10 Tips for Healthier Deer Herds

1. Place all bait or mineral sites near water where deer come to drink or areas that receive heavy deer traffic such as food plot edges, hardwoods feeding areas and near bedding areas. Just like you wouldn’t cast a bait where bass don’t hang out, don’t waste your time creating bait sites where deer don’t frequent.
2. Minerals are critical for antler-growing deer and nursing does at this time of year. Two key minerals-calcium and phosphorous-are harder to come by in nature at this time of year, calcium because it’s practically nonexistent in natural browse and phosphorous because as plants grow larger it becomes more diluted so deer have to eat more to obtain optimal levels. Legit®, Headrush™ and Meltdown™ are all ideal mineral supplements that work well on their own or in conjunction with each other.
3. Legit® possesses a high calcium/phosphorous content along with trace minerals essential to reproductive success and antler growth. It has a strong apple aroma to attract deer, while Headrush™ has a long-range aroma quality similar to Big&J’s popular BB2™ but also includes salt, which deer love, along with trace minerals and calcium designed to be quickly absorbed by the deer’s body for maximum nutritional benefit.
4. Meltdown™, when mixed with water and poured into the ground, creates a heated reaction that vaporizes the minerals and sends a strong odor in the air that can be smelled by deer passing downwind from far away.
5. Meltdown™ and Legit® works well in tandem at mineral sights applied on the ground 5 to 10 feet apart. You can also use Headrush™ in conjunction with each for added attraction to the area.
6. Protein is also vital for antler growth and overall deer health, especially as bucks prepare for sparring and breeding of the pre-rut and rut. Protein pellets dropped from a feeder are great but aren’t very tasty to deer. Enhance their flavor and attractant ability using Big&J’s BB2™ or Pour-It-On™. BB2™ and Pour-It-On™ are both granular. BB2™ is high in total digestible nutrition and protein and has a strong aroma for attracting deer from far away. Pour-It-On™ boasts protein as well as amino acids, critical as the building blocks of protein absorption in the body, and trace minerals of zinc, copper, magnesium and manganese, which possess high levels of bioavailability in deer.
7. In addition to protein pellets, BB2™ and Pour-It-On™ can be used with corn or on their own as well.
8. While protein-based attractants such as BB2™ and Pour-It-On™ can be mixed with pellets or corn, don’t mix mineral-based products such as Legit® and Meltdown™. Deer won’t eat as much mineral so overdoing it with food stuff can actually work against you-it’s sort of like putting too much salt on a good steak.
9. Set cameras on your feed sites in order to begin identifying success and timing of their use as well as beginning an inventory of the bucks on your property, as late summer feeding patterns begin to transition to pre-rut activity.
10. Setting up mineral or feed sites adjacent to food plots is a great way to enhance deer traffic and keep deer close to the area once the hunting season begins. Rather than setting them right in the middle, build feed sites along the edges near cover so bucks feel more secure, but make sure you still have clear sight and shot lanes from your stand.

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