Firstly, thanks to everyone who was kind enough to provide insightful and very helpful information in response to my initial post on this forum, asking for guidance and support.

I am going to my buddies house to start preparing the areas surveyed by his three ground blinds. I do not believe he has any natural growing food plots in these areas presently. He does, however, have several feeders that I need to assist with installing. He plans to put corn in these feeders. He also has requested I purchase salt/mineral blocks and an item branded "Lucky Buck," which will be strewn upon the ground. I have some questions to help me prep the area as best as possible.

1 - Has anyone had success with "Lucky Buck?" I will get a bag because it is his property and I am learning from him, and that is what he has requested. But is there something better I should also get a bag or two of?

2 - He is suggesting I get about 3 of the 50 pound salt blocks sold at Tractor Supply for about $7 or so. As far as I can tell, these products are marketed to be used for cattle and other livestock. It seems to be mostly salt. I don't know if it has the other "minerals" found on the similar products marketed to deer hunters, such as "Trophy Rock." The "Trophy Rock" weighs about a 1/3rd as much as the Tractor Supply item, and it costs twice as much. So, I am certainly fine using the better value item, but am I missing out in terms of quality?

3 - My friend says the liquid deer attractants such as "Deer Cane," "Big J," etc. are complete wastes of money, marketing ploys to separate a fool from his money, and has discouraged me from buying them. Would the members of this forum suggest otherwise?

4 - What about the other types of urine/hormone attractants, such as "Tinks?" How are they best used and are they worth using?

5 - Will the different types of feed, minerals and various types of liquid attractants affect the taste of the meat, or will these products be such a small part of the deer's diet that it is inconsequential? For instance, if I could plant certain things in a food plot or dump a bucket of acorns by the blind/stand, would that make the deer meat taste sweeter or less gamy?

6 - Once these items are placed in the field, would I be scaring deer away for a week or so every time I went back into the hunting area to restock the feeders?

7 - I am hunting more for does for meat than bucks. If the products mentioned above such as "Tinks" and the liquid attractants, which are marketed primarily for bucks, work well and bring them into the area, would that possibly scare away does at a certain point of the season.

I am generally the type of person to overdo stuff and buy some of everything. I realize that may not be best for attracting deer.

Thanks again for everyone's help.

IMHO, If you are putting in a fall food plot such as fertilized oats, you can forget all the other attractants and save some money, maybe put in a spring/summer food plot for the pregnant does and the bucks that need extra food to put the weight loss during the rut and antlers shed after the rut.

The question you have asked have libraries about almost each one of them. Not to mention arguments in here for days. But I will deal with your scent related ones here. If you are rifle hunting, as long as you keep a good distance from your hunting area you should not need all of those. For the most part they are a waste. They help SOME in bow hunting. For meat hunting, don't waste your money. Deer are accustomed to human smell from a distance. Stay still. Stay quiet and watch your bait, If deer are use to it, your smell wont be an issue once you dump it and move on. And if you want a decent attractant....See my post labeled Deer Lick!!

Good to see your are excited to begin hunting. To me, the prep and anticipation for the season are hugely enjoyable aspects of the process. And then, of course, sitting in a blind as the sun comes up (or sets) is magnificent, regardless of hunting success.

Like Tigger said above, lots of opinions on your questions. Just find what works for you and go with it. When I started hunting back in the 1970s and 80s, we would go out stalking the woods in blue jeans and maybe a camo shirt. No attractants, scent killers, food plots, blinds, feeders, etc. and we were occasionally successful. Over the years hunting became more complex - and expensive. Funny thing - now that I have been doing it for these past decades, I've gotten simpler again, especially during rifle season. I don't worry much about camo if I am sitting in a blind - more about comfort. Same with scent killers - if sitting in a blind, IMHO, they don't make much difference. Bow season is different, but again, you can run through a bunch of money on the latest product, but if you sit with a favorable wind, you get the same results.

If your buddy wants some Lucky Buck, by all means, go for it. Same with salt/mineral blocks - they will attract deer, but also every varmint and hog around, but that may be okay. Don't worry about changing the flavor of deer meat by what you feed. It will only be a small part of their overall diet anyway. The occasional trip into the hunting area, especially mid-day, to fill feeders is not going to hurt things - just be quiet, quick, and occasional. Throw some corn on the road on the way out and soon enough deer will be thinking your vehicle is a dinner bell.

Good luck and have fun!

Cant beat tinks 69 in the rut

Is this in Georgia? I may be wrong, but IIRC 20 or so years ago Georgia had a regulation against hunting over a deer feeder. Did this change?

Evidently Georgia regs did change. I would not know except another thread from a Georgia guy said it had changed in at least part of the State. He was wanting advice on a "quiet" feeder cause the deer weren't used to the noise and he thought it would scare them. I think.

I was on a ranch back in '97 that had 3 hunters from Georgia hunting for a week. They said you could use a feeder but you could not have a view of the feeder from the stand when you were hunting(or something similar to this). Just had to be out of view...no specific yardage, just out of view from the stand or your location. So those guys just hunted the best trails that went to the feeders.

He can on private land.
http://www.eregulations.com/georgia/hunting/baiting-regulations/

I normally would say the packaged attractants are more for making money off the hunter than for deer hunting, but considering your a guest of the landowner your hunting with, I would buy and use whatever he is asking of you to contribute to the cause. He probably knows better than anyone what has worked on his land in the past. And if it don't, your the guest so just go with it.

Those 3 guys were hunting on private land in Georgia back in '97 that told me about hunting over a feeder. I am guessing it has changed since then.