Seriously...the Moon

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headgear
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby headgear » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:09 am

EllieTheChubb wrote:I hear again and again on here that everything mature bucks do is deliberate. So I can understand the moon having an impact on nighttime movement. But midday activity because of an overhead moon... I just find it hard to belive. Why would that change anything?


That would really only apply to the rut, otherwise you would try and target days when the moon is peaking during prime time.


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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby Swampbuck » Wed Jan 02, 2019 4:20 am

headgear wrote:
EllieTheChubb wrote:I hear again and again on here that everything mature bucks do is deliberate. So I can understand the moon having an impact on nighttime movement. But midday activity because of an overhead moon... I just find it hard to belive. Why would that change anything?


That would really only apply to the rut, otherwise you would try and target days when the moon is peaking during prime time.



Yea, remember it's a minor factor. Other things effect movement more so overhead at midday isn't going to make the jump out of bed like clockwork. Just like a cool front doesnt always get them up in the daylight. I think it affects deer in low pressure areas far more than those in pressures. To me it's almost unnoticeable in areas that get pressure.

One thing that I find interesting is if you pay attention to the times. I notice often that the birds and the woods will come alive during the moon times and then go quiet again once it ends. So much so, even if I dont pay attention to the times and will notice the increase and activity and I'll look and it's nearly always aligned. That tells me it has an effect on animals to some degree
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby headgear » Wed Jan 02, 2019 5:16 am

Very much agree swamp, I have shot 3 "moon" bucks but really I attribute the moon to a small percentage of my success. Not really sure what that % is but off season and in season scouting were far more important to getting those deer, other factors played a roll too but like any successful hunt you usually have plenty of things going in your favor to close the deal.
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby landscape77 » Thu Jan 03, 2019 4:15 am

So this is my first post on here , hello guys. This has been something I have been watching for the past six maybe seven years now. My buddy is keeping a chart , we use scout outlook a lot just to see. Now I'm not sure how they figure this movement time but damn if I don't see major movement time and I drive around and I will see deer most of the time. Are they using the moon , and where it will be at said time of day ? Its really hard to say. Full moon , is always the worst time to hunt, or atleast to see activity during the day. For years its always been slow out in the woods after a full moon and even a couple days after it. Now before it is another story we will see regular or more movement during those days leading up to a full moon.

I don't think it is a mystery , it just allows the deer to feed more at night because they can see better, I do think weather has an affect on the deer high and low pressure systems make deer and other animals do different things. Fish most certainly seem to respond to this. I steelhead fish a lot and just like a high and low pressure system a rise or fall in the river will shut the fish down or turn them on. Spend enough time on the river fishing and you just see it.


Its much like if you go up a mountain and your ears pop from pressure , its my belief that animals are more in tune to the pressure. It's like a survival instinct developed over time. The estrogen cycle is caused by the reduction of light , in a gland in deer's eyes, that is a proven fact. Now Alsheimer hits on the fact that once the full moon happens in October it triggers the reduction of light. This only makes sense as to when it would bring in the first cycle. So the does start to go into estrus this starts the seek phase. Now most of the time small bucks are chasing at first. I have seen some 2 1/2 year old's on their feet chasing in that first phase. Big bucks seem to hold off a bit and wait. Right to the lets say almost end of the cycle to get on the does. That's when the lock down comes. I've seen it time and time again. Timing this can be rough to say the least. So is Alsheimer hitting on something with the time frame of when the peak of the estrous cycle hits? I think so.

This doesn't explain the time frames big bucks move but they do seem to move at certain times , almost like clock work. Ever get a deer on your camera year after year on a day in day light, almost to the day you last got them? I can't figure it out except that something in nature is making them move more at certain times. There are days I wont see a deer as they seem to prefer certain days or times to bed all day and others to move during the day. My friends and I text each other when we see deer on daytime activity. We all seem to say we have seen them at the same time. Not always but a lot of the times, it just seems to hold true. I'm in Pa they are in Jersey. Multiple times my buddy says I'm seeing deer in a text mid day and bam I see them. After awhile you start to notice it isn't a coincidence. Just some things I have noticed over the last 30 years of hunting.


Now hunting pressure is a whole other situation and I do think it makes deer hold during the day much more , but if that estrous cycle hits and your in the right place at the right time your going to see a big buck with a doe. Finding that spot is no easy challenge ! There are other factors we have to look at what deer do to live. Thermals and wind current make deer move to places for certain reasons , mostly survival , but also rest. Also protection from the weather. We found an old vw in the woods once no doors with a buck bed in it.


The rut is an ebb and flow patterning what deer do in certain terrain will increase your chances of killing a buck. Weather you hunt younger or older deer. These are all keys to killing them. So do this for yourself mark the full moon , then mark when you see the most deer movemnt after? Is it the same amount of days? There are more phases to this as well and it depends on when the first full moon accures. I had one year and we talked to every bow hunter we came across as to weather they were seeing deer , nobody was! The rut time had come , and the property I hunt usually has lots of activity , that year it was a late full moon and the rut happened more toward gun season. It wasnt till I heard Alsheimer explain why that it all clicked. There is no better way to kill a buck then to scout and scout and scout. You have to try to get one step ahead of them , in their bed room!
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby Chuck B » Thu Jan 03, 2019 5:14 am

After this moon stuff gets settled, lets move onto another age old question; What came first, the chicken or the egg?! :lol:
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby headgear » Thu Jan 03, 2019 5:34 am

It's never getting settled, people just have to accept what they believe and not worry what others are doing. 8-)
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby Kraftd » Thu Jan 03, 2019 6:59 am

Like so much, if it doesn't give you confidence to pay attention, don't.

I think it can matter. I live in a County with no gun hunting and very limited access to bow hunting, so am able to observe a lot of deer under pretty undisturbed conditions, ie where many of the more important factors are taken out of the equation (also limited predators and plenty of food everywhere). The OH/UF times close to dawn and dusk absolutely makes a difference to what I see driving to and from work.

For a lot of us, if that means picking the best day to target a bed and get five minutes of extra light, or picking between days for rut cruising sits, it is something to consider, but not the end all be all.
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby SC_z7 » Thu Jan 03, 2019 7:44 am

Dewey wrote:I agree. The moon has a very obvious effect on fish and other wildlife. During peak times all wildlife is way more active. Never fails when I notice this I check the moon times and it's almost always right within the predicted times. Pretty obvious when the peak time is at noon and I see large groups of deer out feeding at mid-day.

When it comes to mature bucks a very small change to get him out of his bed by only a few minutes earlier can be huge. It's obviously not always 100% but it's the little things like this that add up that we need to pay attention to.


I think this sums it up perfectly. And i would be interested in any recorded data any seasoned beasts may have as it relates to hunting mature buck beds and if they have any higher sighting percentages when the peak times match up with sunset.

That being said, a few years ago i scheduled my hunts around the moon theory. I only get so much time away and so i set the days far in advance with the Mrs. based on the moon times (yes probably stupid). The season was kind of a bust because the weather/wind was never really what I needed on those dates. I think those are still much bigger factors so I try to line those up and just get a bit more excited if the moon times line up.
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Re: Seriously...the Moon

Unread postby may21581 » Thu Jan 03, 2019 8:54 am

SC_z7 wrote:
Dewey wrote:I agree. The moon has a very obvious effect on fish and other wildlife. During peak times all wildlife is way more active. Never fails when I notice this I check the moon times and it's almost always right within the predicted times. Pretty obvious when the peak time is at noon and I see large groups of deer out feeding at mid-day.

When it comes to mature bucks a very small change to get him out of his bed by only a few minutes earlier can be huge. It's obviously not always 100% but it's the little things like this that add up that we need to pay attention to.


I think this sums it up perfectly. And i would be interested in any recorded data any seasoned beasts may have as it relates to hunting mature buck beds and if they have any higher sighting percentages when the peak times match up with sunset.

That being said, a few years ago i scheduled my hunts around the moon theory. I only get so much time away and so i set the days far in advance with the Mrs. based on the moon times (yes probably stupid). The season was kind of a bust because the weather/wind was never really what I needed on those dates. I think those are still much bigger factors so I try to line those up and just get a bit more excited if the moon times line up.[/quote

Excellent points. So in a nut shell it's another piece of the puzzle or a other factor to look at. It's not the only factor and also the time of year and location also needs to be factored. I also agree that pressure will trump all, so maybe some guys see it and others dont.
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