Replenishing mineral sites using livestock salt blocks

Despite the heat today, I put in a little sweat equity using a wheelbarrow to move 132 pounds of livestock blocks to 4 of my mineral sites. I break the blocks with a hammer so that the deer are not wary of the full blocks.
I had to wear long sleeves, jeans and a hat with a hood ( & bug spray) to keep away the bugs. Lots of mosquitoes and deer flies!
The 3 blocks cost me $30 and will last until October. As you can see, the deer have been hitting the sites pretty good this spring.
Who else is enhancing their mi teal sites to keep the deer around?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149864...res/4cC8tBV4zP

I use water softener salt cost about 10-20 bucks for 40 pounds.

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Originally Posted by overyonder

I use water softener salt cost about 10-20 bucks for 40 pounds.

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At $15 for 40 pounds the cost for softener salt is $2.67/pound
My minerals were $30 for 132 pounds or $.23/pound.

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Originally Posted by JMatthews

At $15 for 40 pounds the cost for softener salt is $2.67/pound
My minerals were $30 for 132 pounds or $.23/pound.

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The other way around;) 15 $:40 lbs = 0.375 $/lbs
Still-your purchase is much cheaper:thumbup:

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Originally Posted by JMatthews

At $15 for 40 pounds the cost for softener salt is $2.67/pound
My minerals were $30 for 132 pounds or $.23/pound.

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Originally Posted by gbk

The other way around;) 15 $:40 lbs = 0.375 $/lbs
Still-your purchase is much cheaper:thumbup:

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If you buy your blocks at the feed mill they are also tax (HST) free. Softener salt not so much.

I’ve been putting out trace mineral blocks for many years. I bury them with just the top exposed and I found that they dissolve quickly. When establishing a new site, I also put out a bit of deer feed to attract them to the site and it doesn’t take long for deer to start frequenting the area. The salt lingers in the ground a long time so I only replenish every 2 years, which is probably too soon.

$35 for 20 lb bucket of loose mineral. Top up in April when I'm turkey hunting and usually once more in August. Bucket lasts 2 years. 600 pics last week of 3 does that have been bedding in the deadfall nearby as I've spooked them twice already this year.

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Originally Posted by gbk

The other way around;) 15 $:40 lbs = 0.375 $/lbs
Still-your purchase is much cheaper:thumbup:

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You are correct! Much sharper in the morning! Lol

I put out a brown trace mineral block every year same spot, gets hit all year, especially spring and summer. Got a hole wore/ate below the lick about 4 feet around and a foot deep now.
John

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Originally Posted by cantgetright

$35 for 20 lb bucket of loose mineral. Top up in April when I'm turkey hunting and usually once more in August. Bucket lasts 2 years. 600 pics last week of 3 does that have been bedding in the deadfall nearby as I've spooked them twice already this year.

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Where do you get your minerals and what mixture are you using?

You'll get a much longer life out of the blocks if you don't break them into bits. Appearance of block doesn't affect the deer on my property. I'll get about 6 months out of one block.

If it is a block,itt will last longer on the surface -but the salt itself does not disappear.Deer will eat the soil,where the salt leached.
Same-if salt is poured over,or block of salt is placed on a stump-stump will be gone in no time too.

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Originally Posted by gbk

If it is a block,itt will last longer on the surface -but the salt itself does not disappear.Deer will eat the soil,where the salt leached.
Same-if salt is poured over,or block of salt is placed on a stump-stump will be gone in no time too.

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Yes, I agree that the dissolved salt will be absorbed into the soil and deer will seek it out (lick/eat) long after the block disappears. I only replenish every 2 years and I suspect that the interval can be extended to 3 years on well-established sites.

I'm always surprised how often the snowshoe hare come for a lick of salt when I check my game cams. Mr. Porky likes a lick as well.

Yeah I haven't seen blocks that cheap around here.

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Originally Posted by JMatthews

Where do you get your minerals and what mixture are you using?

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I use rackstacker blaze.

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Originally Posted by overyonder

Yeah I haven't seen blocks that cheap around here.

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I bought mine at Peavey Mart.

You Guys are all wrong ....
About the salt or mineral lick ....
Here is mine .... Last 6-8 years
Attachment 44836

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Originally Posted by alfoldivandor

You Guys are all wrong ....
About the salt or mineral lick ....
Here is mine .... Last 6-8 years
Attachment 44836

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Don’t tell the deer that I am doing it wrong! lol
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...27b4c28e46.jpg

Lol ....

Attachment 44837

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Originally Posted by JMatthews

Don’t tell the deer that I am doing it wrong! lol
https://www.flickr.com/photos/149864...res/kS306AU6dS

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Originally Posted by overyonder

I use water softener salt cost about 10-20 bucks for 40 pounds.

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Water softener is just salt... Mineral blocks contain sodium, zinc, iron, copper, manganese, cobalt iodine.
10 bucks for 50 lbs is the regular price for livestock blocks at TSC / Peavey mart.

I use cow mineral and dry molasses from my local feed store.

Trace mineral blocks are good but any kind of salt is better than nothing. I have two stumps on either side of my 50 acre woods that I feed every once in a while, The ground around the stumps gets worked over from them pawing and licking the dirt. Sometimes I throw out some treats like apples or deer feed.