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Salt Blocks For Deer

For many years salt blocks have been used to attract deer to properties all across the country. Salt blocks for livestock and deer alike have revealed the existence of several big bucks that otherwise would not have been possible. It’s been debated whether or not salt is a mineral that is high on a whitetail’s dietary needs, or if they simply like the taste. One thing that cannot be argued, however, is that salt blocks are a cheap and effective way to attract deer to a certain location on your hunting property. Another option, other than salt blocks, is to use a deer mineral like Monster Raxx Trophy Minerals.

Before issuing a salt block on your hunting property remember to check and make sure it is legal in your state. Some states allow salt blocks to be put our year around, others restrict their use during the deer hunting season, while some ban their use altogether. Check with your state’s hunting and fishing agency before you even think about buying a salt block for your hunting property.

Pros and Cons of Using Salt Blocks For Deer

There are several advantages to using salt blocks on your hunting property. For one, they are simply a great way to attract deer to your hunting spots. They are also relatively inexpensive and last long after the actual salt block is consumed. Spring and summer rains will cause salt to leach out of the actual block and seep into the ground. After your block has been consumed the deer will paw and eat the dirt in order to get to the salt.

If you place a trail camera over your salt block you can gain useful information regarding the quality of the deer on your hunting property. During the summer months salt licks are one of the best ways to capture mature bucks on your trail cams. This allows you to gather an inventory of the bucks you will want to target come fall.

Salt blocks are also a fun way to interact with deer outside of the hunting season. Since the majority of your salt block’s use will come during the spring and summer when deer are relaxed and calm, you may be able watch deer use your salt block from a distance and be able to photograph them or capture them on video.

If baiting is legal in your state salt blocks can also be used as potential bait during the early season. Salt blocks are much cheaper and last longer than corn or other forms of bait and since the deer have been using them during the summer months, they will feel comfortable using them during daylight when you will be able to hunt them.

Unfortunately there are also some disadvantages when it comes to salt block use as well. When compared to the other deer mineral supplements available on the market today they simply can’t compare in terms of nutritional value. Today’s deer mineral supplements offer several important vitamins and minerals that benefit antler grow such as protein, calcium and phosphorous. Salt blocks are composed of nearly 98% salt, a mineral that contributes very little towards antler growth.

Steady consumption of salt also has negative effects on a whitetail’s diet. The more salt they consume, naturally the thirstier they will get and will thus drink more water. Their increased water consumption will fill space in their stomachs that could and should be occupied with the nutritious forages and browse that is plentiful during spring and summer. Disease is also more easily spread at salt block locations because several deer will congregate in a small place over time. This means deer will be feeding in other deer’s urine and feces and this close contact can result in rapid disease transmission.

When to Put Out a Salt Block For Deer

Once you have weighed the pros and cons of salt blocks and determined that it is in fact legal to put out a salt block on your hunting property to attract deer, it’s up to you to decide when. Most deer hunters and managers being putting out the salt blocks on their property during early spring and leave them throughout the summer and in to early fall. Deer will frequent your salt block locations the most during these times. More precisely, most deer hunters place their salt blocks out in March when the antler process is just beginning and whitetails are craving any deer minerals they can get to replenish their system after a long, tough winter. Consumption will steadily increase throughout the spring and increase during the summer months when the heat will increase the deer’s need and craving for salt.

Where to Put a Salt Block For Deer

Using a salt block to attract and hold deer on your hunting property isn’t hard. In order to ensure that a lot of deer, especially bucks, utilize your salt block station the location is critical. Any spot you place a salt block will attract deer to that area, but you will need to take it a step further than that if you are looking to attract mature bucks to your property.

When determining your salt block location try putting yourself in deer hunting mode and think accordingly. During the deer hunting season you are going to hunt areas where deer frequently visit and feel comfortable, right? Well, apply the same logic when placing salt blocks on your hunting property. You want your salt blocks to be in places deer will visit frequently during daytime hours and feel safe and secure doing so. This could mean along well traveled trails between bedding and feeding areas, in the timber off of food plots, on the fringe of bedding areas or near a water source.

Your salt block should be placed in an area you can easily access in case you want to monitor results. If you decide to place a trail camera over your salt block to check the inventory of your deer herd, you want to be able to easily and quietly access your salt block station without disturbing your property too much. Take these ideas and apply them to your hunting situation.

How to Put Out a Salt Block For Deer

Once you have decided where you are going to put your salt blocks it’s time to get out in the woods and get your stations going! When you have a spot picked out take a rake with you to clean out any leafy debris or other vegetation so deer can find and utilize your salt block easier. Also, once the deer find your salt block location and it becomes established deer will dig around the salt block and actually eat the soil that has been impregnated with salt from rainfall. The longer your salt block has been established the deeper they will dig the hole. It’s really quite fascinating to see just how hard whitetails will work and dig for the salt!

While it may seem like you just take a salt block out in the woods and place wherever suits your fancy there is one important step you should take before doing so. While it’s certainly not necessary to take a scent free shower before placing your salt blocks in the woods any scent control step you can take the better. It is recommended to always wear rubber boots and rubber gloves when placing or monitoring your salt blocks. This little step goes a long way in ridding your salt block location of human scent.

If you want to take your scent control a step further scent free clothing can be worn or you can at least spray down your regular clothes with a scent eliminator. Keep in mind you want deer to feel comfortable at your salt block station so they will ultimately feel safe on your property. Any step you can take to avoid tipping off your existence the better.

How Many Salt Blocks Should I Put Out on My Property?

When trying to determine how many salt blocks to put out on your hunting property, you should first consider a couple of things. First, you must take into account how big your hunting property is. If you own as much as 500 acres then 2 salt blocks may not be enough to attract a lot of deer or benefit the deer already on your property. Conversely, if you own as little as 50 acres it doesn’t make much sense to place three salt blocks on your hunting property because one or two may not be used and you will have wasted your money. Another factor to keep in mind is how many deer you have on your hunting property. The more deer that use your property the more salt blocks you might consider putting out and vice versa.

That being said, if you own or lease a sizeable tract of the general rule for the number of salt blocks on your hunting property is one per 50 acres. This allows your entire deer herd to benefit from a salt block and allows you to gain excellent inventory of the bucks on your hunting property provided you run trail cameras over your salt blocks. By spacing your salt blocks out every 50 acres or so, you are also decreasing the possibility of disease transmission. More salt blocks available over a large tract of land will allow for less deer to utilize each spot increasing that block’s use but more importantly lessening the potential of disease spread.

Trail Cameras and Salt Blocks

Salt blocks have almost become synonymous with trail cameras in the past decade since trail cameras have become wildly popular in the hunting community. There are several deer management advantages that can be gained by placing trail cameras over your hunting property. You can get an inventory of the bucks using your property, better determine your doe to buck ratio as well determine fawn recruitment during the summer.

To receive the best results when using trail cameras and salt blocks simultaneously try to be as scent free as possible. Just like when establishing your salt blocks you don’t want to alarm deer to your presence and cause them to become wary or your salt block or worse yet avoid the area altogether. Again, this means wearing rubber boots and rubber gloves and spraying down with a scent eliminator anytime you check your trail camera. If possible, wear clothes that have been washed in a scent free detergent as well. It may sound extreme, but if you are hoping to get pictures and gain information about mature bucks then these steps are almost necessary.

If possible consider using an infrared trail camera to further lower the risk of alarming deer. Whether or not the flash of certain trail cameras spooks deer is up for debate, but it is still better to be safe than sorry. It is important to remember that mature bucks won’t tolerate much human pressure and a sudden, bright flash is something you want to avoid.

Should you own a large enough tract and have multiple salt blocks, rotate your camera among the salt blocks periodically to get the best inventory of your deer herd. Don’t check your cameras too often though! Remember to try to disturbing the area as little as possible. Most deer hunters and deer managers check their cameras as often as once a week or as little as once a month. This is dependent on your schedule and free time, but it’s recommended to not check your trail cameras anymore than once a week. Some deer hunters like to place a camera on a salt block station for no longer than two weeks. After it’s been up one week they will check the images and if they are happy with the results they will leave it there another week, if not they will take it down and move it elsewhere.

Conclusion

When used correctly salt blocks are a great tool to attract and hold deer to your hunting property. There are few tools available more effective than a salt block when it comes to inexpensively attracting deer to a certain area. Couple that whith the advantages that come from placing trail cameras over them and it’s easy to see that salt blocks are a win-win for deer hunters.