Do salt licks attract deer?
Since salt is so rarely found in the wild, deer will be attracted to salt blocks that people put out. Deer crave salt, much like people crave salty foods and snacks, so they'll visit a salt lick more than once. Deer are more likely to enjoy these blocks during the springtime when they are most active.
Animals such as deer, sheep, goats, cattle, and elephants make regular visits to the salt resources in nature to get the minerals they need like calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc, and sodium. There substitutes to natural salt licks which we will touch upon later in the article.
Whitetails, especially bucks, need sodium during the spring and summer. This is why deer will commonly visit and use pure salt licks during a select few months, but they do not provide the overall benefits that a whitetail-specific mineral will.
Deer attractants like salt and protein licks can draw deer into your hunting area. Many also provide added nutrition for better rack growth and a healthier herd.
- Himalayan Nature– “We love the smooth surfaces because deer do too”
- Monstermeal Protein Block– “High protein makes this a great choice for your herd”
- AntlerMax Premium– “Picked for how it promotes antler growth”
- Trophy Rock– “We couldn't overlook this 100% natural mineral lick”
Nothing; deer can smell the salt for miles. They will smell it, crave it and come to you; they need those minerals, guaranteed.
Early spring is a great time to place a salt lick at your mineral site. Whitetails crave salt more in spring and summer—when water and potassium are high in lush green vegetation—than at any other time of year.
Deer love peanut butter, so it is an excellent bait. You can use peanut butter alone or in a mixture to lure deer into an area for hunting or just to enjoy watching them. Peanut butter is much cheaper than most commercial deer attractants and works as well or better.
Items like corn, peas, nuts like acorns and pecans, and small fruits will attract deer. Add shrubs and other regular plants to make it look natural. They will be more attracted to this. Create your food plot in an area where there is the least amount of noise on your property.
The best locations for mineral sites are food plots, bedding areas and near watering holes. When deer enter a food plot, they are usually seeking salt and minerals as well. By placing the mineral site just off a trail entering the food plot, you are creating a natural stopping point for them.
How do deer find salt licks?
Over time, rain leaches the salt into the ground and deer have to dig deeper to get to the salt. The results are a stump that is sitting on top of the ground. A natural looking salt lick can be made easily. These are usually located on the corner of a food plot, where legal.
Salt Lick For Deer In Winter & Other Seasons
Why do deer like salt, especially in winter? To make it clear, they don't just “like” salt, they need it. Usually, when the weather is harsh, salty mineral licks are exposed, which draw animals to these locations.
Concentrating gut piles over the salt licks creates an attraction that leads bears into encounters with hunters, Jackson has maintained. Hunting over a salt lick became illegal in Wyoming only this year.
Harsh weather exposes salty mineral deposits that draw animals from miles away for a taste of needed nutrients. It is thought that certain fauna can detect calcium in salt licks.
2. Salt lick/mineral lick. Salt licks are deposit of mineral salts used by animals to supplement their nutrition, ensuring enough minerals in their diets. A wide assortment of animals, primarily herbivores use salt licks to get essential nutrients like calcium magnesium, sodium and zinc.
Salt and mineral blocks set out for domestic livestock commonly attract deer. A salt block can be purchased from a feed supply store and set out specifically to attract deer.
