RE: Digesting Corn?
The only thing that I'll add - is that in "farmland" areas - where corn is grown and deer are used to it in their diet - it can provide alot of Carbs for deer in winter. I think that the tougher the winters - the more useful corn (we leave some standing) can be to a wintering herd.
Let me just say that our standing corn - has hardly been touched by the deer this year because its been so mild. The deer seem to know to "save it" until the snows come.
I think that sometimes you'll hear that corn is bad for deer - and sometimes its true. For instance - I would never feed Corn to a deer when Clover was available like in the summer months. Corn is low in protein and takes up WAY too much space in a deer's stomach (rumen) - so much so that the deer may not feed on higher protein foods - if corn is available. They digest corn fine - but the overall protien intake is closer to 10% then 30% like clover or even select native browse can offer.
FH