Cutting Edge Revisited

Supplement System Targets Nutrition Needs Season by Season

By WHITETAIL INSTITUTE STAFF

         When my wife and I got married, she was employed at a large engineering company that designed and produced equipment for the meat-processing industry. The owner, a stately older fellow, had an incredible mind for invention. He designed the first hot-dog making machine, and even today, more than 90 percent of hot dogs produced worldwide go through one of his machines.

         The hot-dog-making machine was not his only creation, and the company's corporate office was a kind of museum of the various items he had invented. My wife took me on a tour of the offices one day, and when we came to the museum area, I saw a machine that looked somewhat familiar.

         Noticing my interest, my wife said, “That's the treadmill he invented.” I read the date on the display, and it was far earlier than the treadmills that had appeared in popular culture. As the story goes, the man and his wife enjoyed walking, but that wasn't always an option during long Midwestern winters. So, he decided to build something on which they could walk inside. He did, but everyone who looked at the machine said, “Who would pay for a machine that you walk on inside? You don’t go anywhere when you walk. All you have to do is just go outside and walk.” Consequently, he never filed a patent, and the rest is history. My wife’s employer was simply ahead of his time.

         In 1999, the Whitetail Institute unveiled a breakthrough in deer nutrition called Cutting Edge Nutrition Supplements. Since then, thousands of deer hunters and managers have used Cutting Edge and have seen the tremendous results it can produce. However, like many revolutionary products, it took time for people to really understand its significance. Cutting Edge is achieving greater and greater awareness.

         Cutting Edge was revolutionary because it was the first product line to address the changing nutritional needs of whitetails as they go through their yearly physiological cycle. Up until then, the only supplements available to consumers were spring and summer mineral products. Although these worked during the antler-growing season, the rest of the year was unaddressed.

         Someone asked, “Why do deer back off mineral supplements in late fall and winter?” Much research determined one of the main answers: The nutritional needs of a deer herd change in late fall and winter. That discovery led to further investigation. Soon, researchers identified three distinct times when nutritional needs change significantly enough that a specific nutritional supplement is needed. From that came Cutting Edge Initiate, Cutting Edge Optimize and Cutting Edge Sustain.

What is Cutting Edge?

         In simple terms, Cutting Edge nutritional supplements are designed for specific times. More accurately, they are designed for three specific physiological phases of a deer herd. During a year, the nutritional needs of deer change based on changes in their bodies.

         Beginning in late fall and winter, deer go into survival mode. In most parts of the country, food sources are scarce, and deer exhibit a pseudo-hibernation characteristic as their food intake decreases and their metabolism slows. At this time, energy is the most crucial part of a deer’s diet. Protein needs are at their lowest, as are mineral and vitamin requirements.

         Deer need energy during late fall and winter to maintain body condition, but it's often in short supply. After the rut, bucks have expended significant amounts of fat reserves. Energy is crucial for them at this time so they can minimize body-weight loss. This is immediately important for survival and will affect antler growth the next spring. Antler growth is secondary to body condition, and a buck must regain lost weight in spring before more of the nutrients it consumes can go to antler growth.

         Does also require extra energy in late fall and winter because they are in gestation. That is, they're pregnant. Pregnant does must support themselves and have enough quality nutrition to support one, two or even three fetuses.

Fawns, sometimes called yearlings, are also vulnerable at this time. They are still growing and don't have the same fat-storing ability as mature deer. In fact, typically the highest winter-death losses are mature breeding bucks and first-year fawns.

Deer can derive energy from several sources, but the most efficient are carbohydrates and fats or oils. In terms of deer nutrition, carbohydrates can be broken down into those derived from starch and those from fiber or cellulose. A common starch carbohydrate source is grain (corn).

         Although it's a good energy source, starch can be overdone in the diet of a ruminant and must be balanced with fiber- and fat-derived energy. Overly-high starch levels can cause digestive problems, such as low pH in the rumen, which hampers microbial populations needed for proper rumen function.

         As winter winds down just before spring, there is a period called the pre-green-up. This is likely the most difficult time nutritionally for deer. As spring approaches, bucks begin to sprout new antler buds, and does enter their final stages of gestation. These physiological states spark a shift in nutritional needs. Protein needs increase, as do mineral and vitamin needs. At the same time, energy remains critical to maintain or regain body weight.

         Unfortunately, in most of the country, this period coincides with the least amount of quality food. All the hard mast has been eaten, along with any waste field grains. Most of the browse has also been consumed. Forages have not yet begun to regrow, leaving deer with a nutritional deficit. Nutritional stress at this time can stunt antler growth in the buck herd and cause pregnancy problems with does, such as reabsorbed or aborted fetuses. It can also cause lower birth weights in fawns.

         In spring and summer, deer can usually find adequate energy in forages and browse. Also, protein needs, although still very high, can be met through high-protein food plots. Minerals and vitamins, on the other hand, become increasingly important. Antlers are in peak growth, and along with protein, bucks need lots of vitamins and minerals to grow antlers. As mentioned, much of the protein need can be met through food plots. But rarely are adequate minerals and vitamins available for optimal antler growth.

         At that time, does are lactating. Again, protein is vital, but so are minerals and vitamins. This is important for the doe and more important for the fawns she is feeding. Research has shown that the faster a buck fawn grows and the heavier it is as a yearling, the larger its body and antler size will be at maturity.

         These areas are distinct, and each requires a specific nutritional supplement. No one supplement can fulfill the nutritional needs all year.

That's where Cutting Edge comes in. Here's a description of each Cutting Edge product.

Cutting Edge Sustain

         Sustain is a highly-concentrated nutritional supplement used in late fall and winter. It is composed of protein, buffering agents, minerals and vitamins, fiber-digesting aids, energy (fat and carbohydrates) and Devour, a taste- and scent-enhancing agent.

Of these components, energy is of the highest concentration. The carbohydrates in Sustain are precisely balanced with fiber- and starch-derived carbohydrates. Oil and fat are major energy contributors. Although protein is not as critical in late fall and early winter, deer need a certain amount, so it's part of the formulation. The same is true for minerals and vitamins. The starch-digesting aids are designed to improve the rumen’s ability to digest all types of fiber, natural or supplemented. The buffer agents help maintain proper rumen pH and rumen microbial health, and Devour makes Sustain irresistible to deer. Sustain is not a complete feed, but a supplement. It's designed to supply lots of nutrients with small amounts of consumption. In other words, Sustain is similar to an energy bar.

Cutting Edge Initiate

         Initiate is designed for late winter and early spring, otherwise known as the pre-green-up period. It contains lots of protein and energy, as well as Devour, buffering agents and fiber-digesting aids. Initiate is similar to Sustain in terms of nutrients and ingredient function, but its protein levels are much higher: 20 percent. This increase in protein is needed for early antler growth and late-gestation fetal development. Though protein is high, energy is also high, as deer still need it for body-weight maintenance and fetal growth. Mineral and vitamin levels are also higher in Initiate. Devour, buffering agents and fiber-digesting aids perform the same functions as in Sustain.

Cutting Edge Optimize

         Optimize is designed for spring and summer, during the height of antler growth and doe lactation. The need for supplemental minerals and vitamins comes to the forefront at this time. The need for supplemental energy decreases. Protein and energy requirements remain high, but the need for supplementation decreases, especially if deer have access to high-protein food plots. Minerals and vitamins become the emphasis of supplementation. Optimize contains all the macro minerals needed by deer to maximize production. These minerals are formulated in specific amounts and ratios, and from specific sources to ensure high digestibility. Also included are vital vitamins A, D and E. Finally, Devour is added for maximum attraction.

When to Use the Cutting Edge products

Sustain: mid-fall through late winter

Initiate: Late winter until spring

Optimize: spring green-up through mid-fall