njbuck22

As spring is here, and after reading about all the QDM issues and helping the herd, along with food plot questions, i was wondering what would be the best thing to do on my property. i own alittle more than 50 acres, so obviously its not the best situation, but i still plan on planting a small food plot in the next couple of weeks. I figure it cant hurt at all and will draw some more deer to the area. My question is, after having dinner with my hunting buddy last night, he was saying that the deer will produce larger racks if i placed mineral or salt licks out. Is this true? If so, do you think it would help? i know that the deer are obviously moving off my property, but the area is lightly hunted and figure it cant hurt. If it will help, how much potential growth could a buck gain from the use of a food plot and mineral lick? What is the best way of going about placing out a mineral lick, just throw it out in the woods, or is more involved than that. Thanks for the input.

M.Magis

From what I understand, there's no evidence to show that mineral licks do anything to promote antler growth. That's not to say they're bad, but they don't do what manufacturers lead us to believe. Salt licks aren't all that benificial, especially for antler growth, but the deer love them. A good food plot, done correctly, will help in growth, but there are far too many variables to take a guess a how much it will help.

adams

If you are using a mineral with lots of protein you can certainly help to supplement a deers diet.

To understand antler development a little better you may want to read this article.
http://www.whitetailinstitute.com/in...s/mar04/8.html

Protein is the key to antler development. It dosen't matter much how the deer ingest it but they need lots of it (18% or more) to reach their full potential.

And were are my manners? Welcome