Mineral Sights and Why they are Important

I will usually begin putting out my mineral in March, but it’s really never to late to get it out, in my opinion.  I use minerals for several different reasons.

1. To keep my deer healthy by providing them with the trace minerals they need.
2. To get the most out of antler growth.
3. To keep does healthy during their fawning period so in return their fawns are healthy.
4. Finally, to help get an inventory of what bucks are around the property I will be hunting.

I tend to run my cameras over mineral stations during the months of July and August, so I like to put my mineral on field edges where I can access my cameras easy without bumping many deer.  I will usually try and put the sights next to soybean fields or alfalfa field where deer will be frequenting anyway.

With so many types of minerals and attractants on the market, it is really tough to choose what to use. I usually lean towards using more of a mineral than an attractant, something containing lots of different trace minerals.  Antlers are made up of many different types of minerals, but they tend to contain more calcium and phosphorous. I more often lean towards these products because I feel they are doing more for the deer than an attractant. Attractants are just what they say they are; they attract deer.  Attractants can also be a great way to pull deer in to your cameras to take inventory.

Minerals not only help bucks to reach there full potential of growth, but they also help does with fawns to stay healthy and to help produce more milk.  If we can get a healthy fawn from the start our deer herd is going to be much better off.

Now, how many mineral sights should a hunter or land manager have?  I’ve heard a lot of people say one mineral station for every 80 acres of ground.  Is there really a right answer to that question?  I’m not sure.  I tend to have 1 per 40 acres or sometimes even more.  A lot of it, to me, seems like personal preference.