Tight Lines
Senior Member
That's certainly fine. However, if the goal is have minerals as an attractant, then plain pool salt is all that's needed. I look at minerals as one more piece of the puzzle, and while deer can find most of what they need in their browse, body growth and antler size can be optimized. In the same way that humans can live pretty well on burgers and junk food, it certainly doesn't help with lifespan or the shape of our body.
Completely fair, it's fun to try and figure out what works best, and I think that the scents and minerals in the additives are helpful over pure salt...I do mix in the different things to try and improve the quality of what I'm putting out vs. just an attractant, and I'm also realistic about what I can expect from it.
The three things that create trophies in my opinion are (1) genetics, (2) selective harvest i.e. let them grow and (3) access to high quality food. My mineral supplements and even the food plots and corn won't materially change the herd...it might concentrate them, and I can pattern them, though I don't expect it to miraculously increase bone growth by 25%...