[pat86323]

I want to try to get some muleys frequenting one spot to make for easier archery hunting in the early season. I have heard mixed reports on the success of using them. Is there a specific brand or type of licks that work well. I have heard that trophy rock is the best. Any specific place you should put them (ie near water) Any advice would be much appreciated.

[AzBuckfever]

CHEATER! :) They call it hunting for a reason. You want to bait something, go fishing :D

Only game you CANNOT bait are birds and spring bears. Otherwise, knock yourself out. But the question was, what was the best thing...Salt licks work but, keep in mind that they work for EVERYTHING. You gotta find the deer to get them to frequent an area a little more often (I emphasize a little).

It's not the Field of Dreams theory, if you build it, they will come.....Do some scouting. Learn the habits.

[pat86323]

oh dont worry its still hunting......im only going to use it for archery season as i didnt even put in for that unit during rifle season. Im not looking to get them in a cage just help make sure they frequent the area. I already see deer quite a bit in this area while fishing. I am going to spend quite a bit of time out there scouting if the snow will ever just chill out. Im also not worried about elk or whatever getting on a rock i toss out. I like all the local critters and if they want to have a taste of salt, power to them. Except coyotes which i execute on sight.

[rocky branch]

They call it baiting around here and it is illegal.

On the other hand there are way too many deer and most folks wouldn't care.
All the "hunters" only want bucks.
Does with triplets are getting real common.
They are not getting the thinning they need.

Game warden will still bust you..

[exbiologist]

I've heard you can do it in Arizona for viewing wildlife on private property (really no different than bird feeder), but it's illegal on public land to hunt over nearly everywhere in the west.

That being said, on a state wildlife area I worked on, we used Deer CoCain to start the licks then dumped some other kind of bulk salt in there afterwards. We put them within a hundred yards of water sources in natural depressions and those areas became deep pits in a few years.

[ArmedBear]

Don't do it in Idaho, either.

Here, you don't even have to know about the bait for it to be illegal. I can't see how that could pass the "rational basis" test in an appeal.

[pat86323]

it is not illegal here, which is why im thinking about doing it.

[exbiologist]

Well I'll be danged, the only thing regarding baiting that I could find in Arizona's regs was in regards to bears.

[oneounceload]

Salt licks, feeders, decoys, camping near a water hole were all illegal when I lived in NV. Here in the East, all of that seems to not only be legal but SOP.

Check with your local DOW and see if they allow it

[wankerjake]

For the umpteenth time it's legal in AZ to bait deer...

Not legal to bait bears or waterfowl in AZ.

From what I hear what works best is to bury a bag of water softener salt and kick a few inches of dirt on top. The deer seem to prefer to eat the dirt than lick the salt, whereas cattle like a salt block. However I'm no expert as I haven't done it. I've had less than stellar results with deer co-cain. However, if you put it in a good spot supposedly the deer and elk will tear it up. I know folks up there in the pine country do have success with it. Try the discussion forums at http://www.coueswhitetail.com for more info.

[Art Eatman]

Darned if I know about baiting and muleys. I've tried darned near everything known to man, with no interest from Ol' Bucky. I've put "goodies" in the middle of heavily-travelled areas. Forget it!

I wasn't interested in actually using it as bait over which to hunt so much as to get some notion of who lived in the area. Most of the movement was nighttime, which meant it would be a waste of time to just sit and watch bait.

[AzBuckfever]

They tried to implement a regulation to make bating illegal but I guess more people wanted to do it, than not :) Personally, I think if you want to bait a deer or make it "easier" to stick one, find some oat seeds and some other supplement to plant. Give something back :)
Problem I see with a salt lick or mineral block is that it aint gonna take any time for wildlife to go through it, which after it's gone, no more bait so you're above average frequenting is gone :) That and they aren't going to "travel" to a salt lick. You'd have to put it by a water hole or something where you already know they are so, in my opinion, what's the point?
I think it would be a waste of money in that not only are you baiting for EVERYTHING there, but you're also going to bait for the other hunters so, the pros in this case, wouldn't out weigh the cons.
What I would do is take a supplement or something you can plant, HIKE to somewhere where you'll still have hunting traffic but not as much, and plant it there. That way you know where it is, a few other people MIGHT know where it is, but it'll be more beneficial.
Just my $.02

[X-Rap]

Cover enough ground and you will find salt licks maintained by ranchers. Check for tracks, set a camera, find trails leading into them. No reason to start your own since those done by ranchers are well kept and long established to the point that the mineral has soaked into the ground and the deer paw and lick the dirt even when the blocks aren't present.

[wyohome]

Not legal here (considered 'baiting') unless you are legally blind or permanently confined to a wheelchair.

[pat86323]

"Personally, I think if you want to bait a deer or make it "easier" to stick one, find some oat seeds and some other supplement to plant. Give something back"

Not legal.....its a Nono to introduce non native species.

[AzBuckfever]

Oat is native :) I'm not talking about that biofeed crap or planting a food plot like that easterners who don't know how to hunt :)

Acorns are the candy of the Arizona Muley....I agree with the previous post of letting the ranchers do the work for the licks; just check around them for tracks. Best bet is to find a spring or something and set up some trail cams. Becoming somewhat dependent on a salt lick can have more consequences than pros :D

[pat86323]

I have no plans of sitting and watching a salt lick. I have an area that seems to have everything that would be needed by deer and tons of sign i just want to drop a couple rocks out there to try to help ensure that i can focus my archery in a centralzed area. This area has plenty of permanent water. Oak trees out the wazoo (acorns littering the ground) But the area is pretty large and im kind of looking for a way to make one small area a little better to hunt then the surrounding areas. I havent seen any ranchers steel stock tanks out there nor have i noticed any salt blocks or sign of cattle. Ill keep an eye open when im out there but nothing has ever jumped out at me.

[AzBuckfever]

Understood, you're chummin' the area :)

[pat86323]

pretty much i have like a square mile of awesome habitat and am trying to get them to focus in one area a little better. This area is really hard to hunt with a bow even though there are tons of deer there. There are 5 water holes in this little area so it can be tough to even find them

[AzBuckfever]

Sounds like a fun unit. You tree standin', hud blind, spot & stalk?

[X-Rap]

Scout hard and see if they pattern at all. If you place salt I would do it right away especially if the deer are present and not moved off to winter range (don't know your altitude). It takes quite a while for a lick to get established as a go to spot.

[AzBuckfever]

He's at about 7,000 ft X-Rap. There really is no winter range :) Deer move a little, but not a whole lot. If it were me, I would be glassing A LOT in the aspens and hillsides. It's as they say for successful businessmen....Most are successful because they do something no one else wanted to do....same with deer. Go/Hike places where no one else wants to hike. Set up a hud blind or make a blind along one of the trails....and bring a book to read while you wait. If you're that set on the salt licks for this area, have fun packing them because they're not exactly light....and if you plan on dropping a few, well, good luck :)

As I may have previously stated, I would forget the block though and get a bag of salt or mineral from a feed store (minimum of 25#s)....carry as much water as you can and a small shovel. Dig a small hole, pour the salt in, and make it as muddy as possible. Then you can make a few areas for slat licks instead of just one (which is the reason for the 25#s). Other benefit of this is my experience with livestock, they won't touch it until it gets a little dirty and blends in with the dirt. Problem is, you have to keep the lick wet/muddy so, frequent stops up at the area will be necessary.

[pat86323]

These deer do move down when the snow comes. There isnt a track to be found out there at the moment. But the snow seems to be melting off so i assume that they will be back around pretty soon.

[GMFWoodchuck]

If you really want to get a big muley by baiting it, that's easy.

Get a mannequin of a hot doe.:neener:

[pat86323]

and then just like that....its snowing again postponing my plans

[Bwana John]

Right now try scouting to the east towards the LCR.

Be careful to stay off the Rez and outta Wapaki NM

Too many damn elk!

[pat86323]

you got me, LCR? once you say it it will likely be a "dummy" moment when you tell me. ive been messing around in the low areas of 6a a bit but id really like to hunt this area i watched a little last year. I wish the regs would come out so i can see if 7 is going to be a draw archery hunt again this year.

[AzBuckfever]

I almost want to say LCR (Lower Colorado River or Little Colorado) but, that is WAY up there and WAY out there.....but then when he says stay out of the Rez.....where the heck to you hunt bud, Unit 9?

[Bwana John]

LCR= Little Colorado River. Rio De Flag drains east to the LCR.

The eastern boundary of Zone 7 is the Big Rez.

With Zone 9 you got to worry about the Rez and GCNP.

Both Zone 7 and 9 are good mule deer hunting, so are 5 and 6. I think for winter range in the NE corner of 9 is best for big muleys.

The Big Rez and LCR are only ~ 25-30 miles from Flagtown. Mule deer will migrate more than 50 miles from summer to winter range.

But the best achery hunting in Flagstaff is peoples flower beds next to Buffalo Park.

[AzBuckfever]

I would agree that getting as close to GCNP would be in your best interests. There was a thread on AZOD when their forums were going that had some monster Muleys taken from 9 I think, right off GCNP....Only way to get there was to walk though.

[pat86323]

there are big bucks around, my big thing is i want to be able to hunt within a 30 minute drive from my door.

[CoRoMo]

Even if Colorado allowed me to haul a salt block into the public land where I hunt, I couldn't possibly do that. Just one 50lb block of salt, up hill, for 5 miles, would kill me.

[pat86323]

my plans were to either buy a big block and put a chisel to the center and make 4 smaller blocks or to buy trophy rocks which are 12 lbs. I figure im just going to try it since no one seems to have much experience with it.

[CoRoMo]

I think it's worth a try, and I think it'll work. If an animal finds and tries it, they'll be back.
They cost, what, $5 each?

[wankerjake]

I figure im just going to try it since no one seems to have much experience with it.
I tried to point you to some better advice. Coueswhitetail.com is comprised of a bunch of deer hunters in AZ, and a number of them use salt. Seems like you'd be able to find more pertinent info to your question. I did, a quick search of the word "salt" and there was a bunch of threads to view. I didn't read them all. Here's one: http://forums.coueswhitetail.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13596&hl=salt

I tried the salt block thing myself a few times, but it never seemed to get any action, except from cattle. The buried water softener salt thing seems to work better for folks.

[Bwana John]

I actually did put a salt block behind the trailer the first year I lived up here to attract elk and deer. It melted in the monsoon.

I think salt works better when the animals are salt deficient. The Kaibab Limestone takes care of the animals mineral needs on the Coconino and Kaibab Plateaus.

I also think salt works better with whitetail and Coues that don't migrate as far as muleys.

Muleys need water, Id concentrate on that, not salt. Water is not going to be as big of a problem for them this year though.

[pat86323]

i looked a cousewhitetail.com and read through several threads and it was, surprise! it was pretty much all pertaining to couse deer. Im just going to get a trophy rock or two and a trail camera and see what happens.

[wankerjake]

Well post up pics of stuff you get on your trail cam anyway! I've heard good things about the trophy rock, I hope it works. I have one too that hopefully I'll put out someday. There are plenty of mule deer hunters on coueswhitetail.com though, although the site focus is on coues deer. When you see a reference to "carp" or "carp deer", they're talking about mulies...don't get me started on that.:barf: (I think it's BS)

[pat86323]

it is BS the muleys ive eaten sure dont taste like carp to me

[AzBuckfever]

I can cook a carp to taste good, so imagine what I could do with a Muley...Although you have your honey hole stalked out, another place you could try is around Kendrick Park and south of that on the 7E side. I've always seen bucks in there. Depends on your intent though. Get something with horns or get something big. Big bucks in 7 are few and far between unless you go HIGH

[wankerjake]

You know something else you might try is getting an open reed predator call and doing fawn distress sounds with it. I call in desert muleys down here in Tucson all the time with that sound. Called in a herd of about 12 this morning, one was a small buck. Usually they're does but sometimes they have bucks with them. Only once did I call just a lone buck, but I know other folks that have called in some decent bucks. Just a thought.

[pat86323]

i love 7east but last year you had to draw a tag for archery up there. I sortakinda guided a friend of mine up there last year. I put her on 3 bucks, no kills =( If you can hunt there without drawing a tag i will definately be up there. I had one monster staked out last year early and several nice ones.