Big Buck Attractant Blocks
Dr. John Woods 02.21.17
The deer hunting marketplace is crowded with deer attracting blocks. These come in many sizes, colors, types, and compositions. Most of them are some combination of minerals, grains, salt, sweets, molasses, or other materials not all necessarily nutrients. Are they effective?
Regardless of the tactic to try to defeat a cagy whitetail buck, there are varying rates of success. This includes all kinds of so-called “trophy” food plot seed mixes, dry powders spread on the ground, globs of sticky goo’s hung on trees, drips of doe pee or other liquids to attract deer, and also the hard formed deer blocks. Under certain conditions, they work.
I am a strong proponent if a hunter is going to use these items, then at least pick ones that can be counted as a nutritional supplement for deer. Essential minerals and salts are needed by deer and other wildlife that can be beneficial. This includes high protein blocks as opposed to simple carbohydrates. Read the ingredients on any such packaged products to know what you are putting out there.
Playing on the smelling senses of deer, those blocks that smell enticing, usually are. However, deer may only hit these items at night. It is always a good idea to post a trail camera over a block to see what is coming to them and when. This can be helpful hunting data in any regards.
Where to put deer blocks? Carefully unwrapped with reduced human handling, these various kinds of attractant blocks can be placed virtually anywhere that deer travel, feed, or hang out. Along the edges of travel trails, game funnels, and field corners make good places to drop a block. Trail entry and exit points are good.
Hunters may have a regularly planted wildlife food plot on their hunting properties. One of these blocks could be put right out in the middle of the plot to see if they will pull deer out of the woods or nearby cover. Where legal, these can be observed by ground blinds or tree stands posted over the food plots.
If you find a small opening in the thick of the woods, this can be a good place to create an attractant site to watch for deer. Big bucks favor hiding cover and security screens. Just be careful with wind direction when approaching to hunt these situations.
Attractant blocks can work. Place them in likely high traffic areas, watch them on cameras, or carefully hunt/scout the areas during the season.
