Here is my reply, from one of my books.
Do Game Predictors Work?
In my own efforts to correlate deer movement with weather and moon factors I kept precise daily records from October 1, 1994 through January 8, 2001. To check the accuracy of these tables I compared the tables with the (4,000) deer sightings of myself and four other hunters. Upon checking the results I found very little correlation between the predictors and deer movement other than during the normal movement times of dawn and dusk. Between 10 AM and 3 PM there was very little deer movement at the times predicted by these tables. On several occasions I watched deer lay down and get up, but could not correlate their movement with any of the tables.
All the tables predicted game activity during normal morning and evening movement times on five days in November 1994, and above normal deer activity did occur on two of those days. But, the tables were accurate only 17 percent of the time, and only when they predicted activity during normal deer movement times, in the morning and evening, when most deer are seen by hunters anyhow. There were also four days when above normal activity occurred when it was not predicted by the tables. Overall the tables did a poor job of accurately predicting DAYTIME deer movement, outside of normal daily deer movement hours.
The problem with the tables, even when they are correct, and if they work, is that they don't agree on which days or times are best to hunt. So, which table should you use? Is one better than the others? What if the select days don't coincide with the hunting season, or coincide with the days you have available to hunt? What if the select times don't coincide with the hours you can hunt? Then the tables do you no good. By the way, if you choose to use all the tables available you end up hunting almost the whole day for the entire month.
Research by Dr. Kent Kammermeyer showed no correlation between peak deer activity times and tidal activity, which is to say that the gravitational pull of the moon is a poor predictor of deer movement/feeding times. Research by several biologists shows that pekddeer acvity times of deer in the fall are at dawn and dusk.
The tables work on fish because they are suspended in water, and they feel tidal action, even in lakes.
Hope that helps. If you still believe in overhead/underfoot moon times go ahead and buy a chart. I dont' waste my time on them. I hunt morning and evening when the deer are most active, and I hunt any hour I have free. By the way, research by Dr. Karl Miller shows no correlation between peak breeding (of over 2,500 does in 11 different states between 1980 and 19870 and ANY moon phase.
Got more questions on the moon, post a new topic addressed to me, or e-mail me.
T.R. Michels
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T.R. Michels