Moon Phases
 

I am curious to hear what you folks have to say about this moon phase.
Thisseason when I head to Alberta for my Bow Zone hunt,I will be there from Nov 24th-29th. During this weekthe moon will be going from a last quarter moon phase into a new moon. Basiclly, there's going to be dark nights all week.
It doesn't matter to me either way, because this is when I've scheduled my hunt, but I'd like to hearyour thoughts. Especially the moon guru's!:D

RE: Moon Phases
 

call NASA.......LOL

RE: Moon Phases
 

No scientific evidence what so ever to estabilsh moon phases have any impact on deer movement. Maybe werewolves :D.

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RE: Moon Phases
 

Post the "plenty of evidence" that is fact and not some clowns book or theory that leads people down this falsity. Deer move for a varaity of reasons, the moonis just one of them. Other than shedding light on on an otherwise dark night, I doubt the garvitational/rotationaleffect the moon has on the tides has anything to do with deer. Wives tales!

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RE: Moon Phases
 

Dang it early :Dit's all about the moons location, not the phases [8D]

RE: Moon Phases
 

valor is correct, there is no scientific proof for deer movement relative to the phase of the moon. There is however to the position of the moon, not phase. There can however be more movement at night on full moon but that doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, half, quarter, new means squat.

RE: Moon Phases
 

I think its the New moon that I have had much lower sightings when bow hunting. It don't matter if its, elk, deer, bear that I'm hunting. I'll have to check back on my notes but I'm pretty sure its the New moon thats always gave me trouble.

The moon has a huge effect on animal movement!!! More then people think I believe.

RE: Moon Phases
 

This thread was not intended to be a contest to see who's got evidence
or not, reguarding moon phases and their effects on deer, orlack there of. If you're a non believer, just say so, and let that be that. There are plenty of books on this subject. One that was given to me to read is called Moon Struck, by Jeff Murray with Myles Keller, which I haven't read yet.
I have never been a big believer in moon phases, and how they might effect deer, and their movements. I still listen to what others have to say about it though! I likekeep an open mind.;)

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RE: Moon Phases
 

Oh my holy freakin lord!!! I just darn near blew out a lung on that one...!! That, right there, could very well be one the funniest things I've ever read on here!! Nicely done sir....Nicely done. :D

Personally, I'll take a full moon over a new moon any day of the week, and twice on Sunday. I HATE hunting a new moon, I don't see jack squat.

RE: Moon Phases
 

I bout blowed my H20 out reading your reply :Dthank you sir!!! :D

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For those who say acertain moon phase will effect deer one way or the other, what happens when it's totally cloudy and the moon isn't visable? Then the moon really doesn't play any role, does it? This is whereI become skeptical about the whole thing. I'm still open minded though, and plan on readingup on it.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Say and believe what you will. I have developed my own theories backed up by years of observations and journal keeping. I did come across some "clown's" book during my intitial findings that happened to mirror and support what I was finding.

I personally don't care if anyone else believes it, or uses it...but I will for the rest of my hunting life. I don't care about the phase, but do care about the position, and certain positions correlate with certain phases (ie - full and new moon periods have moon transits during mid-day and mid-night).

While I didn't consult NASA, I did utilize the Navy Observatory's "Sun and Moon data for a day" website...to come up with this:

Starting on the 24th, the transit will be 1000 (assuming I have my location and time zones right). Each day the transit generally is later by 55 minutes. It will be about 1400 on the last day of the hunt.

If it were me...

- First day or two: I would start off the week concentrating on morningsup until noon, with little emphasis on the first hour or so of daylight, but concentrating on the 1000-1200 period, and be backout for late evening hunt.

- Middle of the hunt, first hour, 1030-1330 (emphasis), last hour.

- End of hunt, 1200 to dark, emphasis on 1200-1400.

-I would be spending the mid-day times in the brush near bedding areas, or funnel areas betwand them,, but not on open food sources like fields. Though if there is not much pressure, and the rut is still kicking some, the open areas could produce.Thinkof it like this...deer will have the urge to be on their feet at the times of emphasis I pointed out. Where will they feel comfortable on their feet at those times in the area you will be hunting? Answer that, and you havewhere I would be spending my time.



If you sit all day...which is probably smartest, I would put money on the bulk of deer movements being withiin the times I posted above.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Not as much I don't think if its cloudy. If its clear, game on I believe! Just going by my own experiences.;)

RE: Moon Phases
 

Thanks for your input RAL, very intresting. Yes, where I'm hunting there is bsically no hunting pressure at all. I do hunt all day.

RE: Moon Phases
 

I believe that weather plays a much bigger role in effecting deer movement. I don't discount the moon's effects. Ask a policeman or emergency room doctor. They will verify the moons effects on people. So why not other animals.
Here is another interesting obsevation. The deer must be effected by something because have you ever noticed that when the deer are on the move you see them everywhere. when their not you don't see many. Its like they somehow coordinate their movement times. Since they don't have phones or the internet something must be coordinating their movement.:D

RE: Moon Phases
 

Some of the greatest activity I have seen is in late October and early November when the moon rises around 12PM-1PM and there is a front with dropping tempuratures. Not sure how many people in here have ever noticed, but it seems like the deer are extremely active when this happens.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Very good point Magic!!! Its just like some nights driving when you have to be on your toe's being everything and anything is moving. Then the next night you don't see anything driving.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Weather/Rut should and will play a part, as far as the Moon position/phase it's not the greatest for you on your hunt IMO. Stay in the stand all day and look for some midday activity. I think you are planning on that anyway. Good Luck!! You just gotta Hunt hard and hope for the Best!;)

Dan

RE: Moon Phases
 

Thanks Dan. Yes, like I say, I'm hunting that weekreguardless of weather, moon phase,gas prices, or anything else for that matter.:DI've hunted the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and now I will try the 4th week up there. We'll see what happens!;)

RE: Moon Phases
 

Here is a pretty cool link that you can enter the area(by zip or click on the map)and date and it will give you the exact time the moon will rise and set. With that information you can figure out when the moon will be directly overhead and directly underfoot("prime times"), which seem to trigger game activity at least somewhat.

Calculate Sunrise, Sunset, Moonrise, Moonset - The Old Farmer's ...

I have some other links and info I use and I have been tracking a lot of info in the past couple of seasons such as moon phases, rise/set times, the 2nd full moon of autumn equinox and rut conditions before and after, weather/front conditions during certain moon phases, etc etc.

http://jove.geol.niu.edu/faculty/stoddard/JAVA/moonphase.html

The link above is a site you can enter the date in and watch the moon, sun, and earth go through a cycle for any given time period. I usually enter the date I want and set the time to pass in hours rather than days, pretty interesting to watch and shows how long the phases last very well.

More important to you on your trip imho will be the timing(which I'm sure is no coincidence) the second full moon of the Autumn Equinox is on Nov.13 and is usually considered to have a large influence on the rutting activity of whitetails. Theamount ofactual daylight(photoperiod) in a day is theorized tobe one of the triggers for a does estrous cycle as well(when light and dark are equal 12hrs/12hrs), and in many areas the time of the year when there is nearly equal light and dark is around November andseems to coordinate with increased rutting activity(for Alberta this time frame comes earlier, near Oct. 1).The full moons in October and November have always been good to hunters as evidenced by the fact that indian tribes across North America have a load of names, many referencing hunting for those moon phases(ie Hunters Moon, Rutting Moon, Harvest Moon, Scraping Moon, etc).

Solunar theory is something you might want to read on if you get bored as well.

Solunar Theory

FREE Solunar Prediction and Forecast Tables for the best fishing ...

Hunting and Fishing Solunar (sun and moon phase) Calendar

I don't have any rock solid proof of anything I just find the topic interesting and know that hunters have been following the moon, tides, andsun for centuries so I thought I should research it a little as well.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Looking at the moon chart I am banking on November 3-8 in my area.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Great post 61375, thanks for sharing the info. Very intresting.;)

RE: Moon Phases
 

I don't care for hunting early morning following a full moon. Unless it was very overcast during the night. What I usually do is try to get out late morning/early afternoon and hunt till dark.

RE: Moon Phases
 

I THINK DEER FEED MORE AT NIGHT DURING BRIGHT SKYS.......I LIKE FULL MOON BECAUSE IT ALOWS ME TO WALK TO MY STANDS WITHOUT A LIGHT.....IT SEEMS THE DEER I JUMP UP WHILE WALKING IN WITHOUT A LIGHT DON'T RUN AS FAR OR DON'T SEEM TO FREAK AS BAD. I ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE BETTER LUCK DURING BRIGHT SKYS

RE: Moon Phases
 

I dont know of any solid proof, but I have defenitely had a ton more deer/hog sightings when the nights were darker (with no moon) than when there is a full moon. I have even stopped making the three hour trip out to one of my hunting spots when there is a full moon because its just not worth it to me anymore. (I do still hit up a hunting spot thats 5 minutes from the house though) A lot better chance to "maybe" see something sitting there then in the house. ;)

RE: Moon Phases
 

of topic: Read more about Darwin. He presented his findings about evolution as proof of God's existance and hand in the world.

on topic: Honestly EI, I don't think the phase of the moon has a dang thing to do withdeer activity throughout the day. However, I do hear and see more deer on the way tothe stand on a clear bright night. I guess what I am saying is that I buy into the theory that deer move more at night when it is brighter, but I am not sure that means they move lessduring the day. That is my theory anyway.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Yes Jim, like I've said, I'm skeptical about this whole moon thing myself. I always have been. However, I remain openminded, and am always curious to hear what others have to say on this subject. A friend gave me the book "Moon Struck" to read, so I'll see what it has to say.

RE: Moon Phases
 

I looked at it some more and what stands out more to me is not so much the phase of the moon (ie full, new, waxing, waning, etc) but the fact that during the time that you will be there the moon will be rising and setting during the day.

For example here are the times for the 27th of November, 2008 in Alberta:


RISES SETS LENGTH of DAY
SUN 0812 am 1619 pm 8 hrs 7 minutes
MOON0848 am1541 pm

This means the sun is only out for 8 hrs that day (plus about an extra hourof light before sunrise/sunset). So if you sit all day you are looking at about a 10 hr stretch. More importantly the moon is rising and setting similiar to the sun that week which will put it directly overhead around 1230(lunch) on this day and within an hour or two of that for most of the week.

Hopefully the rut/weather will help you and things will fall into place. If there is 8 hours of light in a day and 16 hours of dark you have to believe deer will be moving at some point during the day, I can't imagine them bedding for the entire 8 hours especially if it is coldor ifthe rut is a factor.

My random guess is it might be a little slower than normal at dawn and dusk but you could see a spike in mid day activity(0930am-1430 pm), again completly random guess not knowing what the weather or rutting activity will be like.

However it turns out, good luck to you, I'm jealous.;):D

RE: Moon Phases
 

Thanks againNate. Very intresting stuff. Encouraging to say the least. I still need to check out that link you told me about. I will do that!!;)

RE: Moon Phases
 

Since we were on this subject, I thought I'd share this pic that I took in Alberta. I like it.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Early, thats the week I hunted up in the Bowzone.That weekwould be my pick year in and year out if I had a choice and could afford that trip. Like you said, all day everyday no matter the weather moon etc.. The greatestfactor you have going for youis thedoes will definately be in estrus, which trumpsall big buck daylight movementmotivators!I hunted it daylight till darkeverydayand I saw a lot of big buck movement. I saw a couple slammers 2 150 Plus bucks, just couldnt get them in range.. ended coming home with a decent buck.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Here you go, this is the site I use to get the info.

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php

The moon transit given is the major transit (overhead). The minor (underfoot) is approx. 12 hours difference. I would have thought that those dates would have been way towards the end of the estrus period for up there.

RE: Moon Phases
 

If your theory works for you, I'm happy for you. But, how is it some see more deer on moonless nights, while others see more deer on full moon nights? Both swear by their experience, and I believe BOTH! In the early bow season here in Virginia, when the temp can be close to 90, deer ain't moving in the afternoon voluntarily.Come dusk, out come the deer. All you need to know is where the deer water and feed, andwhere you can head them off before dark. Weather cools off, they're playing around their bedding area in the mornings, come out earlier in the evening for water and grub,cold rainy days they can be out anytime of the day. I think weather (including barometric pressure), next to the rut, is the biggest factor that trumps anything else when it comes to deer movement.It's not a matter of being open minded.Maybe deer like the light of the moon when they have to move through heavy woods or thicket. Maybe they like it dark when they have to move across open land. I don't know. No one else does either. That's why I stick to hunting proven methods like the rut, and weather.

RE: Moon Phases
 

Valor10

I hunt VA as well and would have to agree with the weather assessment. Early bow season the temps are ridiculous, hell even November tmps stay up in the 70's. I always try to set upnear bedding and water in the am and bedding and food near dusk(evening).

That being said I still watch the moon phases and rise/set times not necessarily as an exact science in regards to huntingI just find it interesting. I still track everything else like bar. pressure, fronts, rut activity, etc. The moon stuff is just one more bit of info I can add to my field journals. Ikeep track of sightings/kills frommy friends, family, other members, or people hunting the same propertiesor very close by also.The dates/times is the info I want mostbut the weather conditions and moon info I jot down as well.

It has only been like 2 seasons I have been doing it and this season I hope to be able to look back and compare stuff or use it to possibly help anticipate spikes in activity. For example if it was a new moon and a cold front was pushing through from the North and it was November I can look back over the past couple of seasons and see if I can find a day that had similiar conditions and see what kind of deer I activity I had. I sometimes can only hunt just the morning or just the evening so if one of those similiar days in the past yielded more sightings in the morning than in the evening I will take off the morning.

Trust me I know it's not guaranteed and I still use the more standard proven methods as well I'm just hoping maybe 10 years from now I will have a ton of info on the areas I hunt for when my memory starts
fading.;)


I kept a condensed version of my journal in the South Forum last year and I'm not sure how useful it was but it was fun.:D

My Field Journal (VA & NC)

RE: Moon Phases
 

Actually there is a bunch of info done by TR Michaels, but I'm sure I'd be safe to assume that it will be shot down by someone here:

Part of his findings are here:
CLICK_HERE

RE: Moon Phases
 

That is some good info Bobco and you can't shoot down his time and study results. I often wonder if the overhead underfoot thing has more effect on fish (as that effects the tides more) and someone somewhere just made it fish/game charts rather than just fish. I keep track of it but don't have any real results that are super convincing, yet anyway.

I really like this info from Alsheimer and how it simplifies the moons effects on deer(biologically) and how that can help your hunting.

Charles Alsheimer: Deer Hunting: Assessing the Moon's Impact on ...

Rather than focus on all of the different aspects and variables of the moon he gives you the nitty gritty from Oct.-Dec. when it can be most useful.

This article references the same material.

By The Light Of The Moon

RE: Moon Phases
 

In my experience, I find both the new moon and full moon to be about the same as far as sightings go. In your example of deer coming out in evenings during hot periods...yes, that happens. Those deer most likely will not come out at the same time day after day for weeks. Their arrival times will vary, and vary in a cycle. What you may be missing out on is activity related to the times I discussed that is happening back in cover. There is a reason that I have some oak flats back in cover that have produced wonderfully for me in the middle of the day in 90 deg plus temps.

Here is a good example...There is an alfalpha field I drive by every day. Not long ago, there were 5 deer feeding at the far end next to a thicket at 1:00 pm, and the temp was 86 degrees. I went home and checked the transit time, and it was for 1236.

I don't ignore other factors, andwill still beout there whenever I can hunt. I just happen to pay attention to the moon position and choose my stands accordingly.

Like I said in this thread,or maybe it was the other similar one...I don't really care if someone doesn't believe in it. I have nothing to gain bytrying to convince anyone. I am happy toshare the info for anyone that wants it, and that is about the extent of it.