Summer Whitetail Work and Mineral Sites

We are into summer and the temps are up. We have made a few trips to the farm to check trail cams and freshen up our Deer30 mineral sites. This past weekend we had beautiful weather and had some time to trim up a few trails and stand locations. We are hoping to move a few sets and add a few new stand locations over the next few weeks. This will hopefully allow us to stay out of the woods except a few time to check trail cameras and mineral sites before bow season kicks off in early September. With this being our second year on the lease and the first year being mostly information gathering, I have gone strictly with Deer30 mineral on the property. This mineral is unlike any other I have used and the deer absolutely tear it up. I don’t care if its an established site or a brand new one it doesn’t take them long to find it and constantly revisit the site. All my Deer30 sites on the farm are brand new and the results have been very good so far. I established 4 new sites this year on the 165 acre farm. I strategically picked locations across different areas of the farm in an attempt to attract as many deer as possible, this has also allowed me to track deer movements and start an inventory of the deer on the property. I am anticipating adding one additional site to cover an area along the road that has g potential to catch traveling deer.

It is very simple to start a mineral site using Deer30 and we have seen excellent results starting all our sites in this way. When I start a new site I look for an area where there is good deer activity, if you can find a trail, intersection of trails, or pinch point you will find the deer quickly visit the sites and return regularly. Once you find your desired location all you will need is a rake or stick to clear a circular area about 3 to 4 feet across. Clear the area of debris and pour the mineral over the cleared area just enough to lightly cover the dirt with a thin layer of mineral. We have also cleared areas around dead stumps and poured mineral over the stump and cleared earth, we have seen very good results here as well. Once you have covered the cleared area with mineral you are done. Set up your trail camera and wait for the pictures to stack up. Most times the deer are visiting the new site the same day. After the site is established you’ll only need to revisit it about every 3 to 4 weeks to freshen up the site with new mineral and while your there take the opportunity to change out SD cards and batteries on your trail cameras. You may ask when should I put out mineral? There can be a lot of variables and opinions about this. I can tell you that I typically start new sites or freshen up my established sites once the hunting season is over, for us that is January 31st and I will regularly freshen up my sites until the bow season starts in early September. I like to have the mineral out when I think the deer need it most, that starts with recovery from the rut and during the winter and carries the doe through fawning and the bucks through the antler growing season. I have noticed that once the antler growing season is finishing up in early September activity at the sites slow down. This time of year the fields are full and the deer have plenty of soy beans, corn and grain to eat. At this point the deer don’t require as much mineral because they are getting plenty of nutrition in their diets. I do however out of personal preference try to freshen up my mineral sites one time during the season just as the pre-rut is kicking off. If you follow these steps I think you will achieve your desired results and after a few years as I hope to see on our lease, have bigger healthier deer. Providing minerals is just one small step in growing a healthier deer herd, but its a good first step in starting to grow your herd. Get out in the woods and establish your new mineral sites. Check out Deer30 mineral you won’t be disappointed in the results. Tell the guys at Deer30 you heard about them from Jarvis Outdoors. Until next time get out in the woods and stay safe!

Chris

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