Question for WJS

[IA ML'r]

This is my first post here but Believe me I'm no stranger to hunting forums.

I have been meaning to ask this for a while and this seems like the ideal place to share this info.

WJS, what do we know about whitetail digestion of the protien in soybean grain? I know it contains an enzyme inhibitor that negates it's protien value for waterfowl, certainly it's still valuable as a fat source, and soy foliage is a much prefered summer item, but does it's use as a winter protien source have any validity? Does the rumen compensate for the enzyme inhibitor?

 

[wjs]

An excellent question. The enzyme inhibitor is normally broken down during the rumination process so it will have little effect. Soybeans in large amounts might cause some problems but not to the extent it can in animals with one stomach.

Under normal conditions deer eat a variety of plant material. The key to providing good nutrition is to provide a variey of plants, green forage such as clover, winter wheat, grains such as corn and soybeans and good quality browse (younger woody plants).

wjs