This is for all the folks that may want to know
This is a repost from back last year from 7remmag
Tracker
Registered: 12/02/08
Posts: 559
Loc: Gould, OK
got this from another site and i'm going to try it:
I've mentioned this before, but here is the recipe I use with prices. Originally came off the QDMA website, but I can't find it know.
Dicalcium Phosphate - #50 - $20.10
Plain Stock Salt - #50 - $4.30
12/12 Trace Mineral - #100 - $35.20
TOTAL - #200 - $59.60
I've done more research on this that I care to disclose, but from what I gather this is the basis for all the commercial antler mineral growth products. they all use their own "attractant". Deer Cane, Lucky Buck, etc. products are about $20 for 20lbs, so it's about 30% of the cost of commercial stuff. Even with the most expensive attractants it's less than 50%.
The original recipe doesn't specify the 12/12, just basic trace which is cheaper. I read somewhere that 12/12 has more vitamin A,D, and E, which is supposed to aid in processing the calcium and phosphorus.
My experience is where you put it out is more important than what you use for an attractant. It has to be fairly close to normal travel routes, in fairly dense cover where grass would not grow very well. Salt is a natural attractant, and I've had some spots that took off by themselves without any adders. I haven't had any luck dumping it on the ground without mixing it into the dirt. Even with those observations I've put out some spots that I thought would be great that never got touched, so there must be more to it than just that.
Lots of folks will top it off with powdered Gatorade, sugar free Koolaid, Jello etc. to "get it started". Also liquid molasses, peanut butter sauce, maple syrup, sugar water, etc. I have done a fair amount of field trial with different attractants, molasses seems to work best for me. Not sure the exact cost on it ($60ish), or how much I use. I bought a 50 gal drum and still have enough to last all summer I think. all of them are fairly cheap if you can find a good source where you can buy institutional sizes rather than out of the supermarket.
I've put out the commercial stuff right beside the homemade, on opposite sides of a creek, monitored with cameras and I can't see that the deer prefer one over the other when using the same attractant on both, or as-is without attractant. I haven't done any long term study on actual growth with commercial vs. homemade because I'm not willing to pay for commercial long enough to find out.
Now is the time to start putting it out. they seem to hit it hard in spring and summer. sometime in mid-late October they barely touch it, regardless of what you put on it.
So to sum up, I'm a tighta$$, I want to be proactive about bigger deer, I'm free at night to surf the web, and the more time I spend outside on the weekends the better my job and marriage is during the week. I hope you guys can benefit from what I've looked into, without having to dedicate the time that I put into it.
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