Moon Phase vs Rut?

[brymoore]

I think I know the answer to this question but I’m curious. Well, I don’t know the answer. It might be a coin flip.

I have a tag that’s 15th to the 31st. The closer to the 31st the better the rut. However, the 31st is a full moon phase. 15th is dark moon.

I’ve read many stories that moon phase doesn’t matter, but I seem to have a harder time finding animals during a full moon phase. I could be using the moon phase as an excuse.

Your thoughts? Hunt later, closer to the rut under an increasing moon phase towards full moon or hunt two weeks earlier, less rut activity but a dark phase moon?

 

[WapitiBob]

I've watched Elk up feeding at 10:00 am the morning after a full moon and a few days after internet posts from an "expert" said they'd all be sleeping by 7. And over the course of several seasons when my hunts and full moon overlapped.
I've killed a lot more Bulls closer to the 15th than the 31st.

It was the go to excuse, now it's wolves.

 

[R.K.]

I've watched Elk up feeding at 10:00 am the morning after a full moon and a few days after internet posts from an "expert" said they'd all be sleeping by 7. And over the course of several seasons when my hunts and full moon overlapped.
I've killed a lot more Bulls closer to the 15th than the 31st.

It was the go to excuse, now it's wolves.

For deer, they’ll move better in the morning than the evening during a full moon. Temperature is a much better indicator of visibility and movement, in my experience- cold is best, unless it’s a blizzard.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Ive seen elk be less active with a full moon - after hearing them rut all night. Id assume deer are the same.

 

[WildWill]

Personally if you know the historic peak rut dates ignore the moon and got hunt those days.

 

[Elktrack]

Personally if you know the historic peak rut dates ignore the moon and got hunt those days.

Yep!
If I were forced to only have one day to hunt whitetails in my area I know exactly the day I’d pick. Moon or no moon

 

[Treeshark]

Yep!
If I were forced to only have one day to hunt whitetails in my area I know exactly the day I’d pick. Moon or no moon

Yep.

I do think the moon may impact exactly when they move most during a 24 hour periods, but the rut happens at the same time every year- caused by shortening of days, not moon phase.

 

[brymoore]

Yep!
If I were forced to only have one day to hunt whitetails in my area I know exactly the day I’d pick. Moon or no moon

It’s closer to the rut but not during peak rut. Peak rut would be a week or more later.

I’ve hunted peak rut for deer and know bucks will run all day, and probably night.

 

[WapitiBob]

Getting senile, thought I was in the Elk forum.

 

[brymoore]

Getting senile, thought I was in the Elk forum.

I could say the same thing about elk hunting.

 

[Elktrack]

I could say the same thing about elk hunting.

It’s the elk hunting that makes a guy get goofy for sure!

 

[rjthehunter]

When they're rutting hard, it doesn't seem to matter what the moon is doing.

That being said, I'm in a similar boat trying to decide between week 2 & 4 for September elk.

 

[brymoore]

When they're rutting hard, it doesn't seem to matter what the moon is doing.

That being said, I'm in a similar boat trying to decide between week 2 & 4 for September elk.

The elk tag I drew was third week of September!

 

[Nick87]

Personally if you know the historic peak rut dates ignore the moon and got hunt those days.

I agree even if not the peak by the 31st they should be on there feet more during daylight, correct?

 

[rjthehunter]

The elk tag I drew was third week of September!

I have an event i don't want to miss on the 16th, so that cuts out that week for me. I'm thinking about doing the 4th-14th. My other option would be 18th-28th.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I guess the moon phase could be used as an excuse for poor hunting skills.

 

[Ben Long]

The moon has nothing to do with it. I grew up being told the same thing, that game was active at night under a full moon. But decades of telemetry studies on ungulates have shown this not to be true. It is our projection based on how humans see the world, not how animals perceive it. Just because we cannot see in low light, wild animals do pretty well. I've ridden horses in rough country when I could not see my hands on the reins and the horse moves along just fine. It's why their eyes glow in headlights and ours do not. I have a million things to think about every hunt, but I don't think about the moon at all. The rut is entirely different. I would hunt closest to peak rut.

 

[brymoore]

The moon has nothing to do with it. I grew up being told the same thing, that game was active at night under a full moon. But decades of telemetry studies on ungulates have shown this not to be true. It is our projection based on how humans see the world, not how animals perceive it. Just because we cannot see in low light, wild animals do pretty well. I've ridden horses in rough country when I could not see my hands on the reins and the horse moves along just fine. It's why their eyes glow in headlights and ours do not. I have a million things to think about every hunt, but I don't think about the moon at all. The rut is entirely different. I would hunt closest to peak rut.

Stop being scientific!

 

[BenhuntinMT]

When its hunting season you should just hunt when you can. You only need that one interaction when everything comes together and it can happen anytime. Full moon, no moon, just be out there.

 

[brymoore]

When its hunting season you should just hunt when you can. You only need that one interaction when everything comes together and it can happen anytime. Full moon, no moon, just be out there.

I take that approach when hunting around my house. I can skip bad weather days around my house too!

This will be a travel hunt. I need to pick a week. Prerut week is winning.