THE TRUTH ABOUT DEER MINERALS & ANTLER GROWTH- Homemade VS Store Brands 

I'm in NW GA myself. Depending on what part of the state your coming from, it may be a totally different world in the deer woods. And you're right, it is a lot more cost effective compared to name brands and you can tweak it to be as nutritional as you want. Thanks for watching and responding and good luck in the deer woods.

Thanks for the kind response. I tried finding straight di-cal, but no one had it locally so this was my only option. It's actually a good ratio of around 14-17% calcium and 4% phosphorus and a bunch of other beneficial minerals and vitamins. The dried molasses is a great idea that I initially wanted to do too, but it just wouldn't have been cost effective, even in bulk. It's around $50 per 50lbs. I agree, the extra salt wasn't really needed, but that's what they are actually after and they love this mix more than anything I've tried. A lot of people question the oats because it's not much quanity wise, but most people don't realize how nutritious oats are, even in small quantities. Just half a cup of raw oats isCalories: 389 Water: 8% Protein: 16.9 grams Carbs: 66.3 grams Sugar: 0 grams Fiber: 10.6 grams Fat: 6.9 grams. Alone, it's not much, but coupled with food plots, feeders, natural browse, etc. It helps get those bucks closer and/or above to those needed daily values that growing antlers need. Cheap source of protien and an easy way for those who don't have plots or feeders that want to feel like their adding value to their herds nutritional needs. Thanks for watching and taking the time to respond. I enjoy the feedback and sharing ideas with others 👍

He's the one I took too long to decide to shoot last year. Should have a few more decent ones show up once they get off summer pattern. Ive got to take some does out this year. 3 weeks until bow in Georgia!

Thanks, I appreciate that.

No doubt

Thanks, I appreciate that

Thanks for watching. Hope you found the information useful 👍

Yeah, used to be the same here in north Georgia. You could bait in the southern half of the state, but not the northern. But the whole state allows it now. I have never hunted over bait, though I might try it this year. Thanks for watching

Man, I was going to pin this comment too until you bashed me 😉 Kidding.... Thanks for the kind words and feedback of any kind is always welcomed. Oats, even in small amounts are highly nutritional . Just a 1/4-cup of dry steel cut oats offer 5 grams of protein , 150 calories, 2.5 grams of fat, 27 grams of carbs, 15% of fiber, and 10% iron. With that said, I understand they aren't getting that much witheach serving , but this isn't meant to be a stand alone protein source. I use this along with feeders and food plots, on top of their natural browse diet. This is just a cheap way of "boosting" their protein levels and making the homemade mix a little more healthy and attractive. Especially for those who cant afford to truly supplement with protein feed or who don't have the benefits of food plots.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have been interested in the medicated stuff for deer for awhile, but I've seen where some wildlife biologist fear that the deer may overdose, or the meds may lead to a resistance over time. In turn, it's possible the worms and other parasites build up an immunity to the meds and it eventually creates a super bug. Just the same as lice has evolved to otc topical treatments, they now require a stronger prescription shampoo prescribed by a Doctor🤪 Same with some flea meds for dogs/cats, viruses, and bacterial infections in humans and how plants become resistant to glyphosate. It makes sense when you think about it. But again, this is something I'm definitely interested in and I could see it improving the health in deer herds. I just want to see how it plays out overtime before I do something that could backfire in the future. Thanks for watching and leaving feedback. Much appreciated👍

Good question and I'm sure others have wondered the same thing. I used the Purina Cattle Mineral as a substitute for dicalcium phosphate. I couldn't find straight di cal near me at the time and I believe that had around 20-25% di cal in it. Thanks for watching👍

lol Yea man, you know I dont mind. If Im home Ill stop by. Ive been mia for awhile, but getting back into the swing of things. Appreciate the support!

Dicalcium Phosphate

1 part stalk salt, 1 part di-cal (dicalcium phosphate), 2 parts trace minerals, 1/4 lb cherry Kool-aid (from the little barrels of kool-aid) per 50 lbs of mineral, and about 10-12oz of oats👍

Thanks for the recommendation. Deer are just about ready to get off the minerals though, but I will definitely check it out and make a note of this for next spring. I actually released this video about 4 months later than I wanted 😆

I get this question a lot, but It was just an old photo backdrop I used for my RU-vid studio/office.. A lot of people are building these walls from Vinyl/plank/laminate flooring though. Ive seen some do it with pallet wood too.

Yes, the minerals will leach into the ground and the deer will eat it and or whatever you put it on. You can use blocks, but I prefer granular. It's easier to transport, you can use a little or a lot, and easier to spread across multiple sites, and it's usually better ingredients. Both blocks and granular may look like it's gone after a few rains and use by deer, but remember, it's just dissolving into the ground and the deer will continue to use that site for awhile. Put a trail camera on it and let the deer tell you if they like it, if it's drying up, if you need to move to another spot etc. Spring and summer is best time for minerals as they usually taper off late summer early fall.

Most likely, yes. If it's for animal consumption, you should be good👍

All your answers can be found in the video😉 You can feed minerals all year, but you'll see more use during the spring and summer, which is when it's most beneficial to deer. Minerals alone won't grow bigger racks. You need quality food, high in protien. Think along the lines of food plots or feeding protien. Age is also a major factor. You won't see a bucks true potential until he reaches 3-4 years and older. Not sure if you know, but racks stop growing just before they shed their velvet. You want to start pumping them full of protien around spring when their new growth will start. Protien can get expensive and other critters love it too so it's hard to keep them out. If you can, set up a feeder and plant a food plot. Clover is great for that time of year and then you can supplement with minerals and feeders too. I know it's long, but the video is full of useful information on growing racks and minerals. Good luck this season👍

@@StrungOutOutdoors tractor supply should have all the ingredients for the mineral salt? Also, Do you think half 20% protein pellets and half corn is good enough or go all protein pellets?

@@southernaristaeusoutdoor3451 It can be hard to get deer started on protien, especially the pellets. Id start by mixing it with corn at first. Add a little corn, then add a little protien and mix it up. Add more corn then add a little more protien and mix it up. Do this until you fill your feeder that way it's mixed well. Over time, add more protien and less corn until they are eating straight protien. I wouldn't suggest just feeding piles of corn all year though.

I put about 1.5 - 2 cups/kool aid lid per full bucket. Thanks for the support!

I'm not familiar with the product. It depends on what minerals and the % of salt in it. Ideally, you want a "trace mineral mix" to balance this recipe, as they will have a number of targeted minerals we want our herds to have. These minerals help with a number of bodily functions and overall deer health. If you don't have any minerals out, you can dump a general purpose mineral and the deer will more than likely use it. In fact, you can dump just plain stock salt and they will hit it. But you wouldn't really be doing much health wise for your deer. And as you've seen, they do have a preference over what they prefer. Then again, something is better than nothing. Deer in my area are usually off minerals for the most part by the end of August. Thanks for watching and good luck this season👍

Stock salt, trace minerals, and dicalcium phosphate (dical)

dicalcium phosphate

@@StrungOutOutdoors Thanks Bud

Tractor supply

It is hard to find in some locations. You can find the cattle mineral I used as a substitute at Tractor Supply. It is 18% calcium and 6% phosphorus plus other minerals. Good luck !

1 part di cal, 1 part stock salt, 2 parts trace minerals, 1 cap of kool aid, half a canister of oats.

@@StrungOutOutdoors j

That it is what I used to substitute for di-cal in this video. No one locally had any di-cal in stock at the time. If you can't find it locally, check online, or use a high calcium substitute.👍

@@StrungOutOutdoors ty for the info I can't find di cal anywhere myself so I will try that

I live and do the majority of my hunting in the Ridge and Valley. But I hunt different regions every year. Hunted in Piedmont some this year and the Lower Coastal last year. Blue Ridge every once in awhile since it's so close to home.

Check with your local feed stores, co-op, or Tractor Supply. It can be hard to find in some areas. If they don't have, maybe they'll order it for you. If not, find an all purpose cattle mineral that is high in dicalcium phosphate.

Then to spice things up add half a cup of lucky buck

Yeah, they preferred the mix before I added oats in the past also. Deer are pretty intune with their body and their needs, but to answer your other questions, the answer is yes and no. If we were to break down minerals into categories of macro nutrients ( calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium) which they use in large amounts. And micro nutrients ( selenium, cobalt, copper, zinc, iodine, iron, manganese ) which require smaller amounts, we can have a better understanding. Heavy metal minerals, like copper and selenium, and some others can be toxic to deer if given in high dosage. Some mixes purposely add higher amounts of these to correct deficiency. Your common mixes don't add so much. So while a deer may only require a daily intake of around 20-40 ppm (parts per million) they can actually tolerate much higher amounts in the range up towards 200 ppm. Speaking of copper, it's been thought that a deficiency in it can trigger chronic wasting disease. So yes, it can be bad if overdone, but free range deer aren't likely going to overdose on minerals unless you really screw the ratios up. On top of that, the minerals eventually leach into the ground becoming harder to consume. Salt is actually what the deer are after. They crave it during the spring and summer because of a sodium deficiency in their diet from the sudden onset of all the greens introduced to their diet at that time from spring green up. Typically deer get off minerals just before fall and sint actively seek them until next spring or if they are having rough winters. When done properly, minerals are very beneficial to a herd. Think of it as a daily vitamin for deer 👍 Thanks for watching and I appreciate your concern for wildlife.

Oats = protein

Yes,I understand that oats are good for deer. I have put out plain salt(years ago) and mineral for years. I also do so supplemental feeding. It has been my understanding that mineral and feeding should be kept separate. I think your recipe speaks for itself in your video, but I also think it might be just as effective without the oats. I don’t know for sure. Good video,I enjoyed watching.

Probably for concern of digestion issues, overeating, or mineral toxicity? I think we're well in the clear. Thanks for watching 👍

🤣👍

Dicalcium phosphate

I hear ya and I looked into the product, but I couldn't find a label for percentages or ingredients. Their livestock product however was only 0.4% calcium. Natural is always good, but not necessarily the best. Depending on the percentage and ingredients, it may well be a good alternative to trace minerals, but at $55 per 50 lbs, I'm not sure it would be more cost effective, especially if one has to deal with shipping costs. I run multiple mineral sites from February til around August/September, or until they get off the minerals and it's hard to beat how cost effective it is with this method. Most of these products can be had for around $20-$25 per 40-50 lb bags. Then when you mix it, it just stretches the product that much further. I thought of sunflowers and other cheap high protien alternatives , but the birds, squirrels, racoons, and other critters find them and eat them in a few mins, whereas the oats seem to go mostly unnoticed. I don't intend to fully supplement my herds protein needs with this mix, no. This is more of a "booster" to go along with my plots and their natural browse. Or just an easy cheap alternative for people who can't afford protien that want to offer it to their deer. But oats are anywhere from 10-14% protein and just 1/4 of a cup of dried steal oats packs a lot of nutrition with 5 grams of protien, 150 calories, 27 grams of carbs, 15% fiber, 2.5 grams of fat, and 10% iron. Most people don't have food plots, or feeders and can't afford a quality protien mix, or the store brands wanting $20 for a 3lb bag. And if one really wanted, they could spread this mix, or whatever minerals they wanted in a spreader. I know once Missouri put a ban on mineral blocks that Grant Woods would broadcast minerals into his food plot. Honestly it's not a bad idea, but I prefer mineral pits. I do appreciate you feedback and will keep a look out for the seaagri in local stores as I would like to compare labels and if there is enough of a difference in desirable minerals to justify the cost, I will definitely use it in place of my current trace minerals.

Sounds like you’re an expert. How about making some videos to share your vast wealth of knowledge

It's natural yes, but it's still 91-96% salt. Has very little other minerals. Here is a link for you to check the content label. Click here and zoom in www.google.com/search?q=trophy+rock+ingredients&prmd=sivn&sxsrf=ALeKk0368CYgUWnGtGLAAiWRgXsr8R7Ksg:1611804069968&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjq6aI1r3uAhUHTd8KHUZbAUcQ_AUoAnoECBUQAg&biw=412&bih=718&dpr=2.63#imgrc=zY4I9sm2nWiQpM

I dunno, I haven't had to buy anything in over 2 seasons, but I'll agree with ya on the molasses part lol

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