High deer movement days...
- RidgeReaper
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High deer movement days...
So I hear it talked about a good bit, but was wondering what opinions there are on this subject...
As i'm sure, everyone on here notices days where deer are just seemingly everywhere. sometimes AM sometimes PM. Today for example was one of those days. Driving around for work around daylight this morning i noticed that there just seemed to be deer out all over the place. Saw a new baby fawn and doe also and a few turkeys. anyway, most days I don't see any critters even in the high sighting locations. I've always wondered what exactly causes the big peaks in activity. I know basic theories are moon, barometric pressure, weather fronts etc..just figured I would start a thread about it for some thoughts.
As i'm sure, everyone on here notices days where deer are just seemingly everywhere. sometimes AM sometimes PM. Today for example was one of those days. Driving around for work around daylight this morning i noticed that there just seemed to be deer out all over the place. Saw a new baby fawn and doe also and a few turkeys. anyway, most days I don't see any critters even in the high sighting locations. I've always wondered what exactly causes the big peaks in activity. I know basic theories are moon, barometric pressure, weather fronts etc..just figured I would start a thread about it for some thoughts.
- rfickes87
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Re: High deer movement days...
-It has been chilly in the mornings here in PA the past couple day. Was in the high 40s. Deer in summer coats may have been chilly
-I just looked at the moon phase when I read your post above. Overhead time was 6:59 this morning. (Personally I've gone back many times on my buck kills/sightings, trail cams and looked at moon data and I can't get anything to correlate...)
-Its very low humidity right now... If I were a deer on a hot summer day with a lot of humidity I might want to be lazy go lay down and find some shade? Today has been cool and crisp. Could that contribute to more deer activity?
Sorry Reaper, I have more questions that answers
-I just looked at the moon phase when I read your post above. Overhead time was 6:59 this morning. (Personally I've gone back many times on my buck kills/sightings, trail cams and looked at moon data and I can't get anything to correlate...)
-Its very low humidity right now... If I were a deer on a hot summer day with a lot of humidity I might want to be lazy go lay down and find some shade? Today has been cool and crisp. Could that contribute to more deer activity?
Sorry Reaper, I have more questions that answers
"Pressure and Time. That's all it takes, really. Pressure, and time..."
- Rob loper
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Re: High deer movement days...
rfickes87 wrote:-It has been chilly in the mornings here in PA the past couple day. Was in the high 40s. Deer in summer coats may have been chilly
-I just looked at the moon phase when I read your post above. Overhead time was 6:59 this morning. (Personally I've gone back many times on my buck kills/sightings, trail cams and looked at moon data and I can't get anything to correlate...)
-Its very low humidity right now... If I were a deer on a hot summer day with a lot of humidity I might want to be lazy go lay down and find some shade? Today has been cool and crisp. Could that contribute to more deer activity?
Sorry Reaper, I have more questions that answers
I agree on the humidity and heat. It lays them down
But also the lack of human scent in the woods is imo a big reason why activity and sightings increase
- RidgeReaper
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Re: High deer movement days...
Yea I agree to all of those points as well. All times of the year though i definitely notice stark differences in certain days as far as sightings. There are days when I come and go from work and see tons. The next day...completely different. Just hard to nail down exactly why. I have also looked into moon data and can't really determine anything there...
- Dewey
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Re: High deer movement days...
I use an app called iSolunar. Paying attention to the PEAK times I see an obvious connection to those periods which correlate with o/h u/f times. Of course extreme weather conditions or other human/predator factors will always alter things but if conditions are favorable these peak times are just about always right on.
- wolverinebuckman
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Re: High deer movement days...
I seen a 2 year old buck out grazing in the field Monday at around 1:30 pm on my private spot! That was cool. First velvet buck I've ever seen.
Bummer of a birthmark, Hal.
- bowfreak8
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Re: High deer movement days...
One pretty common trend I've noticed is if you've been dealing with rain overnight and into the next day as soon as that rain stops the woods come alive. Had this exact scenario happen 2 years ago during the rut and it was an awesome hunt that ended with a nice buck at the end of the blood trail.
- Rob loper
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Re: High deer movement days...
Dewey wrote:I use an app called iSolunar. Paying attention to the PEAK times I see an obvious connection to those periods which correlate with o/h u/f times. Of course extreme weather conditions or other human/predator factors will always alter things but if conditions are favorable these peak times are just about always right on.
I have this app too dewey so the peak times is really the peak of movemet?
- <DK>
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Re: High deer movement days...
Fronts are a real big factor. It can get confusing (for me) trying to remember proper timing bc they can move before and after the fronts. The biggest factor I key in on is wind shift days. These can be front related but when the wind has been one constant direction for days at a time and it switches 180*, I see a huge increase in movement. Probably one of my favorite and higher confidence times to get out there.
- Dewey
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Re: High deer movement days...
TheBuckPsych wrote:Dewey wrote:I use an app called iSolunar. Paying attention to the PEAK times I see an obvious connection to those periods which correlate with o/h u/f times. Of course extreme weather conditions or other human/predator factors will always alter things but if conditions are favorable these peak times are just about always right on.
I have this app too dewey so the peak times is really the peak of movemet?
Yes. I have matched it up to cams near bedding and it has been pretty consistant. I know many discredit the moon stuff but there is no doubt the effect it has. If you can pinpoint within reasonsble time that a buck will rise from his bed the odds are highly stacked in your favor. Fishermen have been using it for ages and obviously it’s extremely valuable info in that case. I really notice it musky fishing. I fish all hours of the day but you can bet my best action more often than not is during the peak moon periods. Predator fish like musky may only have a 15 minute feeding window and if you miss that you likely missed your best opportunity for the day or even the week. I have no doubt it’s the same for deer but feeding windows are much larger due to being browsers multiple times a day. If you can time those periods your success with sightings will be much higher no different than fishing.
- Dmking33
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Re: High deer movement days...
Dewey wrote:I use an app called iSolunar. Paying attention to the PEAK times I see an obvious connection to those periods which correlate with o/h u/f times. Of course extreme weather conditions or other human/predator factors will always alter things but if conditions are favorable these peak times are just about always right on.
Following this! Always have been pretty skeptical of how accurate these actually are in relation to the peak movements and If it actually shows results or it’s more of an educated guess based on those conditions.
- Rob loper
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Re: High deer movement days...
Dewey wrote:TheBuckPsych wrote:Dewey wrote:I use an app called iSolunar. Paying attention to the PEAK times I see an obvious connection to those periods which correlate with o/h u/f times. Of course extreme weather conditions or other human/predator factors will always alter things but if conditions are favorable these peak times are just about always right on.
I have this app too dewey so the peak times is really the peak of movemet?
Yes. I have matched it up to cams near bedding and it has been pretty consistant. I know many discredit the moon stuff but there is no doubt the effect it has. If you can pinpoint within reasonsble time that a buck will rise from his bed the odds are highly stacked in your favor. Fishermen have been using it for ages and obviously it’s extremely valuable info in that case. I really notice it musky fishing. I fish all hours of the day but you can bet my best action more often than not is during the peak moon periods. Predator fish like musky may only have a 15 minute feeding window and if you miss that you likely missed your best opportunity for the day or even the week. I have no doubt it’s the same for deer but feeding windows are much larger due to being browsers multiple times a day. If you can time those periods your success with sightings will be much higher no different than fishing.
Thnks dewey. Im gonna use it
- RidgeReaper
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Re: High deer movement days...
Dewey wrote:I use an app called iSolunar. Paying attention to the PEAK times I see an obvious connection to those periods which correlate with o/h u/f times. Of course extreme weather conditions or other human/predator factors will always alter things but if conditions are favorable these peak times are just about always right on.
Thank you! I'll be checking into this app. I'd love to get better at journalling my data and comparing things over the years. I just don't think to do it at certain times or just get too lazy or something...
- MDSikajunkie
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Re: High deer movement days...
Darkknight54 wrote:Fronts are a real big factor. It can get confusing (for me) trying to remember proper timing bc they can move before and after the fronts. The biggest factor I key in on is wind shift days. These can be front related but when the wind has been one constant direction for days at a time and it switches 180*, I see a huge increase in movement. Probably one of my favorite and higher confidence times to get out there.
Wow! This puts a few things together for me from last season. Looking back I saw increased movement as well with wind changes. Thanks Darknight!
As far as my belief. I have always seen more deer in daylight when the moon rises early Or sets late during daylight.
And I have the most confidence in my area when it’s raining. Not a downpour but steady rain. No hunters in the woods = deer moving in the high pressure areas I hunt. Too many hunters have told me “ deer don’t move when it rains so I stay home”.
That tells me go hunt less people pressuring them. I have always seen deer on those days and a good percentage of the time it’s a buck.
Thanks for the iSolunar app Dewey! For sure gonna give that a look!
- headgear
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Re: High deer movement days...
Looked up the moon for Altoona, PA - maybe close to you maybe not. Moon was overhead at 7:15am this morning, would have been good movement potentially an hour before or after that but I usually see the best movement a half hour on either side of the peak time. It works great for turkeys too.
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