About Whitetail XTC, Part Three

Last we spoke in a very limited scope concerning the invaluable knowledge and aid an animal nutritionist brought to formulating “Xtreme Tine Candy.” This month we will begin to look at another key player, a ruminant specialist. For those of you who are as of yet unaware, deer are ruminants, which simply means they have one stomach with multiple chambers…4 to be exact. The rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum. Each serves a different function in breaking down plant matter into nutrients. Interestingly, ruminant digestion is not possible without species of bacteria that live solely in the stomachs of ruminants. We will cover this topic, particularly in future blogs. It is also worth noting that it is simply not feasible for us to fully elaborate on the complexities and intricacies associated with the functions of a ruminant digestive system via blog post. Our goal with this blog and every blog we publish is to provide a functional understanding of deer physiology and transparent insight into the formulation of Whitetail XTC’s Xtreme Tine Candy so you as a consumer, hunter, and steward of creation can realize and develop sound management goals with confidence and purpose. So back to the topic at hand, here is a basic understanding of a deer’s digestive system: The Rumen is a fermentation and storage vat. Micro-organisms break down a lot of food in the Rumen so it can be absorbed by the deer, but it does not physically break down the food with acid like a human stomach. The Reticulum is a filter that allows small particles to pass to the Omasum. The Omasum acts like a sponge that draws off excess water before food is passed to the next step. The Abomasum works like your stomach to break down food with acid so nutrients can be absorbed when passing through the small intestine. This entire process is quite complex and requires an optimal environment for the production of specific digestive fluids and bacteria survival. Our ruminant specialist was critical in helping us understand this intricate balance and the specific needs of whitetails to formulate our product for optimal rumen health and nutrition absorption. After all, a perfect habitat, quality browsing, and mineral supplementation is worthless if the deer cannot readily and efficiently absorb critical dietary nutrients to reach their maximum potential.