can play a very important part in a whitetail’s overall heath.
For hunters, the main reason to establish a mineral site is to attract deer. Bucks, does, and fawns will all start frequenting your mineral site as soon as they locate it. For that reason, we have found these to be great place to hang our Tactacam Reveals. We let are Reveal cell cameras inventory the bucks we have a shot to hunt this season, while also keeping an eye on the does and fawns in the area. They keep the pressure to a minimum while allowing us a glimpse into the world of our local herd. Since most does and fawns call the same area home much of the year, this gives you a great way to gauge how much doe management needs done as well. Keeping a healthy buck to doe ratio on your farm is an important part of growing large bucks.
For deer, mineral sites offer several great benefits as well. They help deer replenish all the important minerals they are lacking from local food sources. Deer will also seek out mineral sites that are high in salt content. It doesn’t matter if it’s in powder form, block form, or a liquid, they crave the salt. In the spring and summer months deer have a sodium deficiency due to the high water and potassium intake as they forage on greens. This is what drives them seek out the salt. Another big advantage to a mineral site comes for both fawns and does during and after pregnancy. It has been proven that does seek out minerals during gestation and lactation. This is because they need high levels of calcium and magnesium up to and while nursing. With a balanced diet, proper mineral intake, and good digestive health of your does, it allows them to focus on keeping their fawns as healthy as possible their first year of life. When it comes to bucks and mineral sites there has always been a debate on whether minerals help bucks grow larger antlers. While there is no scientific data that supports this, it is known that a whitetails antler is composed of 11 different minerals. Knowing this and the fact that minerals help keep a whitetails diet balanced and promotes good digestion is enough of a reason for me to think it helps in some way.
There are several different ways create a mineral site. I like to place my sites on or near a heavily used deer trail or close to a watering source. This allows whitetail to locate them fast without having to seek them out. Let’s start with a rock, block, and granular forms of mineral. There are 2 ways I like to put out this form of a mineral site. My preferred method is to find a tree stump about knee high and place the mineral rock or block on the stump. I like this method because the stump will soak up the mineral over time making it easier for the deer to consume it. If a stump is not available, I will clear out a spot on the ground about the size of a basketball and place the rock there. Either method works great. Here at Working Class Hunter, we prefer to use Trophy Rock products for all our mineral needs. They offer a rock, block, and granular forms of mineral.
Trophy Rock also offers a great liquid mineral. I have found this to be a great option if you have any type of distance to travel before establishing your mineral site. You can easily carry in a few jugs or attach them to a pack, as opposed to lugging in a 10-pound rock. When it comes to liquid minerals, I will always put them on a tree stump or deadfall that is off the ground that can absorb the minerals. I haven’t had much luck with just pouring these on bare ground. Always remember before using liquids to shake well, this mixes everything up before using it.
Now is the time if you haven’t already to pick up some Trophy Rock and a Tactacam Reveal and get yourself a mineral site started. Not only will you be able to enjoy watching bucks grow the rest of the summer you’ll also be helping keep your local heard healthy. You never know, you may just grow the biggest buck of the year right there on your farm.
