How To Do A Mineral Lick

elfiii

Admin
Staff member
1 bag Deer Caine Black Magic
1 50 lb bag of trace mineral
1 50 lb bag di-calcium phosphate
1 gal feed grade molasses (powdered will work too and make less of a mess)

Dig a hole 4' in diameter about 8-10" deep. Be sure to bust up the loose soil, especially if there is high clay content.

Mix the trace mineral first with the dirt from the hole. Add the di-cal and mix, then the Black Magic. When all of that is mixed in the loose soil add your molasses and turn the soil some more.

Raise the sides of your mineral lick so there is a depression in the middle to catch rain water.

If you have a creek nearby, a 5 gallon bucket of creek water poured in the hole will get your lick started.

Once the ingredients have all dissolved and there is no visible sign of them the lick will be legal to hunt over. That will be a waste of your time since most activity on mineral licks occurs between late March to mid August during antler growth. You will most likely get very little activity at the lick from September through the winter.

The best time to start a lick is late February. That gives the minerals time to dissolve in the soil and "cool off" a little bit. Until the lick has "cooled" you won't get much activity.

Depending on the activity at the lick you may need to "freshen" it up in early June with another bag of Deer Caine. Just spread it in the existing hole. There is no need to turn the soil again. Doing so before a rain is always best.

Clay soils work the best and require the least amount of maintenance. Sandy soils tend to allow the minerals to leech out fairly quickly and require regular "freshening up".

I have one lick that is 6 years old. I added a bag of Black Magic to it at the first of last year. It is currently about 6' across and 14" deep and the deer continue to hit it.

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elfiii

Admin
Staff member
Mine ain't quite that big yet.:bounce:
 

Cropslx

Senior Member
How much for all the ingredients to your recipe?

Thanks for the info!
 

elfiii

Admin
Staff member
How much for all the ingredients to your recipe?

Thanks for the info!

No more than $50, depending on where you buy the ingredients.

You can get the trace mineral and di-cal at almost every feed and seed. You can order the Black Magic and Molasses online at BPS or Cabelas or Amazon or go pick it up. Some feed and seeds carry it as a seasonal item. If so, go ahead and buy next Spring's supply since they most likely won't have it then.

Once the lick is established all you need to do is freshen it up each year. It's a lot cheaper than corn, it lasts a lot longer and you aren't in there stinking up the site with your scent restocking your feeders. You only need the molasses once to start them coming to the lick. After that you can drop the molasses and just use the trace mineral, di-cal and Black Magic.

My soil is high clay content and it does a good job of holding the trace mineral and di-cal, so I do the trace mineral and di-cal every other year and on the off years just sweeten the licks with 1 bag of Black Magic. I have two active licks right now and they pull the deer in every year, all year from March to September.

Location is important too. Don't put the lick on an active trail. Locate it near the trail. If you have food plots, locate the lick on the perimeter of the plot away from where you intend to hunt the plot from. The reason should be obvious.:D
 

papachaz

Senior Member
thanks elfii, great post! I thought the purpose of the deer cane stuff was that it had all the ingredients you needed in it? I'm also curious about hunting over it in the northern zone, I know what the regs say about 'visible', but have also heard stories of GW's taking soil samples to prove there was something put out as bait. maybe they're just that, stories
 

elfiii

Admin
Staff member
thanks elfii, great post! I thought the purpose of the deer cane stuff was that it had all the ingredients you needed in it? I'm also curious about hunting over it in the northern zone, I know what the regs say about 'visible', but have also heard stories of GW's taking soil samples to prove there was something put out as bait. maybe they're just that, stories

I wouldn't put too much stock in the Black Magic having everything, plus it will "play out" even though it is concentrated. The trace mineral and di-cal is what will keep them coming. That's where you place your bet.;)

Make sure you use the Black Magic. I tried their regular "white powder" and it dissolves and dissipates fast and the deer don't seem to like it as much as the Black Magic.

Yes, they are just "stories". Once the minerals are all completely dissolved into the soil and no longer visible you are good to go. The law is clear. It specifically says "visible". That's why you don't use a mineral block unless you are just too lazy to dig the hole.:D I got a friend who hunts with us on occassion who is a GW. If it wasn't legal the only reason he would come on my property would be to write me a ticket.;)

Fair Warning - If this drought persists in Georgia you're going to have problems with the whole "dissolve" thing. That's another reason it is important to establish the lick in late February while there is some rain. The Black Magic will dissolve fast but it will take several months for the trace mineral granules and the di-cal to completely dissolve and be absorbed by the soil. That's why prepping the hole right is important. A hard pan clay bottom in your hole is not conducive to absorption. The deer will still come either way.

Once the lick is well established you are going to get that "hard pan" bottom in your hole if your soil is high clay content and it is likely to be wet or damp. A mattock and a shovel should be sufficient to bust it up loose enough to mix in your "freshener" minerals. You will likely have more mineral than soil showing at first but if your hole is deep enough standing rain water will take care of everything else.

Now you know everything there is to know about mineral licks.:rofl::rofl::rofl:
 

papachaz

Senior Member
thanks again elfii!

I've seen holes dug out where mineral blocks were put, so I have no doubts about what you're saying. I've seen the deer cane but never used it, of course their advertising says it's all ya need, LOL I wouldn't expect it say anything else.

We're trying to decide if we're going to keep this lease for next year. I've already decided if we are, I'm going to do a permanent mineral lick as you've described. I know for a fact one of the neighbors has a corn feeder, so he can keep em fattened up, I'll keep em healthy :)

beside, the hardwood bottoms we have are mostly white oaks, and they're gonna bypass his corn to get to them when they start falling
 

elfiii

Admin
Staff member
beside, the hardwood bottoms we have are mostly white oaks, and they're gonna bypass his corn to get to them when they start falling

That would be where I'd put my lick. Maybe back on the edge of one of those bottoms and away from his corn feeders. ;)
 

Lukikus2

Senior Member
Great thread Elfiii


here is one that has been around for a while....

I had one that looked like that after a few years right in the middle of a briar thicket on the edge of a food plot. Only two of us even knew it existed since you had to crawl through the thicket to get to it. ;)
 

bhdawgs

Senior Member
Nothing against the OP but you can do it for a lot cheaper than this but going to your local Ag supply store and buying a trace mineral block for about $6... we have established mineral piles on our hunting land which they come to 365 days a year doing it this way.
 

gtmcwhorter

Senior Member
A friend of mine and his dad have a company in Augusta called deer-lix. Make an awesome lick product that grows some monster racks. Look them up!
 

kmckinnie

BOT KILLER MODERATOR
Staff member
I do about the same kind of hole.
Does anyone know what a bots fly is? I have killed a few deer with the larve in there nose and throat, does anyone know of anything you could add to kill this in the deer throat & nose?
 

fairplayboy

Senior Member
40# Brown cattle mineral block at Tractor Supply. $9.00 Has all the trace minerals in it. Deer love it. Dig a shallow hole Pour some molesses on it. Done.
 

willc2412

Senior Member
So your saying you dig the hole, then you completly fill the hole with trace mineral and dirt, then put the di cal in and mix up the dirt some more, then the black magic and lossen dirt again, and the molasses on top?
 

BornToHuntAndFish

Senior Member
Good job on the mineral licks folks.
 

Killdee

Senior Member
Yall need to read what a trace mineral block is, 97% salt, 3% trace minerals. And dont expect to grow huge racks from a bag of anything, a good mineral supply can help overall health but it dont grow antlers. Dont believe me, research it. They are great places to get trailcam pics though.
 
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