Who’s got mineral sites in already?

[tree_ghost]

I freshened up 4 mineral sites with 50lb of Redmond's in each and got cameras over them. These will go on 30 day soaks before I refresh the sites and pull cards. I have 6 more sites to get installed this week for my 2019 buck inventory. I always enjoy the anticipation of the summers first card pull. Who else is finished or working on mineral sites already?


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[treefarmer]

I've decided to stop using mineral sites in Humphreys County, due to CWD potential. Don't know if it can be a problem, but don't want to take a chance. I'd like to hear the biologists take on this.

 

[easy45]

This will be my first year in a long time I won't have any due to being in the cwd counties.


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[TN Larry]

I have got a few that need refreshing and another that I need to get started really, really bad.

 

[PickettSFHunter]

I've had 8 going for several years. Started a new one this Winter on new property I bought. 1 50 pound block lasts a long time for me.


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[TheLBLman]

This will be my first year in a long time I won't have any due to being in the cwd counties.

Yep, need to comply with the law.

But I'm still scratching my head wondering if this new rule (no mineral licks) may actually be counterproductive.

Mineral licks are very wide-spread, abundant across the landscape, and each typically lasts for MANY years.
However, by reducing their numbers & not replenishing them,
might we actually be causing an INCREASED concentration of deer at the FEWER licks
most of which will be "licked" for many years to come?

This rule change will not stop the deer from seeking and licking minerals.
They are still going to do it, just more deer, more concentrated at fewer sites.

Wouldn't more licks cause the deer to be more spread out and less concentrated?

 

[TheLBLman]

Another thought:

Cattle farms --- Most put out minerals for the cattle.
If there are fewer mineral licks in the woods (or away from cattle)
won't the deer just begin utilizing these cattle licks more?

 

[Benkharr]

On the agenda this weekend!

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[Bone Collector]

one of my main sites is within 50 yds of a hen nest. I bumped her when I found it. I will be waiting until the beginning of June to refresh.

 

[ROUGH COUNTRY HUNTER]

I refreshed mine

 

[Andy S.]

Not allowed in my neck of the woods due to CWD.

 

[Boll Weevil]

Not allowed in my neck of the woods due to CWD.

^This. But my guess is there's enough residual in the soil to last for years. The only way I know how to get them to quit digging is cover with tin or something.

 

[MUP]

Freshened up mine about a month ago.

 

[TheLBLman]

Not allowed in my neck of the woods due to CWD.

^This. But my guess is there's enough residual in the soil to last for years. The only way I know how to get them to quit digging is cover with tin or something.

Salt/mineral licks will remain abundant for many years to come.
How will any these ideas to reduce deer from concentrated licking actually do that?
Should we put deer-proof fences around every cattle pasture?
Same salt/minerals are placed for cattle?

 

[TJS209]

Stopped refreshing ours due to being in the CWD counties. First year in a long time I didn't work on them. Few are pretty large and have been going for 15+ years.

 

[rem270]

Refreshed mine towards the end of March when I was back home.

 

[megalomaniac]

Most of my sites are 5-7 years old. They get freshened in April and October. Just my routine. I quit putting cameras out until the end of July/ first of August however. Save a bit more wear and tear on them, and I usually end up just deleting all the May, June, and early July pics to get to the most recent/ further developed headgear pics of August (especially when there's 30,000 pics to go through on a single pull).

 

[Andy S.]

I quit putting cameras out until the end of July/ first of August however.

Same here for the cameras I ran in years past.

 

[Mike Belt]

LBL... The flip side to your thoughts is that if it's in the soil and the deer have it, the more mineral sites they visit the wider range of the CWD dispersal???????

 

[TheLBLman]

LBL... The flip side to your thoughts is that if it's in the soil and the deer have it, the more mineral sites they visit the wider range of the CWD dispersal???????

Mike, not sure I understand what you're asking.

My thoughts are that deer will seek AND FIND minerals WITHIN their normal range (not outside it).

IF there is an abundance of mineral licks within their range,
then there should be fewer deer licking any particular lick,
and therefore less chance of spreading CWD within the range.

By contrast, IF there are fewer mineral licks within their range,
then there should be more deer licking each lick,
and therefore greater chance of spreading CWD within the range.