Trophy Rock not being used

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dh1984

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Is you trophy rock not getting used by deer?

i had my Game cam on mine for a month try to see what time they are coming in to it.and the only thing i have been getting it tree rats and coons on the camera that using the trophy rick and that's it.

Is anyone else's trophy rock not getting used post it here. i never seen deer not using it every since i started using one.
 
In many areas, deer stop using salt once the weather cools in fall. Now some see usage all year, but again, in many locations salt usage is more a spring/summer thing.
 
What BSK said . Usually as it gets colder they will slack off usage. Differs sometimes thought with individual deer. We have a lot of pics in the snow ! Also have video in Rutherford co in Jan with 3 bucks still with headgear taking turns licking ! Might have to do with them trying to "rebuild " after the rut ?
 
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Imo trophy rocks sucks i have better luck with just a regular white salt lick like for horses. I'm not paying 20 dollars for a trophy rock they aren't worth it imo
 
deerhunter10 said:
Imo trophy rocks sucks i have better luck with just a regular white salt lick like for horses. I'm not paying 20 dollars for a trophy rock they aren't worth it imo
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They are a bit pricy.

However, there are a couple things I like about them:

1) Deer seem to have a slight preference for the trophy rock over other salt.

2) Hiding a salt lick.

If you don't want others to see where you're starting or keeping a lick, this can be the way. The "Trophy Rock" salt rocks just look like a rock and can be much more inconspicuous than a big hole in the ground or a pile of salt. So long as you keep a fresh rock in the location, the deer will mainly lick the rock rather than lick the ground (forming a big hole).

I also like to place trophy rocks in rotting stumps, but you can also do that with any salt. It's just that the stump will remain longer using a trophy rock since the deer mainly lick the rock rather than tear up the stump trying to get to poured out salt.
 
I've never tried'em but, some guys swear by'em. One guy that I know buys probably a dozen every year.
 
I pulled a card Tuesday out of a cam that has a Trophy rock in front of it, and I still have some deer coming to it !
 
yamaha200 said:
I pulled a card Tuesday out of a cam that has a Trophy rock in front of it, and I still have some deer coming to it !
Click to expand...

And that's the crazy part yamaha200. On some properties, Trophy Rock will see some usage all year round. On other properties, Trophy Rocks are purely a spring/summer attractant. I've never been able to figure out why this difference exists.
 
Mine gets used all year round but activity does slack off during hunting season. Once the end of December or early January gets here it seems the activity starts picking up a little. Then are at it hard by April.
 
BSK said:
yamaha200 said:
I pulled a card Tuesday out of a cam that has a Trophy rock in front of it, and I still have some deer coming to it !
Click to expand...

And that's the crazy part yamaha200. On some properties, Trophy Rock will see some usage all year round. On other properties, Trophy Rocks are purely a spring/summer attractant. I've never been able to figure out why this difference exists.
Click to expand...
BSK, you might think it could have something to do with the amount of minierls available. Some areas might not hardly have any, there for they use them year round ?
 
i just went and pulled the card again and still haven't seen any deer around it.

they might start hitting it again before season is over then i might get a shot at a buck or two before season is over.
 
Like everyone else said your not going to get much use of it this time of year. Now my experience with Trophy rocks has not been good. I bought one and put it along one of my funnels thinking they would hammer it. Well after two years the place where I've been putting just good ol' co-op salt blocks has been dug up while the trophy rocks location has been mostly passed by.
 
yamaha200 said:
BSK said:
yamaha200 said:
I pulled a card Tuesday out of a cam that has a Trophy rock in front of it, and I still have some deer coming to it !
Click to expand...

And that's the crazy part yamaha200. On some properties, Trophy Rock will see some usage all year round. On other properties, Trophy Rocks are purely a spring/summer attractant. I've never been able to figure out why this difference exists.
Click to expand...
BSK, you might think it could have something to do with the amount of minierls available. Some areas might not hardly have any, there for they use them year round ?
Click to expand...

That would make a lot of biological sense yamaha200. But I see drastic differences in seasonal salt-lick usage on properties just a few miles apart. I can't seem to identify any obvious pattern in these differences.
 
I've kept cameras out year round over mineral licks since 2004 and while my deer do use them year round, useage drops drastically after about October. I get something like 10% to 25% the number of photos after October compared to Spring & Summer.

I've rarely used pure salt though, prefering something with minerals or protein that will really help the deer. I have never used the Trophy Rock. Not sure of the salt/mineral content - just haven't gotten around to looking at them. I mostly use either Rack-Up from Evolved HAbitat or 30-06 by Whitetail Institute. Neither of these has excessive salt and hopefully will help at least somewhat in growing larger antlers.
 
Useage definitely declines in colder weather. I too have tried most everything and the best for my money is, loose trace mineral salt. Costs a fraction of what TR does and i get a lil better usage with the Trace mineral salt.
 
Mine was being hit hard from the day I put it out to exactly one week before general rifle when all activity stopped except for a raccoon and a coyote. Nothing until last week when it picked up from near nothing to a little doe activity. This property is not hunted bow or MZ season.
 

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