How to Make Homemade Deer Mineral Block

Pick the Right Mineral Plan Before You Mix Anything

I make homemade deer mineral blocks for one reason.

I want deer stopping on a spot I can check with a camera in summer, and I want does and fawns healthy going into fall.

I have hunted whitetails for 23 years, starting with my dad in southern Missouri when I was 12.

I grew up broke, so I learned public land tricks before I could pay for fancy stuff, and mineral was one of them.

Here is the deal though.

If your state bans mineral or baiting, do not get cute and pretend this is “just a supplement.”

Back in 2019 on my Pike County, Illinois lease, I watched a mature buck hit a mineral site at 7:12 PM on a July evening.

He never did that on acorns, and he sure didn’t do that on random browse.

That is why I still use mineral, even after wasting money on junk that did nothing, like $400 on ozone scent control that made zero difference.

Decide If You Want a Block or a Mineral “Site”

You need to make one call up front.

Do you want a hard block you can toss out, or a dirt site that deer will dig up all summer.

I learned the hard way that “homemade block” recipes online usually turn into a crumbly brick that melts in the first rain.

Back in 2008 in the Missouri Ozarks on public ground, I packed a homemade block in a backpack for 1.1 miles, and it broke into three pieces before I even set it down.

Here is what I do.

I still make a block sometimes, but I mostly make a mineral site because it lasts longer and pulls deer harder.

If you are hunting thick cover like the Missouri Ozarks, forget about a block that disappears in weeds and focus on a site on bare dirt you can find fast.

If you are hunting a small, clean food plot edge in Pike County, Illinois, a block can be fine because you can keep it fresh.

My Quick Rule of Thumb

If summer trail cam pics are slow, do a mineral site in bare dirt 30 yards off the best trail.

If you see fresh pawed-up dirt and wet tracks, expect deer to hit it within the last 45 minutes of daylight.

If conditions change to steady rain for 2 days, switch to a covered stump-hole site or wait until it dries and refresh it.

Know the Legal and Ethical Tradeoff Before You Start

I am not a cop, and I am not your lawyer.

I am a guy who hunts 30-plus days a year and hates losing access because somebody tried to bend rules.

Some states treat minerals like bait, and some only care during season.

It depends on exactly two things, your state rules, and whether your season is open.

Here is what I do on my Illinois lease.

I pull minerals well before season, and I keep my cameras off the exact site once the legal line gets fuzzy.

On public land in the Mark Twain National Forest, I usually skip minerals completely.

Pressure is high, and I do not want to educate deer or drag people into my spot.

When I am trying to understand why deer are using one area and not another, I lean on sign and timing, and I check feeding times first because it tells me when to expect movement.

My Homemade Deer Mineral Block Recipe That Actually Holds Together

I am going to give you my block recipe, but I will be honest.

A site in the ground works better most of the time.

This block recipe is for folks who want something simple, cheap, and solid enough to handle being moved.

It is not a magic attractant, and it will not turn a 120-inch deer into my 156-inch Pike County buck from November 2019.

Here is what I do in a 5-gallon bucket.

I mix it dry first, then add just enough liquid to bind it.

Ingredients for one large block.

4 pounds plain salt, like Morton plain salt.

4 pounds trace mineral salt, the red stuff sold for livestock.

2 pounds dicalcium phosphate, from a farm store, for calcium and phosphorus.

2 pounds dried molasses, or 1 to 2 cups liquid molasses if that is what you can find.

3 to 4 pounds livestock mineral or mineral mix, optional but helps if your soil is poor.

Binder.

2 to 3 cups water, or a mix of water and molasses, added slowly.

Mold.

A cheap plastic container, a small tote, or a cardboard box lined with a trash bag.

I used to get cute adding apple flavor and powders.

I wasted money on that stuff before switching back to plain salt and mineral, because deer told me what they wanted with their tracks.

How I Mix and Set the Block Without Making a Mess

Here is what I do in my garage.

I process my own deer in there too, and my uncle who was a butcher taught me to keep things simple and clean.

I dump all dry ingredients in a 5-gallon bucket.

I stir for 3 minutes with a paint mixing stick until the color looks even.

I add water slowly.

I want it like damp sand that packs into a snowball, not soup.

I learned the hard way that if you pour water fast, it clumps, and half your mineral never binds.

Back in 2013 in southern Missouri, I made a batch that turned into a layered brick, and the deer only licked one side.

I pack it into the mold in 2-inch layers.

I stomp each layer down hard with a scrap 2×4.

I let it cure 24 to 48 hours in a dry spot.

If it is humid and 82 degrees, I give it 72 hours.

Then I flip it out.

If it cracks, I still use it, but I place the pieces in one spot so deer don’t spread out and make a mess.

Make the Better Option: A Mineral “Dirt Site” That Deer Will Hammer

If you want the truth from a guy who has burned time and gas, make a dirt site.

That is the one deer keep coming back to.

Here is what I do with a shovel.

I scrape down to bare dirt in a 3-foot circle.

I dig a shallow bowl, about 3 inches deep.

Then I pour in the mix and stir it into the dirt.

My dirt site mix.

10 pounds trace mineral salt.

10 pounds plain salt.

4 pounds dicalcium phosphate.

1 to 2 cups liquid molasses, optional.

I top it with a gallon of water if the ground is dry and dusty.

If the dirt already has moisture, I skip water and let rain do the work.

My buddy swears by straight trace mineral salt only.

I have found adding plain salt makes them hit it faster, and the site lasts longer because they dig deeper.

Choose the Right Spot or You Will Educate Deer

This is where most guys blow it.

They put mineral where it is easy for the hunter, not where deer feel safe.

Here is what I do on my Pike County, Illinois lease.

I put mineral 20 to 60 yards off a main trail, on the downwind side of bedding cover, with a quiet access route.

In hill country like Buffalo County, Wisconsin, I keep it off the top third of the ridge.

Pressure is real there, and deer do not like skylines in daylight.

If you are hunting pressured public, forget about putting mineral 40 yards off a parking lot and focus on a spot 600 yards back where you can slip in clean.

This connects to what I wrote about how deer move in the wind because a bad wind on a mineral site turns it into a night-only spot.

I also avoid setting mineral right on the edge of a food plot.

I want deer comfortable, not staring out into the open like they are on stage.

Decide How You Will Use It: Inventory, Not Hunting

I use mineral to learn what lives on a property.

I do not use it as a crutch during season.

Here is what I do with cameras.

I hang a trail cam 8 feet high, angled down, to keep it from getting stolen and to catch antlers.

I set it 10 to 12 yards from the site.

I clear two sticks in front of the lens so night IR doesn’t flare.

When I am trying to figure out buck age and body size, I compare it to what I know about how much a deer weighs because a thick-bodied 3-year-old can fool you in velvet.

If you are new to deer talk, it helps to know who is who on camera.

That connects to my quick breakdown of what a male deer is called and what a female deer is called because it matters when you are deciding what to shoot later.

How Often I Refresh It, and the Mistake That Wastes Your Time

I check sites every 3 to 4 weeks in summer.

If it is getting hammered, I refresh every 2 weeks.

Here is the mistake.

Guys freshen it every weekend, stomping scent everywhere, then complain deer only come at night.

I learned the hard way that human pressure kills daylight movement faster than your mineral helps.

Back in 2016 in the Missouri Ozarks, I checked a site three Saturdays in a row at noon, and my best buck went from 6:50 PM to 2:10 AM in one week.

Now I do this.

I wear rubber boots, I handle as little as possible, and I get out in under 10 minutes.

If I need more mineral, I dump it and leave.

I do not rake, trim, and play landscaper.

Real Products I Actually Use, and What Broke on the Cheap Stuff

I have tried a lot of mixes, and not all of them are worth the drive.

I am not sponsored, and I am not trying to sound fancy.

If I am buying instead of mixing, I like Trophy Rock.

A 12-pound Trophy Rock usually runs around $18 to $25 where I live, and deer hit it hard in June and July.

The downside is it melts down fast in rain.

If you want it to last, tuck it under a cedar or a log lean-to.

If you want a plain, cheap base, I use Morton plain salt.

I have bought the off-brand $6 bags that clump like wet flour, and it is a pain to mix evenly.

If you are thinking about adding corn or protein feed next to mineral, slow down and read your regs.

Also, this ties into what I wrote about an inexpensive way to feed deer because mineral and feed are not the same thing, and they change deer patterns in different ways.

Do Not Put Mineral Where It Creates a Retrieval Nightmare

I am a bow hunter first, with 25 years behind a compound, and I care about recovery more than attention on a camera.

I have lost deer I should have found, and I have found deer I thought were gone.

I learned the hard way that bad decisions stack up.

My worst mistake was a gut shot doe in 2007, and I pushed her too early and never found her, and I still think about it.

So I think ahead now.

I do not want deer conditioned to hang in a spot that is a nightmare to track through.

If you put a mineral site in a swampy mess or a cliffy hollow, you are setting yourself up to fail later.

This connects to what I wrote about where to shoot a deer

FAQs

Can I make a homemade deer mineral block without molasses?

Yes, and I do it most years.

Molasses helps deer find it faster, but salt and trace minerals do the real work.

How long does a homemade mineral block last in the woods?

In dry weather, I have had one last 3 to 6 weeks.

In steady rain, it can be half gone in 7 to 10 days unless it is under cover.

Where should I put a mineral site if I hunt the Missouri Ozarks?

I place it near thick bedding cover, but not inside the nastiest stuff where I can’t slip in quiet.

I like a bench or a flat saddle 30 to 80 yards off a main trail.

Will mineral make bucks grow bigger antlers?

Mineral helps if your soil is missing key stuff, but it will not replace groceries and age.

If you want the antler side of it, it connects to why deer have antlers because nutrition is only one piece.

Do I need to dig a hole for a mineral site or can I just dump it on top?

I dig a shallow bowl because rain drives it into the soil and deer keep working it for months.

If you just dump it on leaves, they lick for a week and then it disappears.

Should I stop using minerals before hunting season?

Yes if your regs say so, and I stop anyway because I do not want deer patterned on a “bait-like” spot.

If you want to keep deer on your place after you pull minerals, I lean on habitat and plots, and I use what I cover in best food plot for deer.

My Wrap Up, and What I Would Do This Weekend

Homemade deer mineral blocks work, but a mineral dirt site works better most of the time.

If you only do one thing, put it where deer feel safe, and do not over-check it.

Back in July 2019 in Pike County, Illinois, that buck on camera at 7:12 PM did not show up because my mix was magical.

He showed up because the spot was quiet, shaded, and 40 yards off bedding with a clean wind.

Here is what I do if I am starting from scratch.

I make one dirt site near cover, one on a secondary trail, and I let cameras tell me which one matters.

I learned the hard way that messing with mineral every weekend turns deer nocturnal.

If you want daylight deer, your best “ingredient” is staying out.

If you are hunting the Missouri Ozarks on public land, I keep it simple and legal and I usually skip mineral.

If you are on a small lease like mine in Pike County, and your regs allow it, mineral is a solid summer inventory tool.

And if you are the guy trying to do this for your kids, do not overthink it.

Mix salt and trace minerals, put it on bare dirt, set a camera, and spend your extra time scouting trails and entry routes.

If you want to understand why deer pick one spot over another, I lean on basics like cover and movement and I revisit deer habitat because mineral does not fix bad deer country.

And if you want a reality check on how smart they get after pressure, I think about are deer smart because they are not geniuses, but they are not dumb either.

That is it.

Stay legal, keep it low pressure, and let the tracks and pictures tell you what to do next.