The picture above shows one of the two wildlife feeding stations we have set up along a creek in a field below our house.  We have created these sites so that the abundant game that inhabit the area will be attracted to areas where we can see them as we go about our daily routines.  The other feeding station, for anyone interested, can be seen in a previous post entitled Birds Of A Feather.  You may notice that in the lower left corner of the photo there appears to be a patch of ground that is rock strewn and has been vigorously disturbed in some manner.  This is one of the mineral licks that I have established near our feeders. 

Creating a mineral lick is a simple endeavor.  What I like to do after I find a suitable location for the lick is to gather up some downed limbs and build a small bonfire, which clears the area down to bare soil.  Then I place a commercially prepared dear and wild game mineral block directly on the soil.  Over time, the block will become eroded.  Some erosion will have occurred by direct consumption from the area wildlife, but a good portion of the block will simply weather into the ground where it sits.  Not to worry – the deer will actually lick the soil in order to get the minerals they crave.

This is what will happen over time.  This particular mineral lick was established four years ago.  I have decided against filling in the hole each year.  Instead, I intend to keep replenishing this site with new mineral block periodically, and observe how large the mineral rich “crater” will grow (it sure beats sitting around watching the grass grow).    The deer have pawed at the ground with their hooves in order to loosen the mineral rich soils, leaving only the Ozarks rocks behind in their wake. 

The picture above shows how simple it is to replenish the lick.  All that is required is to unwrap and toss a new mineral block on top of the pile of rocks that have accumulated in the pit. 

The mineral blocks contain a variety of essential minerals for deer.  Here are some of the ingredients in the blocks I use – salt, magnesium limestone, calcium carbonate, soft rock phosphate (phosphorus), calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite, ferrous carbonate, ferrous sulfate, iron oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, zinc oxide and lignin sulfonate.

If that weren’t enough to whet the appetite of wild game, the blocks also contain cane molasses and natural apple flavoring.  But the real question is this: do these mineral licks do anything for the deer, or am I just spinning my wheels in undertaking this activity?  Research seems to indicate that robust antler growth requires a minimum amount of certain minerals, particularly calcium and phosphorus, in the proper ratios (see Mineral Supplementation – Necessity or Never Mind?, by Brad Howard and Brian Murphy).  The commercial mineral blocks that are available in any farm supply or feed store are concocted of minerals designed to maximize the potential for antler growth in bucks by supplying the key minerals required for that purpose.  In many areas, the soil composition presents sufficient mineral content such that mineral supplements are unnecessary, while in other areas, the soil is lacking in some critical component.  To be on the safe side, I have opted to provide supplements for “my” game, just as I also opt to take a multi-vitimin for myself each day.

The fall and winter seasons are the time of year to begin to establish a mineral lick.  By establishing the lick at this time, it will be ready and available for use in the spring and summer, when the deer will make the most use of it.  And Retta and I will be sitting around, watching the deer take their daily dose of minerals.

The picture above shows one of the two wildlife feeding stations we have set up along a creek in a field below our house.  We have created these sites so that the abundant game that inhabit the area will be attracted to areas where we can see them as we go about our daily routines.  The other feeding station, for anyone interested, can be seen in a previous post entitled Birds Of A Feather.  You may notice that in the lower left corner of the photo there appears to be a patch of ground that is rock strewn and has been vigorously disturbed in some manner.  This is one of the mineral licks that I have established near our feeders. 

Creating a mineral lick is a simple endeavor.  What I like to do after I find a suitable location for the lick is to gather up some downed limbs and build a small bonfire, which clears the area down to bare soil.  Then I place a commercially prepared dear and wild game mineral block directly on the soil.  Over time, the block will become eroded.  Some erosion will have occurred by direct consumption from the area wildlife, but a good portion of the block will simply weather into the ground where it sits.  Not to worry – the deer will actually lick the soil in order to get the minerals they crave.

This is what will happen over time.  This particular mineral lick was established four years ago.  I have decided against filling in the hole each year.  Instead, I intend to keep replenishing this site with new mineral block periodically, and observe how large the mineral rich “crater” will grow (it sure beats sitting around watching the grass grow).    The deer have pawed at the ground with their hooves in order to loosen the mineral rich soils, leaving only the Ozarks rocks behind in their wake. 

The picture above shows how simple it is to replenish the lick.  All that is required is to unwrap and toss a new mineral block on top of the pile of rocks that have accumulated in the pit. 

The mineral blocks contain a variety of essential minerals for deer.  Here are some of the ingredients in the blocks I use – salt, magnesium limestone, calcium carbonate, soft rock phosphate (phosphorus), calcium iodate, cobalt carbonate, sodium selenite, ferrous carbonate, ferrous sulfate, iron oxide, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, zinc oxide and lignin sulfonate.

If that weren’t enough to whet the appetite of wild game, the blocks also contain cane molasses and natural apple flavoring.  But the real question is this: do these mineral licks do anything for the deer, or am I just spinning my wheels in undertaking this activity?  Research seems to indicate that robust antler growth requires a minimum amount of certain minerals, particularly calcium and phosphorus, in the proper ratios (see Mineral Supplementation – Necessity or Never Mind?, by Brad Howard and Brian Murphy).  The commercial mineral blocks that are available in any farm supply or feed store are concocted of minerals designed to maximize the potential for antler growth in bucks by supplying the key minerals required for that purpose.  In many areas, the soil composition presents sufficient mineral content such that mineral supplements are unnecessary, while in other areas, the soil is lacking in some critical component.  To be on the safe side, I have opted to provide supplements for “my” game, just as I also opt to take a multi-vitimin for myself each day.

The fall and winter seasons are the time of year to begin to establish a mineral lick.  By establishing the lick at this time, it will be ready and available for use in the spring and summer, when the deer will make the most use of it.  And Retta and I will be sitting around, watching the deer take their daily dose of minerals.