How to Use Tag-Out^® Year-round Mineral Supplement

When to Apply Tag-Out®

Tag-Out should be applied immediately and kept active in order to pattern deer to your Tag-Out holes. With time, more and more deer will find the site and change roaming patterns to accommodate it.

We encourage using trail cameras in conjunction with Tag-Out to document herd growth and Tag-Out hole activity. Tag-Out is a year-round mineral supplement; however deer consume different amounts of Tag-Out during each season of the year. Here are some trends we have found:

• Early Spring - Tag-Out hole activity by does carrying fawns, and bucks building up mineral reserves needed for new antler growth after their antlers drop
• Spring - Tag-Out hole activity by lactating does, and by bucks using up mineral reserves growing new antlers.
• Summer - Tag-Out hole activity by both does and bucks, to aid in several areas including digestion and antler development.
• Fall - Tag-Out hole activity continues through the fall as deer begin preparing for cold weather.
• Winter - Tag-Out hole activity continues throughout the winter, however, during the rut doe activity should stay steady, but buck activity may decrease. Tag-Out holes are often used by rutting bucks as a scrape as they look for the does that have frequented the hole.

The minerals in Tag-Out play a significant role in deer body mass and antler size. Deer antlers contain several different minerals; and two of these, calcium and phosphorus, make up approximately 30-35% of total antler weight. The amount of phosphorus in a deer's diet is also directly related to its body size.

Therefore, providing a year round supplement of these important minerals will, over time, help you produce the biggest bucks with trophy racks.

Choosing The Right Location

Picking the right location for your Tag-Out hole is important to site success. Deer constantly try to conceal themselves, so shaded areas along the edges of deer crossings seem to be optimal.

We recommend staying at least 6-12 feet off normally active deer trails. The more secluded a Tag-Out hole is, the more comfortable the deer will be, and they will stay longer in the hole consuming the minerals.

To determine the number of Tag-Out holes to establish, we recommend one Tag-Out hole per 100–200 acres. Since the peak use of the Tag-Out is during spring and early summer, Tag-Out holes should be established during late winter or early spring when possible, but anytime you can start a Tag-Out hole is a good time.

Choosing the Right Soil

Tag-Out works in a most types of soil, but heavier clay soils hold the minerals for a longer period of time, and increase the evaporative concentration of the minerals. If you are in a sandy area, we recommend establishing your Tag-Out hole next to a tree or stump with a decent root bed that holds the soil together a little better. Tag-Out holes in acidic soil have proven to generate heavier deer activity than alkaline soil sites.