"Please pass the salt."

[Deserve2beworked]

Since I'm a nonresident and from a state where everything is eventually against some law I thought best to get feedback on this subject from you.

Two years ago I was filling up my guzzler in Flagstaff when a camo clad guy pulled up next to me. The back of his truck was full of these huge bags of salt. Since he was in camo I didn't think he was a rancher but I inquired any way. "Man, that's a lot of salt. Must have a bunch of cows. Why do you use bagged salt instead of blocks?" He looked at me and said, "It ain't for cows. It's for elk!" He then proceed to tell me he had a hot water hole and had been packing salt to it for years. Said he would kill a monster there.

I've since then asked around about the use of salt when hunting in Arizona. An outfitter told me it borders on the unethical to use salt.

On the write up for 12A deer hunt by the G&F Dept it states "Salt licks are a great attractant for deer and provide the same opportunity as waterholes." But, section R12-4-303 states "An individual may not use edible or ingestible substances to aid in taking big game. But, Part 6 lists water and salt not included.

Is putting salt out near my ground blind or tree stand to attract big game legal or illegal in Arizona?

Is putting salt out near my ground blind or tree stand ethical or unethical in your humble opinion?

[jim]

Salt is legal. As for your second question only you can look at yourself in the mirror and decide that question.

[208muley]

Do it to it! Ethics don't mean crap anymore.... If you can't get a ticket or go to jail for it it's ethical... Have fun and good luck!

[Deserve2beworked]

I hear ya on the second question. Never have done it so it seems unethical. But, if I was born and raised in Arizona hunting over salt might not seem so.

[DesertBull]

Salt is legal.

 

Stuff like deercain and trophy rock are not.

 

It's no ones business if you use it or not.

[GreyGhost85]

salt does help to attract game, but it is not the golden ticket like some people think. salt licks usually take years before they become really productive and deer make using them a habit. they are a lot of work to maintain as well. a lot of people "hate" on using salt, but most of those people do not understand how much work it is hauling 100lb salt bags sometimes miles. i use salt licks and have been doing so for probably 12 years now. i have killed 2 deer over salt and usually hunt over a salt source every year in august/january. 2 years out of 10-12 is not a real high success rate! they do not attract deer like bait does, although the haters tend to think they do.

[208muley]

Desert bull , is trophy rock illegal? Serious question. It it not manufactured in anyway, just mined in the form you buy it in. At least that is what I understand.

[4Falls]

Placing salt near you blind or tree stand would probably not do much for a hunt this year. Like others said they take time to develop. In my opinion salt licks have lost some effectivness in recent years because they are literally sprinkled throughout the forests these days.

[DesertBull]

Desert bull , is trophy rock illegal? Serious question. It it not manufactured in anyway, just mined in the form you buy it in. At least that is what I understand.

 

 

I believe if its a product mfg and marketed for hunting it is illegal. That's what Ive heard anyway.

[QhunterAZ]

Put some out even if you don't hunt near it. Its good for the critters

[bonecollector777]

I believe the law says salt is legal as long as it is produced for livestock. Salt blocks, rock salt are all good to go. Sadly trophy rock isn't made for livestock so they consider it illegal. Stupid law if you ask me.

[JLW]

I believe the law says salt is legal as long as it is produced for livestock. Salt blocks, rock salt are all good to go. Sadly trophy rock isn't made for livestock so they consider it illegal. Stupid law if you ask me.

any salt is legal. table salt, pool salt, water softener salt.... all of that is salt which is legal.

trophy rock is salt based material not produced for livestock. that is why I believe it is not legal.

mineral salt at the feed store is legal because it is a salt based product produced or manufactured for livestock.

by the way as soon as this mineral salt gets some rain or pour water on it yourself the animals in the area will smell it and will come and get it.

whether or not it's does/cows or bucks and bulls depends on if you are where they live.

 

James

 

James

[mattys281]

Since I'm a nonresident and from a state where everything is eventually against some law I thought best to get feedback on this subject from you.

Two years ago I was filling up my guzzler in Flagstaff when a camo clad guy pulled up next to me. The back of his truck was full of these huge bags of salt. Since he was in camo I didn't think he was a rancher but I inquired any way. "Man, that's a lot of salt. Must have a bunch of cows. Why do you use bagged salt instead of blocks?" He looked at me and said, "It ain't for cows. It's for elk!" He then proceed to tell me he had a hot water hole and had been packing salt to it for years. Said he would kill a monster there.

I've since then asked around about the use of salt when hunting in Arizona. An outfitter told me it borders on the unethical to use salt.

On the write up for 12A deer hunt by the G&F Dept it states "Salt licks are a great attractant for deer and provide the same opportunity as waterholes." But, section R12-4-303 states "An individual may not use edible or ingestible substances to aid in taking big game. But, Part 6 lists water and salt not included.

Is putting salt out near my ground blind or tree stand to attract big game legal or illegal in Arizona?

Is putting salt out near my ground blind or tree stand ethical or unethical in your humble opinion?

 

My experience is the same as greyghost's: I've been running a couple salt licks since '06 and so far have only takin two deer off of them, one of which never actually approached the salt, he was following a couple does that meandered by it. So after 9 years of hauling thousands of pounds of this crap (most of which is eaten by range cattle) and spending weeks in treestands and/or ground blinds, it's netted two deer in the freezer. Real unfair advantage there. I wouldn't worry yourself too much over the ethics of it, salt is a great way to get trailcam pics of buck in the early months, but I've seen that they tend to use it less and less after the rain starts. At the end of the day, if you chose a great site for your salt lick, there would be deer passing through regardless if you have salt there or not, and if you chose a site that deer are not using, then the salt is not going to make them magically show up. I've abandoned several sites for this reason before nailing down the couple that I have now.

 

As for the outfitter that you mentioned, spending $4-6k on a guide that has 80-100% success for his clients is going to do a lot more to increase your odds of success than hauling a bag of salt into the woods ever will. But salt's unethical, that's too cute.

[Deserve2beworked]

Interesting and honest dialogue, thanks. I think as a non resident I'll put my energy toward scouting to locate bucks and bulls rather than "hauling thousands of pounds of crap" out into the woods as though it is going to draw animals from miles away. But, if I was a resident hunting the same honey hole year after year I see some advantages, if nothing more than cool photos, to putting some minerals back in the soil.

I have some remote property in Northern, YES, NORTHERN California where I kept my horses in the summer. They are now gone to the pastures in the sky and their wood corrals have been mostly taken down. The exact spots where their mineral blocks used to be, there are now huge holes in the ground where all sorts of critters continue to dig for the sweets. Thanks again for your input. Not many sites I would even pose this question or any question.

[mattys281]

You have some blacktail pics you can share? Im hoping to hit northern cali for one next year. Need one for the deer slam.