My First Mineral Site

Build it and they will come. That was the idea behind putting in my first Monster Raxx mineral site. I had read the buzz coming from other guys who were using Tom’s products, and after talking with him at the WI Deer & Turkey Expo in April, I decided that this would be the year to introduce our deer herd to Monster Raxx.

The motivation behind setting up mineral sites on our 80 acre wooded property is pretty simple: we are sandwiched between two larger tracts of land, primarily in ag. The deer we see are either coming or going into the neighbors’ fields, and use our land to bed and travel through. By setting up mineral sites on either side of the property, we are hoping to draw more deer to the spots we want them, giving us a better idea what’s on the property through the use of trail cameras and treestand placement.

Another huge factor for me is that my 8-year old son will be joining me in the woods this fall. To put it plain and simply, I want him to see deer! Hopefully, setting up and hunting near our mineral sites will also increase our sightings and success.

The process of setting up a mineral site is pretty simple. With the help of my dad, we were able to document and set up our first site in less than 15 minutes.

Here are the steps we took:

Step 1: Pick an area near heavily used trails or by water when possible.

The well-used deer trail in the center of the picture above connects to the other runway I'm standing on, and is a prime location for a Monster Raxx site. We also have a man-made water hole nearby.

Step 2: Clear an area 5' in diameter removing all leaves and vegetation and loosen the soil.

A small hand rake like the one above works great for clearing away vegetation and loosening dirt, and it's much more portable than a garden rake.

Step 3: Pour entire 5 lb. bag of Monster Raxx Trophy Minerals over your area.

Spread the bag evenly across the entire 5' diameter area. Note the small water hole on the left side of the previous picture.

Step 4: Mix Trophy Minerals into the soil with rake.

This will allow the minerals to leech into the soil, and deer will actually begin eating the dirt!

Step 5: Pour a bottle of Monster Raxx Whitetail Magnet over the new site.

When you open the bottle, you'll understand why deer are drawn to this attractant!

Step 6: Set up a trail camera to monitor deer activity at the site.

The DLC Covert Assassin is a great choice if you're in the market for a new trail camera. It's compact, affordable, easy to set up, and it's available at www.monsterraxx.com.

I'll be heading out soon to check the camera and see what kind of action we're getting at this site. Stay tuned as the season wears on and I'll keep you posted with trail camera pictures and updates from my very first mineral site!

Turning the Boys of Summer into Kings of the Fall

Right now, bucks are still running in bachelor groups and still being pretty social with each other...given another month, all that will change! Each one of those bucks will soon be looking for their own territory to rule, and looking for female companionship...which means the social networking they are doing now will become more of a UFC style beat down if one buck invades the area of another.

Using my past experiences with bucks helped me determine where to put my Monster Raxx sites out. During the summer, I place several sites in community areas next to food plots, water sources and bedding areas. We all know that their travel patterns and hang outs will soon change, and when they do I am ready for them. I generally know where my hit list bucks will move to, judging by where I see them the later part of the past couple of years. I usually set a mineral site in their fall hang outs as well, knowing that even though the bucks are usually done with mineral sites by the time season opens and the rut starts to approach...the doe are constant users. By making sites in fall and winter time hang outs, eventually there will be some hot doe's using the sites and the bucks will be checking them periodically, hopefully when I'm 20 feet in a nearby tree to deliver a carbon missle at 290 fps!

The Obsession

This is my favorite time of the year, and all I can think about is chasing that monster buck. You can smell it in the air and driving around scoping out the fields in hopes to see that monster buck. Bow season is just 8weeks away and all I can think of is being back in that tree watching the woods come alive on that first morning hunt. I have all my scouting done and almost all tree stands hung. I have 6 trail cameras out on Monster Raxx mineral sites, helping me try to catch that elusive buck. My first morning hunt will probably be on a new pond that we put in this spring and so far it is paying off big time. There are deer in there at all hours of the day. We will be putting in our fall food plots real soon and once they are in looks like I am ready to give the Quest bow another chance for success.

Summer Time Dreaming

Summer time is when most avid hunters are getting their own kind of stirr crazy. If you are like me you have planted your food plots, you are maintaining mineral sites, setting scouting cameras, planning stand sites and doing some summer scouting. All of this in preparation of the BIG day you will again be with bow in hand hitting the timber chasing the elusive whitetail. As I drive around in the evening seeing BIG deer in velvet makes me dream of our opener here in IA. As I am shooting a few arrows every night I am dreaming of my target changing to the BIG deer which I am working so hard for. It seems so far away that all I can do now is dream about it. Even though I know we are in count down mode, my reality drifts back to dreaming of BIG whitetail in my sights. All this dreaming makes me all the more appreciative when the big day of season opener arrives. No, I will not wait until rut or the weather cools down. I have done too much summer dreaming to not hit it hard on opening day. I can not wait!

Attract more Whitetail Deer

Millions of hunters enter the woods and farmlands each year in hopes of harvesting a trophy whitetail deer. From the last day of the hunting season until the opening of a new season, hunters dream of that huge buck of a lifetime. Hunters read different hunting magazines and whitetail books looking for information and tips to improve their odds of success. They also watch numerous hunting shows on television and DVDs to learn new hunting methods and feed their obsession for giant whitetails.

The use of whitetail attractants to improve trophy whitetail success has become increasingly popular. This simple process has proven to attract more whitetail deer. There are many different attractants on the market to choose from. Liquid, gels and powders are a few of the forms that attractants come in. With a little research, picking the attractant that suits your needs is easy to do.

The use of liquid attractants is by far the most popular method used by hunters today. The two most common are deer urine and food-flavored liquids. Deer urine comes in a couple different types, doe, estrous doe, buck and dominant buck. Make sure you are using the right type of urine for the time of year you will be hunting. For example, you do not want to use estrous doe urine before the pre-rut and into the rut. Using this early will put deer on alert that something is not right.

I prefer to use liquids that smell like the food that deer crave. This type of attractant can be used any time of the year. You can pour it over corn, grain, protein pellets, minerals, stumps, near food plots, or even on scent wicks to attract more whitetail deer. During the winter and spring I like to put out corn and protein pellets to help the deer survive the cold winter, and gain some of their weight back in the spring. I pour a fruit or acorn flavored attractant on top to help insure whitetails will find it and keep coming back.

My favorite time to use food-flavored attractants is during the summer and into the fall. I have increased the number of pictures I get on my scouting cameras immensely. Suddenly, I am getting pictures of bucks that I have never seen before. With more bucks coming into your area, the chances of seeing a trophy buck increases. The best part is the ease of this method. I simply put out corn and pour the attractant over it and set up my scouting cameras. With the pictures I can figure travel patterns and decide which mature whitetail bucks I will attempt to harvest during the upcoming season.

During the hunting season I still use the food-flavored attractants. I put them on scent wicks or pour them over stumps near my blinds or tree stands. Both bucks and does will still come to them during the early part of the season. As the season progresses and the rut comes around, the bucks main concern will turn from food to impregnating as many does as possible. I use this to my advantage by putting out food-flavored attractants to draw in as many does as I can, knowing that a trophy buck could wander by in search of does at any time.

As the season comes to an end and winter is near, mature bucks are feeding as much as possible to put some of the weight they lost during the rut back on. Once again a food-flavored attractant will help entice a trophy buck and increase your odds for success. I believe a food-flavored attractant is the most versatile and helpful attractant a hunter can use to accomplish their goal of harvesting a trophy whitetail deer.

Before using whitetail attractant's become familiar with your states rules and regulations.

Tom Lester
President
Monster Raxx LLC
tom@monsterraxx.com
www.monsterraxx.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qd7JhgoJfuw

The Benefits of Mineral Supplements for Whitetail Deer

When it comes to whitetail deer, bigger is better! Millions of hunters spend billions of dollars each year to increase their chances of harvesting a trophy whitetail deer. Increasingly deer hunters are trying to improve their deer herd to accomplish this goal. There are many methods that can be used to obtain the desired results. Hunters can plant food plots, build better bedding areas, dig in ponds, set up whitetail sanctuaries, and have a supplemental feeding program of corn and protein pellets.

These are all very good methods to improve a deer herd, but there is another way that is as equally important as it is effective, and the beauty of this method is that it does not require a lot of time or effort. Virtually any hunter can set up a mineral supplement program to improve the health of their whitetail deer herd. Out of all the previously mentioned ways to improve your deer herd, setting up mineral sites is the least expensive and easiest to do.

I recommend the use of a quality mineral supplement that contains both minerals and vitamins for best results. Giving the whitetail deer the minerals and vitamins that they are lacking will help maximize the bucks’ potential by ensuring that the deer get everything they need for optimal growth. If you provide mineral supplements year round, you will notice an increase in both body size and antler development. Mineral supplements are also very beneficial for lactating does, replacing the minerals and vitamins that they lose while feeding their fawns.

As I mentioned, setting up a mineral site is very easy to do. First, pick a location for your mineral site. Look for heavily used trails that come together, scrape and rub lines and also locations near water when possible. Locations where you already hang a tree stand or set up a ground blind work perfectly. Remember to set your mineral sites in a spot that favors the prevailing wind for your stand and blind locations.

Once an ideal spot has been selected, you want to clear an area five feet in diameter. Remove all leaves and vegetation for the minerals to work properly. Once the area is clear, use a rake and loosen the soil then add your mineral supplement.

You may want to consider installing a trail camera when possible so that you can monitor how frequently the deer are visiting your site. This will give you a better understanding of the herd’s tendencies. Plus you can watch the transformation as the deer improve in size with help from the mineral supplements.

It is recommended that you replenish your minerals every two months. The trail cameras will help because if you see the traffic decrease, you will need to replenish it sooner. Heaviest consumption will occur from early spring through the fall as deer bulk up for winter. Do not overlook the winter months though, as providing minerals year round will maximize the health of the deer herd. At this time of year whitetails have fewer options to consume the minerals and vitamins that their bodies need than at any other time of year. This will also help the deer endure the long, cold winter, which helps them come back bigger and stronger each year.

Before using minerals supplements become familiar with your states rules and regulations.

Tom Lester
President Monster Raxx LLC
tom@monsterraxx.com
www.monsterraxx.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqfVkmFrdW0