Editor’s Note: Bobby Cole, the president of Mossy Oak BioLogic, tells us what to do in July and August to start seeing deer. Many bowhunters are shooting their bows in their backyards, and some have put-out trail cameras to inventory their deer herds to see how-many bucks and what size of bucks will be on the property that they’re planning to hunt during bow season.
Question: Bobby what can we do to put deer in front of our trail cameras right now in the summer?
Cole: The absolute best way to see the bucks you want to hunt in the deer inventory on your property right now is by using a BioRock, in states where putting-out mineral licks is legal, and a trail camera. The BioRock is a natural mineral rock from Mossy Oak BioLogic. What makes the BioRock so effective is that deer crave salt in the summertime, and the BioRock has a high salt content, as well as 50-other trace minerals. During the hot months of summer is when the deer seem to respond best to the BioRock. We’ve found that deer will come to BioRock during July, August and September better than they will to corn. On Mossy Oak properties, if we want to get an inventory of the deer herds, we put-out BioRock and a trail camera to get pictures of the deer during the summer months.
Question: Bobby where are you putting the BioRock?
Cole: Typically around the edge of the food plot. Once you put BioRock out, it slowly dissolves into the soil, and then the salt and the minerals go into the ground where the deer still can get them. Once the BioRock dissolves, we put another BioRock in the same place where we’ve had the first one. We also place BioRock on deer trails that are frequently traveled to and from the deer’s feeding and bedding sites. You need to experiment with BioRock on your property right now. If you put out 10 BioRocks, deer may go to only 8 of them. For some reason, the other two may be in areas where deer just don’t like to go to at this time of year. So, you can lose the BioRocks to places where there’s heavier deer travel, since the deer will lick-up the BioRock. Another great spot to put BioRock is in regions with slopes. The deer actually lick the BioRock. When the rains come, the rocks tend to dissolve into the dirt. And on sloping areas, the minerals and the salt from the BioRock will begin to slide down the hill. Different minerals slide at various rates. The deer can go to that sloping place and select the minerals they need at that time. If you want to change your rock up a little bit, Mossy Oak makes a liquid product called Rock Topper that’s very aromatic. Biologists actually have seen deer come to the Rock Topper within 24 hours of putting it out. By placing the BioRock and Rock Topper together, we can get a large number of photos of deer and other animals within a 24-hour period.
Question: Ok, Bobby, what makes Rock Topper work?
Cole: Rock Topper is a liquid that not only has a high concentration of salt, but it also has molasses. The aroma of the molasses helps the deer find the BioRock quicker. Once they locate the rock, they continue to come to it throughout the summer months.
Question: How long does the BioRock last?
Cole: The life of the BioRock depends on the amount of rain that falls after you put it out. In many areas of the South during this summer of 2011, we’re getting a lot of afternoon rains. Under these conditions, the rock will dissolve much faster than normal. The normal dissolve time for BioRock is 30-40 days, but, remember that after the BioRock dissolves, the minerals and the salt are still left in the ground. The deer will come and lick the dirt to get the salt and minerals that are there.
To learn more about food-plot plantings, when to do what in your area with plantings, and how to produce the best green fields possible, go to www.plantbiologic.com. You also can reach Bobby Cole with questions about food-plot plantings on Facebook at www.facebook.com/mossyoakbiologic.
