Whitetails 365: Advantages and Disadvantages of Supplemental Feeding and Minerals

Whitetails 365: Advantages and Disadvantages of Supplemental Feeding and Minerals

By Aaron McKinney

If you are an avid whitetail hunter you are probably pondering the options about supplemental feeding and minerals this late winter/early spring. A decade ago, practically every sportsman was setting out mineral sites. A few things changed, both ethically and physically, and now we are back to pondering over the options about supplements for whitetail.

Biological Advantages
Physically speaking, winter is tough on whitetails. We are coming out of the winter months when food is scarce, and the body conditions of whitetail are about the worst they will be all year long. I know when I go out scouting for turkey, the deer I see look ragged and rundown. If you are a whitetail hunter, you want to give the deer every advantage to build a trophy rack. You can help deer achieve their best rack possible by supplementing their diet with minerals and feed.

To give deer an advantage through this winter, there are a few options you can explore to add calories and nutrients to their diet. I have a couple of farmer friends that will use hay to supplement the diets for whitetail when snow is still on the ground. You can use either grass hay, alfalfa or a mixture to supplement diets. Some people use small squares and tear them apart on the ground, or you can unroll a large bale. It mainly depends on your equipment, and what you are set up to do. A more popular source to add calories to a whitetail’s diet include utilizing feeders for corn and/or pellet distribution. All of these options provide added nourishment to a deer’s diet and help keep them at a healthier weight through the winter. When the begin growing antlers back in the spring, they will have a head-start calorically speaking to reach their maximum potential.

Another option to boost a deer’s antler mass is to leverage minerals. Some of the most important minerals used to build superior racks include: calcium and selenium. Antlers are composed primarily of calcium, so adding the calcium through minerals will likely help produce bigger racks. Studies have shown selenium, along with the help of vitamin E, helps support increased antler growth too. Some other elements to look for in your mineral mix include: zinc, vitamin A and vitamin D. Together, calcium, selenium, zinc, vitamin A & D all work together to support healthy deer and antler growth. This used to be something the majority of hunters would leverage to see bigger trophies in their area. When I used minerals, I would try and get one with low salt content, as the salt can be bought and added later. The proteins and minerals are the components that help build the rack the most. I also try and buy the highest protein mineral mix I can. When I was leveraging minerals, I definitely noticed a boost in the antler mass. I saw bigger bucks, and it just took a few years to notice the increased antler sizes.

Disadvantages
There are some disadvantages to supplemental feeding and mineral sites. First of all, you are drawing a lot of deer into one area. All their noses are in one space touching each other. I once heard an Iowa DNR employee describe this as going to a buffet and everyone uses the same fork. The phenomenon is similar when drawing deer to a concentrated mineral site. It sounds like a good way to spread sickness and illnesses. This is one of the reasons that mineral sites lost popularity in Iowa. We started having mass deaths of deer associated with Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) and Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD). When we draw deer to a center location disease and sicknesses, like CWD and EHD can spread easier. The Iowa DNR discourages the use of feed or salt-mineral licks to attract deer because the high concentrations of deer can spread CWD.

Along similar lines, supplemental feeding can lead to deer consuming fecal matter. They can easily eat their own waste products since the deer are eating food dispersed in a small location, which promotes more disease potential. If you do feed, spread it out over a large area and do not keep feeding the same area. I heard the analogy from the Iowa DNR of spreading out foods (like in a food plot scenario) as bringing your own fork to a buffet. Noses and manure are scattered out over a large area. Manure has a chance to decompose and break down in a large area.

Another consideration when deciding on whether or not you should supplement a deer’s diet include cost. If you buy many mineral blocks or loose mineral mixes, they can become expensive. You can certainly do some research and compile a decent custom blend, buying bulk materials. However, you obtain your minerals, it can get expensive to do this long term.

The biggest obstacle to deter hunters from using minerals the past several years includes legal ramifications. Several years ago, the Iowa DNR started cracking down on hunters hunting near mineral sites, as they were considered baiting. This scenario scared a lot of hunters, especially because minerals can leach into the ground. Just because a mineral site appears to be clean, does not mean the minerals are gone. Hunters have used cattle tubs to keep minerals from leaching in the ground. I have not seen great results with using tubs with powdered minerals or supplements. A lot of time the structure deters the deer, however it keeps the minerals from leaching into the soil.

One thing we have learned over the past is that you do not want to get caught or accused of using mineral for hunting purposes. It has cost some Iowa hunters their land (for legal fees), equipment, and forfeiture of trophies. If you want to feed minerals and supplements, you have to figure out the best way for you and the best way to remove the bait before season begins. You want to make sure that you get it gone before the season begins. If you use bait, do so in a manner that will not cause questions about whether you are hunting and leveraging minerals to attract deer. You may want to consult a game warden for the best plan for your area. This is a pretty gray area, so a lot of hunters avoid using minerals all together. A lot of hunters today will not allow minerals on their hunting area. They can help boost a deer’s rack, but you have to weigh the obstacles surrounding minerals.

Weigh the Pros and Cons
In short, you have to consider the benefits and ramifications of adding supplements to a deer’s diet. You can see bigger bucks, and help support the caloric needs of deer through the winter. However, you could be risking baiting allegations as well as contributing to the spread of disease in your area.