Salt Licks.

cjs66

Well-Known Member
Hi folks. I'm looking for some ideas of how to get the Roe on my patch out of the thick and into somewhere more stalkable. (if there is such a word) :eek: I was thinking of getting a portable high seat and some salt licks. Any advice on these? I know the farm store local to me sell the ones for horses, would these do or is there something better? The thing is, as in my earlier post, I've still got cows in the wood. :-| So getting a place out the way of them will be essential. Can the cows smell the blocks and would they come looking? Your thoughts please… cjs
 
Hi folks. I'm looking for some ideas of how to get the Roe on my patch out of the thick and into somewhere more stalkable. (if there is such a word) :eek: I was thinking of getting a portable high seat and some salt licks. Any advice on these? I know the farm store local to me sell the ones for horses, would these do or is there something better? The thing is, as in my earlier post, I've still got cows in the wood. :-| So getting a place out the way of them will be essential. Can the cows smell the blocks and would they come looking? Your thoughts please… cjs


If you shoot them at the salt lick they will soon figure out that going to that salt lick is bad news. U need too try shoot them on there journey there.
 
I got an aniseed, salt lick from Bush Wear with the same intention. I set up a trail camera watching it and filmed deer walking by it without taking any notice of it.
 
The horses one might work, make sure its doesn't have any copper in it, if there's any chance sheep might have access to it, as they are sensitive to copper.
I use cattle licks in woodland and sheep licks in pasture. The cheapest option is to use lump rock salt, though it doesn't have any other minerals in it.
I would agrees don't shoot them on the lick, but position the lick somewhere you can shoot them as the leave the woods.
 
These are the ones I've tried http://www.rockies.co.uk/baby red.html
They are suitable for deer, I got mine from Countrywide stores. They seem to work and I really should get some more. I placed mine alongside tracks that the deer use to pass over one of the small areas that I shoot.
 
I got an aniseed, salt lick from Bush Wear with the same intention. I set up a trail camera watching it and filmed deer walking by it without taking any notice of it.

I set 1 up in my garden too, deer walking past it in the snow and never even bothered it, been out over a month now and deer still never bothered it.

Might depend on the geology of the area? Was speaking to a sheep farmer the other day who was spreading rock salt on his fields to put the minerals into the soll/grass rather than a lick for sheep to 'skitter out' was his words. Never heard of anyone doing it before thou
 
I too have tried salt licks, aniseed spray, molasses and corn in two different forests on two different species.
The packaging had me believing I would be attacked by deer while spraying the aniseed. No such luck. Likewise with molasses the storys abound of deer loitering around cattle yards for the smell.
Sika; Bait 1. rockies salt lick for horses. Bolted to tree stump in position that allowed rain to disolve it down trunk. Ainseed spray applied liberally on both windward and leeward sides. (trail cam 4 week result - animals walked past)
Bait 2; Molasses in drip feeder draining onto granite surface (trail cam 4 week - animals walked by, sniffed it in the air and actually reversed away)
Bait 3; Corn from hopper (waste pipe with y bend allowing gravity feed). plenty spread around to attract sika in. (trail cam 4 week result- birds did well, deer walked past)

Red; Baits as above but over longer duration. The rocky salt licks did get some attention but only after months in position. Corn untouched as with molasses.

In my opinion. Once they become aware/used to the licks they will use them. Based on different feeding patterns by season this can take several months. Coupled with trail cams it makes the off season enjoyable.
 
I think it comes down to what is naturally lacking in their diet. If they need salt and you provide it then they'll come to your licks. If they are short on food then if you provide extra they'll come to it too. If they have all they need then there not bothered is pretty much what I have found.
 
The clip above was in March 2014 but they will take it most of the year. Apparently you are supposed to bury it about 6 inches under the soil and the deer smell it out and dig for it. I have had one spot where all the salt had gone and you could see where the deer had been scratching the soil away.
 
Based only on my experience with white tails in North America, I have found fertilizer to be as effective or more so than mineral blocks. If you can find a thicket of browse that the deer like (Japanese honeysuckle is one such species for us) I fertilize it heavily several times a year. The deer seem to be able to differentiate and prefer this, while the cattle leave it alone. Additionally, if more than one person has permission on the property, a feed pile or salt block is easy to spot and someone else may profit from your work. With a fertilized spot, only you and the deer know the location
 
Well I have plenty of roe and muntjac (just not always where I would like them) bought a salt lick, I even have batteries for the trialcam.
So I will bring it all together and report back.
 
I find this thread really interesting,I have my suspicions,can any one really say that feeding brings in more deer,or not.
My owns thoughts are,if you have quite a good number of deer then feeding does nothing,likewise,if you have very small numbers.
This is based on feeding carrots,wheat,blocks for over a year,on a small acreage,which has a very low population of fallow,I should add that this bit of ground backs onto,the wyre forest,which has a known,herd of around 300/400 deer at any one time.
Tod.
 
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