Actually deer will not generally feed all night no matter what. Because they are ruminants they feed for about 2 hours, then they often lie down and regurgiate their food to chew the cud. Same thing holds true for elk.

Research has clearly shown that during nights when there is a visible ful lmoon all night, they prefer to feed when there is the least amount of light, which is generally 1-2 hours before sunrise or after sunset. Popular thinking is they do this because they are a prey species, genetically bred to avoid a lot of light, because they can be seen by predators during bright moonlit nights. Makes sense to me ...

Consequently, research has shown that, at least in some areas, deer are more active than normal during daylight hours during the week of the full moon, possibly because they have been harrassed at night or just did not get the amount of time to feed that they need - so they feed a bit more than usual during daylight hours.

It is the data of 2 other reserchers plus my own studies, that caused me to use that knowledge tio predict peak monthry peak deer sighintings. But there are at least two other lunar cycles you can take into account. And you hve to understadn how they affect deer, during what days of the month, for how many days and how the cycles interact with each other.


As I said it is complicated, and not worth the average hunter's time.

God bless,

T.R.