deer mineral recipe pic

Grow Bigger Bucks | How To Make Your Own Deer Mineral Lick

Who doesn’t want to see bigger bucks during deer season?

Do you wish you could see greater antler growth in your deer herd, but just aren’t sure what to do to make it happen?

hand holding antlers

Supplement the deer on your property with the proper nutrition and minerals to maximize antler growth!

There are countless mineral supplements for sale these days… mineral blocks, mineral rocks and minerals in powder form.

But you don’t have to go buy minerals with fancy labels and pictures of big antlers on the packaging. You can make your own deer minerals and we’ll show you how!

Consistent, healthy antler growth requires consistent nutrition… Keep reading to find out more about how to get started making your own deer mineral lick and why it’s so important!

We want to help you learn how to make your own deer mineral recipe, so that you can not only make a product that will help you have a healthier deer herd, but be able to do it without breaking the bank.


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Time needed: 10 minutes.

N1 Outdoors – How To Make Your Own Deer Mineral Recipe (and what ingredients you’ll need):

  1. Trace Minerals

    2 parts trace minerals.

  2. Mixing Salts

    deer mineral mixture
    Mix the trace minerals above with 1 part mixing salts

  3. Dried Molasses

    Mix the above ingredients with 1 part dried molasses.

  4. Dicalcium Phosphate

    Mix the ingredients above with 1 part dicalcium phosphate.

  5. Make your mineral site

    Now you’re ready to spread out your homemade deer minerals and create your mineral site. Be sure to put out a trail cam if you have one, so you can get photos of what is visiting your mineral site and monitor the antler growth progress!



WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN HOMEMADE DEER MINERAL RECIPE? SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH VIDEO!

Homemade Minerals: A Recipe For Deer Success

Of course, larger antler size gets most hunters giddy. But bucks aren’t the only ones that need mineral supplements.

Does need it just as much.

When the does are pregnant, start to produce milk and lactate for the fawns that will be born, they need extra calcium. This will help with lactation, but it also is essential for a healthy bone structure of the fawn that is growing in the womb. 

maston boyd with whitetail buck

Minerals play an important role in whitetail antler size as well as the overall health of your deer herd, both male and female.

Bucks also need the extra calcium boost, as they will use around 40 percent of the calcium in their own bone structure to grow antlers.

The antler growth process happens every year and calcium plays a huge part.

This means that a buck needs not only a good food supply during the antler growing process, but it also needs calcium during the growth process in the mother’s womb.

A healthy bone structure will contribute to greater antler growth later in the deer’s life.

Proper supplementation can also help give deer better resistance to devastating diseases like EHD and CWD.




Diligence Is Key

Supplementing your deer herd with the proper nutrition and minerals needed to promote good antler growth is not something you can do just once.

So, if you’re hoping to just visit your local outdoors store, buy a mineral block, put it out and hope to see and kill big deer, you may want to temper those expectations.

If you want a deer herd that consistently produces bucks with good antler size, you have to be consistent yourself as well.



Start making your own deer mineral supplements today and do so every year, so that you can reap the benefits for years to come.

You’ll find in the video below, that all the ingredients you will need to begin making your own deer mineral sites can be found at your local farm or feed store.

We hope you enjoy learning how to create your own minerals for your deer herd! (Note: Be sure to check and follow your state’s laws on use of attractants and supplements on private as well as public hunting land.




The N1 Outdoors N1 Minute Video: How To Make Your Own Deer Mineral Licks

In this edition of the N1 Outdoors N1 Minute, learn how to make your own mineral licks for deer. We show you a simple deer mineral recipe that you can make. We also give you some tips on where to place it. 

If you want to improve the overall health of your deer herd, then this is one of our must-see hunting videos. We give you the deer mineral recipe for whitetail success!

>> Join the N1 Outdoors Mailing List for news on all the latest products! <<

DIY Deer Mineral Recipe Ingredients:

  • 2 parts trace minerals
  • 1 part mixing salt
  • 1 part dried molasses
  • 1 part dicalcium phosphate

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(How To Make Your Own Deer Mineral Licks video transcript)

Want to learn how to make your own mineral licks for your deer herd? We’ll show you how. Stick with us for the N1 Outdoors N1 Minute.

Today we hear from N1 Outdoors co-founder, Josh Wells, who gives us a recipe for success in having a healthy deer herd.


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Dicalcium Phosphate for Deer (And some molasses!)

Hey, Josh Wells here with the N1 Outdoors N1 tip. We’re gonna make mineral licks today and what we’ve got here that we’re using for the minerals is trace minerals… we are putting two parts trace minerals, one part mixing salt, one part dried molasses and one part dicalcium phosphate.



Why the mineral nutrition is important for deer (It’s not just about big antlers)

What this is going to do for our herd is give the does that are now impregnated, more or less a prenatal vitamin. It’s going to give them what will be equivalent to our multi-vitamins.

As the bucks are shedding their horns, they’re automatically starting to grow them back right now. It’s going to help increase their potential of growing big horns.



Where to put the mineral lick

There is a major trail on this side and a major trail on that side of this mineral lick. Now, you don’t want to necessarily put it in the middle of a trail. Put it close to nearby trails and they will find it.

They’re not going to eat this like they would a feed or a protein feed or corn. They will come and use this as their body craves the mineral.



As you can see, just last night, there are some deer tracks in this mineral. So, they have already found it. That is because of the dried molasses.

The dried molasses has a strong, sweet, cane smell, and that is why they’ve already found this. We will check back on this in about two months and see how it’s going, and my supplement this mineral with some more material.




Conclusion

Thanks again for joining us for this edition of the N1 Outdoors N1 Minute. Be sure to visit N1outdoors.com, where you can read all about unforgettable moments outdoors. Also, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

We hope you have a great week, and remember, “where the moment happen, we’ll meet you there.” We’ll see you next time.

fish cleaning table full of crappie

How to filet crappie like a pro [TWO surefire ways!]

Crappie are fun to catch and an incredible-tasting freshwater fish. Many fisherman try to filet crappie, only to be frustrated (especially on the smaller ones), as they typically do not have as large of a filet as a largemouth bass or striped bass, for example.

In this article (and video), I’m going to show you step-by-step how to filet a crappie. I’m going to show you two different ways on the same fish.

black crappie being held

Below are two different ways to clean crappie like a pro!

How To Clean Crappie Step-By-Step

Time needed: 3 minutes.

How to Filet crappie (2 ways)

  1. Cut down backbone with filet knife

    Make an incision at the head, turn the knife and follow the bones of the spine with the tip of the knife. Cut all the way down past the tail.

    how to clean crappie step 1

  2. Cut the underside of the crappie.

    Make another incision, this time from the bottom of the fish between tail and anal fin. Run the tip of your filet knife all the way to the pelvic fin.

    cleaning crappie step 2

  3. Filet meat away from the spine.

    Working again from the top of the fish, pull the meat away from the spine, as you use the knife to get meat away from the rib bones.

    crappie method 1 step 3

  4. Once you have exposed the ribs, you can insert your filet knife at the back of the ribcage and cut through it, cutting toward the head. Once you finish cutting at the head, cut the filet off right at the gil.

    crappie method 1 step 4

  5. Remove skin from back of filet.

    Cut down into meat at the tail, holding the end of the tail against the cutting board. Begin cutting between meat and skin, cutting away from you. As you cut, you can move the tail back and forth, which will move the knife further down the filet, until it exits at the other end of the filet.

    crappie method 1 step 5

  6. Cut out the ribcage.

    Once you have removed the skin, cut out the ribcage from the filet. Done!

    crappie method 1 step 6

  7. Do other side of fish (second method)

    Now that you’ve fileted one side of the fish, let’s do the other side, but in a slightly different manner. This time, instead of cutting through the ribcage, cut the filet off the fish right at the top of it.

    crappie method 2 step 1

  8. Remove skin and compare two filets.

    Once you have cut the filet off the fish near the top of the ribcage, it will look like you left a lot of meat on the fish. However, once you remove the skin as you did before and lay them side by side, you will see they are nearly identical. The only difference is that you didn’t have to cut through the ribcage (dulling your knife) and then remove it.

    crappie method 2 step 2




And there you have TWO different ways to filet crappie, both producing identical filets.

These methods works for grouper, striped bass, and many other types of fish. Of course, it helps to have a bigger knife if you get a bigger fish.




Crappie cleaning instructional video

If you’d like to see and instructional video on how to clean crappie, click below!

Learn two easy ways to filet a crappie!





palomar knot bass pic

Super Strong Fishing Knots | How to tie the palomar knot (and double palomar knot)

Simple and strong.

That’s how you could describe these fishing knots. Who doesn’t like simple and strong?

So, let’s show you how to tie the palomar knot as well as the double palomar knot.

How to tie the palomar knot step-by-step


Time needed: 1 minute.

Step-by-step instructions for tying the palomar knot:

  1. Thread fishing line through the eyelet of the hook.

    threading line through hook eyelet for palomar knot

  2. Thread tag end of line back through the hook eyelet.

    threading line back through hook eyelet for palomar knot

  3. With loop end and other end, tie a simple overhand knot, but be sure to keep it very loose and large (you’ll need that loop in the next step!)

    tying overhand knot for palomar knot

  4. Now, take the hook and insert it through the loop end of the line…

    inserting hook through loop for palomar knot

  5. Grab the hook in one hand and the line strands in the other and pull slowly. The knot will begin to cinch. (Be sure that the loop cinches above the eyelet of the hook!)

    pulling line and hook for palomar knot

  6. Trim the tag end of the line and you’ve completed the palomar knot!

    trimming the tag end of line on palomar knot






When I was a kid and learning how to fish… one of the first knots my Dad showed me was the clinch knot. I used that for years. And then I came across the palomar knot. It’s the go-to knot for me. It’s very strong and it’s very easy to tie.

Want more instruction? View video below!



Check out these other related articles on N1 Outdoors!



How to tie the double palomar knot

This next video shows you how to tie it DOUBLE!

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Final thoughts

We hope you’ve enjoyed these tutorials on tying some of the strongest fishing knots there are! So, grab your favorite fishing rod and reel and get out there an Put A Hook N1!



Other popular fishing knots:

Learn the Trilene knot

Learn the Uni-knot