Mineral licks, any pics or tips?

[Toby]

I had a great phone conversation with Paul today, and he mentioned taking a nice bull from a mineral lick a year ago. Got me thinking that I should add mineral lick hunting to my arsenal. Any tips or pics would be appreciated.
Toby

[stringunner]

I have placed mineral licks out before. In nearly all occasions, I would get frequent use by bulls and/or cows all through the summer. But once the season opened, nothing was regular after that point. I don't know if it has something to do with the bulls going into "search" mode for cows or if the hunting pressure changes their routine, or perhaps a little of both, but I stopped using them as a hunting tactic. I still use them to get pictures and intel about "what" elk are in the neighborhood throughout the summer, but that is about it. Moo cows also seem to find them no matter where they are placed in the area I hunt and they become a major nuisances when trying to get pictures of elk. A water hole or transition zone is where I hang my stands now.

Natural licks may be different, I don't know of any so I can't speak about those.

[Swede]

Stringunner There are a couple of natural mineral licks in the area we hunt. My observation is that they get used like the ones we have made. My observation on mineral licks is the same as yours. I think the animals don't need the minerals later in the summer, like they do early.

[ElkNut1]

Toby, great talking with you too sir! I've noticed similar seasonal salt type licks like the others mentioned for earlier parts of Sept & before in most areas. But when it comes to natural mineral licks like we talked about on the phone I notice elk use them throughout the entire month & they are a great place to setup early morning, midday or evenings. The ones with nearby water let's say within a few 100 yds get the most activity. I've watched elk eat & lick the dry dirt like it was cotton candy. Generally whole herds of 3-10 show up in our areas including the bulls.

The 2nd photo is where we've taken several elk out of or very close to that lick. The 1st photo shows the edge of the same lick where elk urinated a short time before I showed up, it's common to see a 1/2 dozen urination spots in them. The 3rd & 4th photos are a couple other licks 10 miles away from the top ones. Natural mineral licks which are active are worth ones time & efforts!

ElkNut1

[Lefty]

Ive found a few but none of them are used often enough that Im willing to sit on them

[Lefty]

I posted this one last year after I fondu it then looked it up on google
Just kind of a cool look about it,.. to me anyway

elk trails.bmp (Small).jpg (152.53 KiB) Viewed 4892 times

[Swede]

I have to wonder if it makes a difference what the mineral is in the ground. I am not seeing significant activity where I hunt in late August and later. I have put out mineralized salt and it does not get enough use at that time to say it improves a tree stand location. I have seen elk will lick it, so I know it gets a little use, but the level of elk traffic coming is insignificantly increased over the natural, if at all.

[ElkNut1]

swede, I believe you are correct! That's the point I was trying to make! (grin) The natural mineral licks are of another nutrient of sorts, not sure what but they come to it nearly daily while in the area.

ElkNut1

[Swede]

Paul that make sense. The conclusion is that all natural mineral licks are not the same, so a hunter needs to check them out to see what is currently happening. Since elk move around a lot, I would check it as frequently as reasonable, if you are not seeing evidence of current use, If use picks up, you know the elk are around, so hanging a stand or putting up a blind could be very productive. I would add a thought here, that if you see September use at a natural mineral lick, then I would expect the same situation the following year.
It is interesting that where I hunt, I can set out salt, including mineralized salt after the cattle are gone, and it will get no use that year. When I come back the next summer, the place has a one foot deep pit licked and pawed out and all of the salt is gone before the cattle are turned back onto the allotment. If I throw more salt into the hole, later during the hunting season, it just stays there.

[Toby]

Those pics are great, thanks for sharing. I will make a point of looking for natural licks this year. I am guessing I have come across them in the past, but didn't realize what they were. Now I know what to look for. If I find an active one, I will definitely sit on it some.

[ORelksniper]

It is interesting that where I hunt, I can set out salt, including mineralized salt after the cattle are gone, and it will get no use that year. When I come back the next summer, the place has a one foot deep pit licked and pawed out and all of the salt is gone before the cattle are turned back onto the allotment. If I throw more salt into the hole, later during the hunting season, it just stays there.

That is exactly what happens at a couple of spots in my area. Not sure what to make of it as I have seen and talked to guys that have activity at their spots all season.

[ElkNut1]

Yep, sounds like we all have similar experience with salts put out, cool!

Toby, when looking for the active natural licks there will be fresh tracks about & lots of elk urine smell like a barn yard, it will be unmistakable.

swede, where we taken several elk off these licks there are no trees!! (grin) We are forced to setup a make shift blind out of the natural surroundings available such as brush etc. -- Have you personally used many ground blinds?

ElkNut1

[Swede]

I use ground blinds in some areas. I used one last season in a spot where I had not set up a tree stand. Some places blinds work well, and in others they don't. Timing is a big factor. If the wind is steady in a place then a ground blind can be nearly as good as a tree stand. Where I had my ground blind last September, I had two spots about 70 feet apart. I shifted locations in the evening when the wind started going down hill. I have had other ground blinds in different areas. I like setting above some rim rocks or similar in places. It is interesting that I have two portable blinds that I don't even haul to camp anymore. I could sleep in one, but I don't care to hunt from them. I find they are too restrictive.

[Swede]

Sniper: I suppose we are seeing the same things because we are so near to one another. We even share cows from the same ranch. They were probably all going to the same school as calves.

[ORelksniper]

Swede, I suppose all the drop outs from Elk High are forced to leave our area and relocate where JF hunts.

[zpd307]

interesting, I will have to keep an eye out for these now.

[Swede]

Sniper: I am not giving any IQ tests to the elk. I will gladly take a dim wit, if they will just hang around. Now John might want to claim the bragging rights to shooting the smartest bull in Oregon. Those drop outs don't need to leave to go see him. I just measure mine by antler points or by the pound.