Most hunters don’t put deer minerals out until the middle of summer or later when they start thinking about hanging trail cameras.   Although that is a great time of year to put out deer minerals, it is a little late in the year if antler growth is the end goal. According to Dave Wheeler, Founder of Lucky Buck who has an extensive background in animal nutrition, the best time to put out whitetail deer supplements or minerals is in the spring. “The moment grass starts to grow, deer start consuming large amounts of it which flushes out their system. At this point, they need the salt that is found in deer minerals like Lucky Buck.  Bucks start growing their antlers in the spring and early summer.  This is also when does are lactating.  Bucks and does need the nutrients that are found in Lucky Buck,” Wheeler explained. 

Life often gets busy for most of us when winter turns into spring. As a result, we sometimes forget about putting out deer minerals and think more about mowing the lawn or going to the kids baseball or soccer games.  Dave Wheeler suggests hunters place a bucket of Lucky Buck on their lawn mower in the middle of winter. The first time the lawn gets mowed, the hunter will realize he needs to put out Lucky Buck.  “I recommend hunters keep Lucky Buck out all year, but the most important time of year to have deer mineral on the ground is during the spring and summer when bucks are growing their antlers.  That’s the time of year we can help deer reach their full potential,” Wheeler added.  

Lucky Buck has a large amount of salt in it that helps control intake of the product. “Deer are only going to eat so much salt before they walk away.  In most cases, the amount of mineral a deer will eat a day or a week is very small. By controlling the intake, we can provide deer with the right amount of mineral. The other benefit is one or two buckets of Lucky Buck go a long way. It is hard to know exactly how long one bucket will last because deer populations varies greatly by state, but a rule of thumb we tell customers is that six buckets a year will take care of one mineral location. That is a fairly inexpensive investment to help the deer,” Wheeler noted.

Food plots are extremely popular these days. Just remember when planting food plots and managing land to also provide deer minerals.