Best mule deer attractant besides trophy rock

[Hunter1212]

I want to pair trophy rock with another attractant, so far I'm looking at critterlick or buck jam. Any suggestions?

 

[go_deep]

Just curious what state your in that you can bait mule deer?

 

[Hunter1212]

Just curious what state your in that you can bait mule deer?

Oregon

 

[Rich M]

100 acre wheat field

 

[V-TRAIN]

I use $5 brown mineral blocks, same ones used for cattle, for whitetails. They are 3 times larger and 1/3 or more cheaper than trophy rocks and work just as good.

 

[Stevek]

Alfalfa or Whole Cottonseed

 

[magnum44270]

Sweet feed from local agg store. Cheap and effective. Watch youtube side by side videos

 

[S.Clancy]

In my area it seems to be lawn grass

 

[Huntnnw]

buy trace mineral salt at feed store and quit buying marketing gimmicks from "hunting companies" what all the deer and elk want when you put this stuff out is the sodium.. end of story. Buy a 50lb bag for $12

 

[Huntnnw]

Just curious what state your in that you can bait mule deer?

OR,WA and UT but that may of changed.

 

[The Ri Guy]

buy trace mineral salt at feed store and quit buying marketing gimmicks from "hunting companies" what all the deer and elk want when you put this stuff out is the sodium.. end of story. Buy a 50lb bag for $12

How do you prep your mineral salt sites?

I went deep down the rabbit hole and tried this in-ground layering technique from YouTube that, so far, hasn't worked for sh*t. I've tried it with Wetside Blacktail, and Central WA Muley's, and the deer just walk right by it. Even when I put a bait block on top of a salt site, they destroyed the bait block but didn't touch the salt site.

Maybe I'm buying the wrong thing, think it's American Stockman Big 6 or something like that.

 

[Stevek]

Where we hunt in West Texas in the Trans Pecos region the mule deer will use the cattle mineral tubs when they need mineral. We can see tracks at the sites over the cattle tracks when we check them. Those are loose mineral and not block mineral sites. We do not bait or use minerals in West Texas but both are legal in Texas as well as Oklahoma and Kansas where I have hunted. Trace mineral blocks and salt do not do much for deer other than act as an attractant or fill a need when they need them and both are cheap to buy. True minerals will have minerals, trace minerals and vitamins that a deer need. Minerals are not cheap but a 50# bag will last a while. My best success with whitetails is when I dig a hole in the ground and mix the minerals in with the soil and then pour some water over the top of it. Then as or when deer utilize to just add mineral to the site. The deer go when they need it.

 

[Rich M]

Down here the deer only hit salt and minerals during summer months. Not during hunting season.

Best overall bait is corn. Use it and they will come.

A food plot would be far better tho

 

[TheGDog]

Might sound weird, but try pouring a bunch Beer all over the ground where you place that bait.

I took my kid to some property my younger bro has that borders an NF, when I first got my boy his .22LR. We'd just finished hosting a pool party and guests, as usual, are asked to bring drinks to contribute to the event.

We had a good amount of left over cans of beer. And, I'm not that much of a beer guy (I enjoy the taste, but my body just does not like the stuff, bloat etc). So I used them as reactive targets, and the boy loved it!

A week later it was beginning of the season so I went back there to hunt a bit. This doe (it's Mule Deer out here in SoCal) that came walking by on the road just above where I parked in his property, (while I was suiting up) I watched her meander further along the road, then turn to descend thru his property, gross the gulch over to the where he sets up targets, where we'd popped all those beer cans.

She VERY intently sniffed at the ground for a few... and I'm thinking she turned from that road because she caught a whiff on the wind. And with it's yeastie / barley / hops sort of aroma, I could totally see a deer being drawn to that.

 

[IdahoHntr]

OR,WA and UT but that may of changed.

UT outlawed it for the purpose of hunting.

 

[Huntnnw]

How do you prep your mineral salt sites?

I went deep down the rabbit hole and tried this in-ground layering technique from YouTube that, so far, hasn't worked for sh*t. I've tried it with Wetside Blacktail, and Central WA Muley's, and the deer just walk right by it. Even when I put a bait block on top of a salt site, they destroyed the bait block but didn't touch the salt site.

Maybe I'm buying the wrong thing, think it's American Stockman Big 6 or something like that.

never had a issue with any salts Ive bought from plain white to trace and with selenium all have been demolished. 30 years and counting. Whitetail, elk and moose probably hit them the hardest. Muleys are very sporadic I have noticed with salts. Best months are April to mid july on salts. They eat so much green forage high in water content they crave the salt as forage dries up in summer the salt intake drops. Sure Ill get animals by come by in late summer and fall, but there is a noticeable decline in activity

 

[commandoNate]

When I was a kid in Missouri they seemed to be highly attracted to the front bumper and grille of cars. But those were whitetails so that may be different...

 

[huck]

your in a wheat field .