Check your state regulations regarding the practice of hunting near mineral licks and/or salt blocks. In many states the practice is illegal. Some of these bans can likely be traced back for centuries, when mineral licks were widely used by early American hunters as a hotspot for bagging game. However, it's interesting to note these hunters were allowed to pursue game year-round. That's important, considering deer visits to mineral licks were likely highest during the spring and summer months. This doesn't mean all bans on hunting near minerals are archaic or ill-conceived. But with virtually all modern deer seasons occurring during fall—a time when deer are perhaps least likely to be attracted to minerals—the potential for irony is high. "I've always found it interesting that it's illegal to hunt over a salt block in my home state," said Michigan researcher John Ozoga.
 
"Yet, it remains legal to place corn or other grains as bait and hunt directly over that. It's illegal to use the thing they're least attracted to, yet perfectly fine to use the things they're most attracted to. That's never made sense to me." Just the opposite situation exists in my home state of Minnesota. Here, placing salt and/or minerals is a legal method for attracting deer, yet hunting near "grain, fruit, vegetables, nuts, hay or other food" is strictly prohibited. The message? Don't torture yourself with logic. Check your state regs and hunt only in a legal manner.