HUNTR's video: Minerals for Deer Understanding Deer Minerals

So why do we put out mineral stations for deer? Dive into this video to see the real science behind mineral stations for deer! The fact is that deer get all the minerals and nutrients they need from the environment. Yes they can only grow antlers up to the mineral or nutrient that is most lacking, and they stop, they are held or capped off to the most limiting factor. But even in the harshest of a whitetails range, the nutrients and minerals are available, especially during spring and summer. Nutrients, minerals, plant growth, and nutrient absorption by deer are at the peak in spring and summer, but so is the real reason behind mineral stations…water and potassium. Deer get and metabolize most of their water from the plants they eat. With spring rains, plant cells, and the nutrient highway systems inside plants, the xylem tissue, deer get the nutrients and water they need from digesting spring and summer growth. But this creates another craving, the increased water and potassium uptake creates a sodium deficiency because of the potassium and water content in their diet. This craving for salt is why deer will dig out a pond under a salt block just to reach the leaching salt. So you farmers out there, a lot of research is available for salt licks and more importantly minerals that suggest increased forage intake, reproductive success, and many other benefits of mineral supplementation for livestock and captive cervids, but not so much research has been on free ranging deer, and we all know that is a different ball game completely. Especially since they have a lot of access to quality forage in spring and summer. This is under the notion to supply whatever we can in a deer and habitat management program on your property to boost the little bit that it might in our deer herd. While we do supply this, it it’s really not known how much difference supplying some minerals in mineral stations for deer in the form of a block or granular bag can make in terms of antler development. So it goes back to how it makes us feel, we are supplying some vitamins, a little kick to our deer herd for lactating does and growing bucks. Now this is different than supplemental feeding, when we are supplying up to 20% protein feed or forage in the form of soybeans for bucks and does in the summer, that’s another topic for another day, we are staying focused on mineral stations for now. So if the deer really chase the salt, and the minerals in a bag or block are helping at minuscule at best, why are we putting out mineral stations for deer? The number one reason for this is our desire to see velvet giants. The sodium deficiency that bucks operate on during the summer creates the perfect opportunity for a photo shoot. Placing out salt or mineral stations for deer and placing trail camera out over them is the best way to take inventory of your bucks throughout the summer. So basically what you should take away from this, and a point that I want to end on is that at the end of the day so much more goes into the health of your deer herd, and the antlers of your buck. Age, nutrition, deer density, stress, a host of environmental factors, and so much more, how beneficial or drastic would a little rock with some minerals do for your herd? Chances are you have something that requires more attention but there is no doubt they are important for taking inventory and keeping tabs on your deer herd over the summer!