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It's time to get those summer inventory photos! So how do you choose the location for your mineral lick and trail cam? Here's one way we like to do it...
The first thing we do is look at the weather conditions. If you've had really dry conditions as we have in the Midwest, your interior creeks are probably starting to dry up, and the deer are likely now concentrating on larger bodies of water. When the creeks are dry, look around ponds specifically for trails. You might find a spot where multiple trails come in from deer gravitating toward the water once or twice a day. The area where the most trails converge makes for a good location to put out some mineral and attract these deer over to your camera for that summer inventory intel.
We like to start out by weed-whacking the area. We're not running cell cameras right now. We're just going to get that summer inventory. We're going to let that camera soak probably till late July or early August before we come back to get it, so it's important to knock down that weed pressure. We'll come in with a metal blade on a weed whacker and take care of the overgrowth along with any smaller trees that are in the way. We like to open up about a 10-meter circle in diameter then work the center of it all the way down to the dirt--that's where we put the mineral.
When placing the camera, avoid overexposed or blown-out photos by not facing the camera east or west.
There are many good deer minerals and attractants on the market to choose from. One we like to use is AX mineral because it has a really good phosphorus-to-calcium ratio in it, a good vitamin pack, and trace minerals in it as well. One thing to keep in mind if you are using minerals is to make sure you're talking to your County DNR officer, your conservation officer per your county, and make sure he clarifies the rules, laws, or regulations about using any mineral products.
Hopefully, this helps you with your summer inventory photos this year. Make sure not to overlook any ponds or bodies of water, especially in drought conditions. It's more than likely where the deer are grouping up every day.
--Midwest Whitetail
