Attracting Deer without a feeder

[TexRkana]

Go to a feed store and pick up a 50 bag or mineral block for half the price of the crap sold at the hunting section of big box stores

[spotsanddots]

If there are cows on the property, wont the cows get onto the block? I could put out a BB2 block or mineral block but im afraid the cows will eat it up before the deer. Im in the same boat. Feeders are torn up from coons right now, so they are not operational. Im going to try the hand corn and maybe the BB2 granular and see if it draws any interest.

[AntlerCollector]

I've used a bag of rock salt poured on a stump. It worked good they even ate the stump.

[crawdaddct]

I have brought deer into a new hunting area pretty quickly using apple jelly and peanut butter. Just smear it on a couple of stumps. The apple smell brings them in quick when its a low pressure area. I have used those mineral blocks from the feed store. They work good, until the hogs find them. They think those things are candy...

[TimH]

I think the first thing is to pick a good stand location with natural travel, but otherwise, you could put a cottonseed feeder up. We do this in a couple of spots and once they find it and get on it, it works well as an attractant. Of course, you can't do this on a place that has cattle or sheep and goats.

Minerals are good too, but deer don't need the minerals everyday and may not hit it with any frequency unless their diet is lacking in something. No harm in putting the mineral out anyway though. Add a bunch of hand corn to that every time you go.

My brother just bought 35 acres that sits adjacent to some larger properties and we are putting a cottonseed feeder up in a small thicket alongside a tank. We're hoping it will have an added affect with the water and the cover to bring the deer in closer to the stand. We've got salt and trace mineral blocks out as well just for something extra and I'm pouring out some sheep and goat minerals on the ground too.

Good luck!

[DuramaxDude]

I have always put attractants and sets along well established travel routes of deer.

If there is livestock on the property you have to get creative lol. Only way to keep livestock off stuff is a pen. I have watched livestock lick corn powder milo and mineral up of the ground until it was gone. Last ones I built with t-posts and 4 point barbwire with a strand knee high and the other about chest high for hunting out of a popup blind. Cotton seed is a good deal as well. I have seen cows tear hog panels/livestock panels in half to get to cottonseed.

Something else to think of if you don't have to walk to far to it and livestock wont tear it up is a water trough of some kind even a 5 gal bucket wired to a tree.

As far as coons on feeders I have heard a lot of guys say the nail strip used for laying carpet works well. Glue them to the feeder legs nails up/out.

[8pointer]

Hand corn

This

I wouldn't get caught up in all of the attractant products out there. Plain ole deer corn works the best.

[spotsanddots]

Ya, I didnt think the cows would get the hand corn off the ground, until i threw some out one day and the whole herd came over and started in on it. They heard the sack ruffle and thought they were getting cubes and came over. By the time I got back to the blind, the herd was on it. Im guessing, licking it up. I was ******.

[Pkripper]

Trophy Rock 465...the only thing that I have found that the deer come back to day after day and the hogs leave alone.

The deer on my place tore this up last year.

[Death from Above]

You dont attract them. Go hunt where the deer want to be. Be it food, transition, between bedding and food or travel corridors...set up downwind of where you think they will be.

[XBowHunter]

wow, thanks for all the responses...did not expect so many...

no cattle to deal with and i agree death from above, setting up where are/want to be is the goal.

but just looking for a little something extra to slow them down or hold them for a long enough for them to get used to stopping by...

i haven't had much time at all to scout, really just going by what the property owner tells me and staying down low by water sources...

thanks again for all the responses fellas

[XBowHunter]

Go to a feed store and pick up a 50 bag or mineral block for half the price of the crap sold at the hunting section of big box stores

this is probably some good advice right here ^^^^

[Death from Above]

wow, thanks for all the responses...did not expect so many...

no cattle to deal with and i agree death from above, setting up where are/want to be is the goal.

but just looking for a little something extra to slow them down or hold them for a long enough for them to get used to stopping by...

i haven't had much time at all to scout, really just going by what the property owner tells me and staying down low by water sources...

thanks again for all the responses fellas

I have had much success with hand corn. I use it to set up my shots. I hunt where I know the deer are traveling and use the corn to funnel them where I want to shoot them at.

I trial and err a lot. Each set is different and I don't corn every one.

[JW]

Hand corn works better than anything.

[XBowHunter]

hand corn will definitely be in the game plan...