Salt blocks have been used to attract deer for a long time, but many people don’t quite understand why deer like salt blocks. They just know that salt blocks work to attract deer to an area in many instances.
Many hunters use what are known as “deer lick blocks” to help keep a deer herd in a specific area. You can also use these blocks to give nutritional supplements to the deer to help them grow strong.
Hunters might use a combination of salt lick and protein lick blocks to help the deer out. The goal is to make the deer strong, healthy, and large so that they can be hunted when they’ve reached maturity.
Why do deer seem to be so attracted to salt blocks, though? Is there a logical explanation for why deer like salt blocks so much?
Read on to learn some interesting facts about salt blocks and deer. You’ll gain a greater understanding of why these salt blocks work so well.
Why Deer Like Licking Salt Blocks
Deer enjoy licking salt blocks because it gives them a dopamine response every time that they do it. Salt is considered to be an addictive compound, and it will cause dopamine spikes that will be quite pleasant in the deer.
Humans actually have similar responses to salt, and many humans feel strong urges to continue to eat salty snacks. Deer will feel a strong urge to continue licking salt blocks because they just find it to be tasty and addictive.
Sodium is actually not commonly found out in nature. Deer wouldn’t really have opportunities to lick salty things out in nature very often, and this means that the salt blocks are especially appealing.
This can be used to your advantage as a hunter since it can help you to keep deer on your property. Using salt blocks is a common practice, and it’s going to make it simpler to have larger numbers of deer to hunt when hunting season finally comes around.
There Are Different Flavors Too
There are also different types of salt blocks out there that you can consider. Some of these blocks come in different flavors that deer will be attracted to.
For instance, there are apple-scented and flavored salt blocks that do a good job of attracting deer to specific spots. You can find a wide variety of different flavored salt blocks on the market that will work nicely.
Some of these salt blocks are protein blocks that will give nutritional benefits to the deer in the area. It can help the deer to thrive and will allow them to grow larger.
This is something that might be prohibited in certain areas, though. Some places consider using protein blocks to be a form of baiting, and you might have local laws that will not allow you to do this.
However, it’s still very much legal to do this in many different places. Many hunters use salt and protein blocks to help attract deer and keep them healthy.
There Are Powder Products as Well
The most common type of salt attractant that you see people using will be the standard salt block that most people are familiar with. However, some people think that using powder is significantly easier for many reasons.
When you use a salt block to attract deer, it’s likely that only one or possibly two deer will be able to use it at once. The powder is different, though, because you’re going to be able to spread it on the ground across a wider area.
This means that many deer can enjoy the salt and protein powder at the same time. It can make attracting a herd of deer even easier, and it might be simpler to use than salt blocks in some other ways as well.
Salt blocks can actually be kind of heavy and hard to carry around. This is especially true if you’re using salt blocks that are meant to be very large to attract multiple deer.
The powder is a lot easier to carry around, and it’s not going to be tough to spread the powder at all. You could have a smoother experience using the powder in some ways.
It’s worth noting that the powder can be washed away by a heavy rainfall. Salt blocks are much more resistant to the elements, and this means that a heavy rain won’t destroy the salt block.
Which option is more practical for you to use will be your call to make. It’s just good to know that there are options out there and that there are benefits to both approaches.
It’s Wise to Use Salt Blocks That Look Like Rocks
If you decide that you want to use salt blocks on your property, then it might be wise to use salt blocks that look like rocks. It’s going to be far less obvious that you’re placing salt blocks in an area if you use something that blends into the environment.
They make salt blocks that look just like natural rocks, and they do a good job of remaining concealed. The deer will be able to find the blocks with no problem, and you won’t have to worry so much about your best hunting spot being revealed.
It’s possible that your hunting territory might be shared with other hunters, but there are also instances where hunters will illegally cross into other people’s land looking for deer. If you have obvious salt blocks in an area, then other hunters could see it as a good spot to camp out and try to bag some deer while you’re not there.
Using the right type of salt blocks allows you to avoid revealing your spot to others. It’s a good idea to just purchase the salt blocks that look like rocks since it’s only beneficial to do so.
Final Thoughts
Now you know a lot more about deer and why they like to lick salt blocks so much. Salt blocks can be quite useful when you’re trying to attract deer to an area.
If you’re going to start using salt blocks soon, then you should consider whether you wish to use blocks or powder. There’s a lot to consider, but you know that salt blocks are very helpful when you’re trying to have many deer to hunt during the next hunting season.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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