| Author | Message | ||
     jim dumont (Floundahman)  BOC SQUIREUsername: Floundahman Post Number: 117 Registered: 5-2003  Rating: N/A |
I was wondering if anyone out there has ever made their own salt blocks. Got nothing against the store bought ones but I have a crab apple tree that went nuts this year and am trying to make some blocks with them. I'd appreciate any ideas. Thanks all. | ||
| James Teer (Bassadict69)  BOC PROTECTORUsername: Bassadict69 Post Number: 383 Registered: 6-2003  Rating: N/A |
That sounds like an awesome idea if you can figure out how to make them! HAUGHTON, LA | ||
| Salvatore Palombo Jr. (Sal_jr)  BOC KNIGHTUsername: Sal_jr Post Number: 263 Registered: 6-2004  Rating: N/A |
how do you make salt out of crab apples? LMAO! I would try this- chop and dehydrate your apples till they're hard and crispy. (You can use a food or grain dehydrator or put em by the fire for a LONG LONG TIME.) You dont want them to rot, so you sorta have to do this part. Once that is done, add some other goodies for bulking up antlers. (you got this far you might as well make it healthier) Try adding corn or oats or grain and some actual salt, selinium, calcium- heck- toss a bottle of crushed Tums in there... they have minerals and calcium AND hey have fruity flavor! When your mixture is made, add a touch of molasses or honey for stickiness and mix it like CRAZY. Line a 5 gallon bucket with cheesecloth (making sure extra moisture can escape the bucket via drilled holes in the bottom of the bucket) pour in your mixture, cover with another cloth, then set another bucket on top of it as though you were gonna stack one inside the other and fill the top bucket with HEAVY stuff- rocks, lead, whatever. You're gonna want it to be at least 200 or more lbs so that it sqeezes out juices from the mixture and air bubbles too. Let that set for a few days to a week to harden. Another option is to get an old wine press and di it that way, letting it sit for the same time. A cheaper way to try the second option is to do the bucket method as above but turn it all upside down and set it on a plank. Above the molasses bucket you are gonna want to have a good brace like a metal frame, and below the plank that the pressing bucket sits on you put a car jack. Every day give it another pump- eventually you'll pressure squeeze it dry. Good luck- Tell me how it works out! CHASIN' FLATTIES IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN "I know one thing, son: It's Butt-Cold out here, and I'm fresh outta Beer." -Burgess Merideth, "Grumpy Old Men" | ||
| Jerry Miller (Beandaddy_bear) BOC KNIGHTUsername: Beandaddy_bear Post Number: 212 Registered: 12-2003  Rating: N/A |
I think I would just buy one at the feed store "Less Trouble" Could you freeze the apples and just throw them out in the woods when you go hunting? Beandaddy  Jerry Miller | ||
| Salvatore Palombo Jr. (Sal_jr) BOC KNIGHTUsername: Sal_jr Post Number: 265 Registered: 6-2004 Rating: N/A |
freezing em wouldnt hurt! There's a quicker idea- Grind and freeze them in buckets lined with cloth so you can extract the giant icecube out when finished. The problem ther would be the fact that if he has a lot of apples, there goes all the freezer space! CHASIN' FLATTIES IN CENTRAL MICHIGAN "I know one thing, son: It's Butt-Cold out here, and I'm fresh outta Beer." -Burgess Merideth, "Grumpy Old Men" | ||
| jim dumont (Floundahman) BOC SQUIREUsername: Floundahman Post Number: 120 Registered: 5-2003 Rating: N/A |
well I gave it a try, but a little less complicated. I simmered the apples for @6 1/2 hours with brown sugar, salt,a little water, and corn syrup. I pressed the apples half way through and strained out all of the skins and seeds. basically I made a huge apple caramel. I expect that it will harden when it cools. I'll let you all know if it worked. | ||
| Fred buttons (Wascassman99) BOC PROTECTORUsername: Wascassman99 Post Number: 303 Registered: 6-2003 Rating: N/A |
Hello Jim....might try mixing them with foodgrade glycerine?..it would preserve them...mix it with other leftover fruits/vegetables etc and form a paste/liquid..you can get leftover molasses from farmers that use the barrels of it for cow licks etc..buddy of mine gets 3/4 of a gallon or so out of the 30 gallon barrels they use for the licks around here...most of our farmers dont mess with waiting for it to drain and most let ya have it free for the takin..how you put the bait out might also be affected by what your planning on doing around it...ie:wildlife watchin or hunting..watch your regulations also as its illegal here in Illinois to put out wildlife feed now due to CWD...only birdfeeders within a specific distance to a dwelling..i know alot of guys still do it but i wouldnt want to get caught...good luck and let us know how it turns out ...i c your a bowhunter....our bow season opens oct 1st....oh yeah!...lol...my first love is deer hunting then trapping with squirrel hunting runnin neck and neck with trappin! | ||
| jim dumont (Floundahman) BOC SQUIREUsername: Floundahman Post Number: 122 Registered: 5-2003 Rating: N/A |
Fred, baiting is still legal here in NC. Most people set out corn but it doesn't last very long, and everything out there eats it. I only use salt blocks and those only during the bow season. I hunt with a 30/30 too. Our bow season opens the first Saturday in Sept. The weather is still very hot and the deer aren't very active. I like to give them a reason to get out of bed. I used to live in MA and hunted ducks, geese, rabbits, and squirrel. Didn't do much deer hunting until I got here three years ago. I took a deer my first bow season and haven't looked back. It was incredible. Got one with the rifle last year. Itching to get into the tree stand in a couple of weeks!! | ||
| Fred buttons (Wascassman99) BOC PROTECTORUsername: Wascassman99 Post Number: 306 Registered: 6-2003 Rating: N/A |
hello Jim.....man i love that bowhunting...gets in your blood BIG TIME....we cant use hi powered rifles in Illinois but we can use some pretty large psitol cartridges..they relaxed alot of regs last season..out to 100 yards id take my shotgun with slugs any day over any rifle..i shoot a 12 ga...w/ winchester 2 3/4in sabots..puts them down quick....i use an inline muzzleloader also...50 cal...w/ 90 gr pyrodex and a 385gr buffalo bullet...when ya hit them in the boiler room with that load they dont go far...you can usualy measure the distance in feet...i mainly squirrel and deer hunt now...with an ocasional varmint hunt..we cant feed or bait wildlife now in Illniois..as far as i know we could never bait but i use to like feeding the critters..even the nongame animals were fun to watch but those days are gone...probably forever with CWD breathin down our necks...good luck email me if ya wish | ||
| michael fortner (Forty) BOC INITIATE Username: Forty Post Number: 20 Registered: 3-2005 Rating: N/A |
well how did the block turn out? Did it work or what? It ait braggin as long as you can back it up | ||
| chad kilpatrick (Km5qf) BOC SQUIREUsername: Km5qf Post Number: 151 Registered: 2-2005  Rating: N/A |
I like the carmel block you made, sounds tasty. I'd dry them and add to the salt lick. Keep in mind tho that the salt really isnt whats attracting the deer- at least not during hunting seasons. Yes deer eat salt year round but fall/winter it slows way way down. They dont actively seek it out that time of year as a rule but sure if they find it they eat it. If you hunt the same place every year find a stump or cut one and set your salt blocks on that. Go with the brown, not the white as they have trace minerals added. The heavy 25 lb solid blocks are best and one lasts many months on average. The compressed particle blocks- look like yard fertilizer in a block dont last near as long. I avoid any "deer" salt blocks- overpriced. Cattle trace mineral blocks from the feed store are my preference. Five bucks tops. The longer the lick is in place the more deer come to it and once its established they'll eat the dirt around base of stump if u dont replace block in time. Ive got stumps over ten yrs old, well, what used to be stumps. hahaha Ive read research data showing whitetails will travel up to three miles to a salt lick- thats a lot of deer visiting your area, a lot of does teaching the next generation where to find your crosshairs, ahem, i mean salt. - - - cq cq de km5qf qrz? | ||
| Jon Saxon (Verotik)  BOC PALADINUsername: Verotik Post Number: 1385 Registered: 6-2002  Rating: N/A |
I put out a mineral pit about a month ago from a homemade mix recipie, i think its even on the board somewhere. Its Di-calcium phosphate, trace minerals, and stock salt. They are really starting to tear it up here lately. Like chad said, they wont hit it in the fall like they do in the spring and summer. The doe's need the calcium and minerals for thier growing fawns and the bucks need it for antler growth (yet to be proven?) Whatever the case, its neat to see them hitting it. Harrison, Arkansas GO HOGS! WOOOOOO PIG SOOOIIEEE! Proud supporter of the Brotherhood of Catfisherman |
