Ask The Biologist

Put the lime in the field and watch the deer disappear?

QUESTION: This year my landowner spread lime on his harvested fields. Up to that point, I observed the deer were feeding in them quite often, and I had trail cam pictures of them doing so, too. After the lime, I have not observed any deer in these fields or captured a single trail camera picture, day or night. This has been over a 2 1/2-week period. These areas have not had any human pressure that would push the deer away. Is it possible the lime has deterred them from feeding there?

ANSWER: I was not under the impression that spreading lime would deter deer, nor could I find any evidence to that effect. That suggests there might be some other cause. You didn’t mention what the crop was or how soon after harvest the fields were limed. It’s possible that once the crop was gone, the deer no longer had cause to visit the fields. If there was a longer interval between harvest and liming, perhaps the deer gleaned up whatever waste grain/crop was left and then moved on.

It’s also possible they found a better/more desirable food source. For instance, if it was a clover or alfalfa field and it was cut around the time the deer’s diet was transitioning from protein to carbs, they might have simply moved into the woods, or to another field.

You also didn’t mention the specific application. Spreading pelletized lime would likely have little or no effect on the deer. In fact, they might even consume some while in the act of feeding. Spreading field lime should also not deter them, unless it was spread in a great enough concentration to cover the food. However, some farmers spread manure or sludge (treated waste). That could deter deer.

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