Greenhead
Well-Known Member
What are the best minerals to supplement deer with?
Mineral salt only has traces of minerals.
Mineral salt only has traces of minerals.
i understand what your saying in regards to antler growth, but i have seen some studies which proved that, "potassium?" i believe helps with lactation in does. also the salts are necessary on some scale for the deer to live. if nothing else, its a good way to keep them hereBSK said:I'm still waiting to see scientific evidence minerals do anything for free-ranging deer. Several researchers have tried to show benefits and could not.
For starters, most soils are lacking in Sodium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Cobalt, Selenium, and many other essential elements that are contained in trace mineral salt and have shown to be important to deer. Deer are definitely attracted to both sodium chloride (NaCl-table salt) and calcium chloride (CaCl-rock salt) licks. Scientists think that both sodium and calcium are necessary elements for many bodily functions of maintenance and growth, and deer (somehow realizing this) seek out sources of these elements lacking in the soil.deerchaser007 said:mineral sites might make a difference in a deer if it stood over that site for 4 hours a day ,7 days a week, 365 days a year
deer do not need salt to live
mineral sites do not keep deer on a property,.. good habitat and cover do that.
no arguments here bsk i was simply refuting deer chaser's statement that "deer do not need salt to live" and also dis agree with him on the "mineral licks dont keep deer on a property, good habitat and cover do that"BSK said:hard country,
Yes, all of what you said about nutritional requirements is correct, but there is no evidence providing those things at mineral/salt licks benefits deer in real-world situations. When comparing deer that have access to mineral licks versus deer in the same area that do not, there is no difference in animal performance.
I use salt licks simply because they are great locations for photo-inventorying the resident summer population.
again i agree cover is needed to keep deer around, but the more you have that the deer want, the less the hours they are off of your property and the more they are reaping the benefits of a proper habitat programBSK said:Deer absolutely will seek out salt. In fact, there have been studies showing some deer traveled great distances to access it. However, I don't think it "holds" deer on a property. Even food plots won't "hold" deer on a property, although they will attract them to the property. The problem is, most feeding occurs at night, and deer will travel to and from their feeding areas during darkness.
The only thing I have found that will truly hold deer on a property during hunting hours (daylight) is good-quality cover and sanctuaries from hunting pressure.
hard county said:again i agree cover is needed to keep deer around, but the more you have that the deer want, the less the hours they are off of your property and the more they are reaping the benefits of a proper habitat programBSK said:Deer absolutely will seek out salt. In fact, there have been studies showing some deer traveled great distances to access it. However, I don't think it "holds" deer on a property. Even food plots won't "hold" deer on a property, although they will attract them to the property. The problem is, most feeding occurs at night, and deer will travel to and from their feeding areas during darkness.
The only thing I have found that will truly hold deer on a property during hunting hours (daylight) is good-quality cover and sanctuaries from hunting pressure.