Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

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Ramlbin Ray
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Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Ramlbin Ray » Sat Jan 17, 2015 4:57 am

Solunar Times I understand peak game activity. But my question is on understanding lunar positions. For example RISE 2:44am, OVERHEAD 8:08am, SET 1:33pm, UNDERFOOT 8:36PM on Waning Crescent 21% Illumination?


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Wlog
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Wlog » Sat Jan 17, 2015 5:15 am

Moon rise and set means the same as sun rise and set. Overhead...when the moon is directly above your position. Underfoot...moon is on the opposite side of earth as your position. Theoretically peak game activity is when the moon is overhead or underfoot.

In theory deer movement is best when solunar times overlap with other game movement influences like daylight (first and last hour of daylight), weather fronts, rut activity.

Hope this answers your question.

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Ramlbin Ray » Sat Jan 17, 2015 7:12 am

Thanks Wlog helps out a whole lot!
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Horizontal Hunter
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Horizontal Hunter » Sat Jan 17, 2015 11:31 am

Wlog wrote:Moon rise and set means the same as sun rise and set. Overhead...when the moon is directly above your position. Underfoot...moon is on the opposite side of earth as your position. Theoretically peak game activity is when the moon is overhead or underfoot.

In theory deer movement is best when solunar times overlap with other game movement influences like daylight (first and last hour of daylight), weather fronts, rut activity.

Hope this answers your question.

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The moon has a zenith (overhead) and Nadir (under foot). I use an app called deluxe moon. I really try to pay attention to the zenith and nadir +/- 1 hour though like most I hunt when I can.

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Sat Jan 17, 2015 12:14 pm

Good answers guys.
Food for thought.
Solar influence + lunar influence + perigee (moon is closest to the earth in its rotation) + an approaching storm front = good time to be in an ambush set up. Every once in a while pressure from other hunters can be added to this, but very difficult to predict humans. But one can try.

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby JoeRE » Sat Jan 17, 2015 1:42 pm

dirt nap giver wrote:Good answers guys.
Food for thought.
Solar influence + lunar influence + perigee (moon is closest to the earth in its rotation) + an approaching storm front = good time to be in an ambush set up. Every once in a while pressure from other hunters can be added to this, but very difficult to predict humans. But one can try.

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Yeek, I thought I took timing hunts to an extreme. Solar influence?? You time your hunts around solar flares?
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Sat Jan 17, 2015 2:10 pm

JoeRE wrote:
dirt nap giver wrote:Good answers guys.
Food for thought.
Solar influence + lunar influence + perigee (moon is closest to the earth in its rotation) + an approaching storm front = good time to be in an ambush set up. Every once in a while pressure from other hunters can be added to this, but very difficult to predict humans. But one can try.

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Yeek, I thought I took timing hunts to an extreme. Solar influence?? You time your hunts around solar flares?

No. Solar influence is dawn & dusk. A natural time frame of deer movement as we all know already.
I'm not that smart

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby uncleron » Sat Jan 17, 2015 3:59 pm

Great explanation guys!

On these "prime" days/times it's possible to set up further from a bucks bed and still see him during shooting hours. The more active he's going to be, the less aggressive/intrusive your setup can be.

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby JoeRE » Sun Jan 18, 2015 12:18 am

Something else I pay attention to is moon phase...if it is full moon, quarter, new moon, etc. I have found deer move much less morning and evening when there is a full moon up all night for whatever reason...but there can be more movement at mid day particularly during the cruising phase of the rut,

Also, I would add go ahead and study the moon's influence but for every minute you pay attention to the moon you should spend 2 minutes studying the weather's influence. The weather is what I would call a primary factor in affecting deer movement and the moon would be a secondary factor. Same with hunting pressure.



dirt nap giver wrote:No. Solar influence is dawn & dusk. A natural time frame of deer movement as we all know already.
I'm not that smart

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Ah that makes sense, thanks :lol: .
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Spysar » Sun Jan 18, 2015 1:05 am

The moon is useless as a hunting tool, IMO.

If the moon motivates you to hunt than fine, that's a good thing. Your out and you have a chance.

But if you skip a hunt because of the moon , that's a bad thing. You have no chance.

We over think deer hunting too much.
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Bucky » Sun Jan 18, 2015 1:14 am

Spysar wrote:The moon is useless as a hunting tool, IMO.

If the moon motivates you to hunt than fine, that's a good thing. Your out and you have a chance.

But if you skip a hunt because of the moon , that's a bad thing. You have no chance.

We over think deer hunting too much.


I agree.... if you really want to key in on a factor that increase or decrease your chances to kill a good buck it would be cold fronts. I have shot the majority of my good deer on cold fronts, it gets them up and moving before and after the front has hit
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Sun Jan 18, 2015 1:55 am

Spysar wrote:The moon is useless as a hunting tool, IMO.

If the moon motivates you to hunt than fine, that's a good thing. Your out and you have a chance.

But if you skip a hunt because of the moon , that's a bad thing. You have no chance.

We over think deer hunting too much.

That's your opinion and doesn't contibute to answering the question from the original post. No one said anything about using the moon as hunt only on those days. My trail cams and actual hunting tells me that the moon does influence movement.
I agree that weather and pressure have a greater influence. For anyone to sit on the couch and not hunt while waiting for the moon to be perfectly aligned is depriving themselves.

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby mspaci » Sun Jan 18, 2015 4:07 am

I dont worry about the moon too much, when I have time I am hunting regardless. How do you all use it as a tool however. Would really like to know what I do wrong here. Mike
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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby Edcyclopedia » Sun Jan 18, 2015 4:31 am

The only thing the moon helps me with is going #2, and that's when I drop my fatigues and cop a squat like an indian used to...:)

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Re: Need help understanding Lunar Positions?

Unread postby dirt nap giver » Sun Jan 18, 2015 6:24 am

Edcyclopedia wrote:The only thing the moon helps me with is going #2, and that's when I drop my fatigues and cop a squat like an indian used to...:)

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That explains a lot. So your full of it till the full moon rolls around? Haha!

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