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Salt blocks #8293653 06/13/21 10:22 PM
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Dave Davidson Online Content OP
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I haven’t used them for years. Anybody who does?

Do hogs hit them?


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Boy, if I say "sic em", you'd better look for something to bite. Sam Shelley, Rancher Muleshoe Texas 1892-1985 RIP
Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293657 06/13/21 10:27 PM
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I put out trace mineral blocks. If you can get them above where hogs can reach, deer like them a whole lot more.


...and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Gen. 1:28
Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293703 06/13/21 11:36 PM
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I've never seen evidence that deer use them (on my place). Cattle and hogs eventually find them and wear them down. Quit putting them out many years ago.


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Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293751 06/14/21 12:31 AM
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It really depends on the area you are in since most of Texas has small amounts salt in the soil, water or even in the plants in some cases. In the Hill Country in Kendall county they would hit yellow salt blocks at certain times, Colorado County was the same way with the salt blocks and even mineral licks. I have started using the trace mineral blocks and going to see how they use them this year. I will be putting them inside the feed pens though. Hogs will use any block that is feed, mineral or salt based as a bowling ball.


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Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293756 06/14/21 12:35 AM
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As an experiment we put out brick sized salt blocks in the AZ desert where we hunt. To first attract the deer we dump vanilla an them. Intentionally placed away from game trails the deer did lick the salt and created a trail to it.
We don’t hunt where the salt is as it could be considered baiting.
In TX I mix trace mineral salt into sand to create a lick and both deer and hogs use it regularly.

M

Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293784 06/14/21 01:00 AM
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I have pictures of then working on both salt as well as the salt & Sulphur blocks. I keep both out 24/7 365 for them.


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Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293805 06/14/21 01:12 AM
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Salt blocks last forever, mineral blocks are a hit or miss.


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Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8293806 06/14/21 01:12 AM
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I don't know about salt blocks, but in the woods visible to one of my stands in young county I dumped a bunch of old rock salt that I found cleaning out a storage shed after my dad died. Nothing touched it at first, but eventually as it melted and killed a spot in the vegetation, the deer started hitting it, created a short trail to it, and pawed out a hole eventually. I have since added to the salt hole with purpose and the hole has gotten quite big. It is always covered in deer tracks. Some hog tracks at times, but mostly deer. I have seen deer visit it briefly as they pass through, but not the kind of activity that would make me want to set up salt licks solely as a means to hunt over.

Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8294076 06/14/21 12:53 PM
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Where do you buy these blocks?

Re: Salt blocks [Re: LanceH] #8294416 06/14/21 06:51 PM
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Originally Posted by LanceH
Where do you buy these blocks?


Any feed store or places like Tractor Supply. It is a nutritional supplement for cattle.

Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8294489 06/14/21 08:34 PM
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I've heard ole timers who claim deer use the high salt intake to help fight off parasites but have never seen anything that stated it as fact. I've had no luck with them in East Texas.


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Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8294650 06/14/21 11:09 PM
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We have had better luck using the Tractor Supply recipe for a mineral lick. This is the recipe, prices are old, no telling what the cost is now. Our method was to measure out enough to make 2 batches of 5 gallon buckets at a time. At the time I had a cement mixer, I would use a gallon bucket to measure, 1:2:1 ratio. let the mixer mix it up good, then dump it into a 5 gallon bucket, repeat until it was all mixed ad transferred into 5 gallon buckets. If I remember correctly it makes about 10 buckets worth of mix at 4 gallons of mix in each. .

Quote
WHITETAIL DEER HOMEMADE MINERAL MIX RECIPE
Ingredients: Makes 200 lbs. for about $23.00
1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores.
Comes in 50lb. Bags at around $11.00 you need one bag.
2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loose kind without the medications.
Comes in 50lb bags at around $5.00 you need 2 bags.
1 part stalk salt, ice cream salt
Comes in 50 lb. bags at around $2.00 you need 1 bag.
Directions:
-use a 3 pound or similar size coffee can to use as your measure for each part of the mix.
-mix altogether well but not until ready to use keep ingredients separate until ready to put to use.
-dig or tear up a circle in the soil about 36 inches wide and about 6 inches deep.
-mix your mineral mixture with the soil.
maintenance:
-replenish in 6 months with fresh supply of mineral and then each year there after.


An easy DIY mixer for dry mixes. Forget the motor, 30 minutes of hand spinning is enough. Find used inline skates at Goodwill for a few dollars for the wheels, 3/8 inch bolts make good axles.



Last edited by dogcatcher; 06/14/21 11:42 PM. Reason: add video of DIY mixer

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Re: Salt blocks [Re: Dave Davidson] #8295584 06/15/21 08:31 PM
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I've used the sulfur salt blocks for years with varying success depending on location around the state. I usually toss one out at each feeder location when the previous one is down to nothing. I put inside feed pens where I have them and the locations without the pens there is varying activity by hogs at different locations around the state. My Fairfield place the hogs really roll them around and also dig out big holes in the sand around them but the deer hit them also to some degree.

old rancher told me years ago that he put them out for cattle to cut down on ticks, fleas and flies on his livestock but the deer seemed attracted to them also.


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Re: Salt blocks [Re: dogcatcher] #8299511 06/20/21 12:34 AM
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Originally Posted by dogcatcher
We have had better luck using the Tractor Supply recipe for a mineral lick. This is the recipe, prices are old, no telling what the cost is now. Our method was to measure out enough to make 2 batches of 5 gallon buckets at a time. At the time I had a cement mixer, I would use a gallon bucket to measure, 1:2:1 ratio. let the mixer mix it up good, then dump it into a 5 gallon bucket, repeat until it was all mixed ad transferred into 5 gallon buckets. If I remember correctly it makes about 10 buckets worth of mix at 4 gallons of mix in each. .

Quote
WHITETAIL DEER HOMEMADE MINERAL MIX RECIPE
Ingredients: Makes 200 lbs. for about $23.00
1 part Di-calcium phosphate, this is a dairy feed additive bought at feed stores.
Comes in 50lb. Bags at around $11.00 you need one bag.
2 parts Trace mineral salt, the red and loose kind without the medications.
Comes in 50lb bags at around $5.00 you need 2 bags.
1 part stalk salt, ice cream salt
Comes in 50 lb. bags at around $2.00 you need 1 bag.
Directions:
-use a 3 pound or similar size coffee can to use as your measure for each part of the mix.
-mix altogether well but not until ready to use keep ingredients separate until ready to put to use.
-dig or tear up a circle in the soil about 36 inches wide and about 6 inches deep.
-mix your mineral mixture with the soil.
maintenance:
-replenish in 6 months with fresh supply of mineral and then each year there after.


An easy DIY mixer for dry mixes. Forget the motor, 30 minutes of hand spinning is enough. Find used inline skates at Goodwill for a few dollars for the wheels, 3/8 inch bolts make good axles.




I was going to use this mix but in my area I cannot find Di-calcium phosphate. I called every feed store, they knew what it was but do not stock it. I even talked to the people at the dairy farm nearby.
So I’m using just Trace Mineral Salt.

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