Moon Phase

[commando668]

Just curious what you all think about moon rise and set as far as deer movement. I have never really paid much attention to it other than the effects of a full moon. I have heard a lot of talk around the work place about hunting during the moon rise and set. I looked up a calendar and some of them seem consistent to the times I see deer and other times are way off. Does anybody use the moon rise and set chart to plan their hunting times. Thanks in advance for the feedback.

 

[nontyp]

This is the elk part of the forum. Regardless, I don’t think the moon has any effect on deer or elk. I have paid attention to the moon, but have seen a lack of correlation between moon position and animal movement.

 

[WapitiBob]

This year I watched a herd up and about till we left them at 10:30 on the morning after the full moon. They obviously didn't have internet and hadn't read they were supposed to "be in bed" by 7. I saw the same thing in NM one year when the moon was getting heavily debated on another forum. I think it's BS but when a hunter has an odd day they need something to blame instead of just realizing some days are just different.

 

[Botch]

I think it’s a slice of the pie, how big...I’m not sure. I Got a buddy who hates to work out in the AM. I workout at 4:45am every day. I think some prefer to feed all night if they can, others don’t seem to worry so much. just like the gym I guess it’s personal preference. But it’s my number one excuse when talking to the non hunting public when I’m not successful...”yep...could’ve had em but dag gum full moon kept them quiet..”

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

I think its BS, but I have also never had the pleasure of picking and choosing when I hunt based on the moon. Days off from work and family are too few for that.

 

[Gr8bawana]

I think the "moon phase" thing all got started because guys needed something to blame because they couldn't fill their tags.

 

[commando668]

I think the "moon phase" thing all got started because guys needed something to blame because they couldn't fill their tags.

I know So many would disagree with you.

 

[Mallardsx2]

The chart of the 100 deer that my family has killed over the years says that the moon matters.....as does the Barometric pressure pressure....the results are pretty unreal.

I encourage everyone to look back at historical data and create a spreadsheet for themselves....It might open your eyes.
We also kill considerable more deer during the morning than the evening.

Our average kill is when the pressure is above 30 and the moon is less than 1/3 showing and it is also on the 313th day of the year with an average high of 62 and an average low of 42.

Honestly I dont know why we even bother to go into the woods outside a certain "Window".

The chart I have tells the truth for my specific area and it is based on factual information.

I now at a minimum plan all of my hunts around the moon. But thats just me.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Before I retired I had to hunt whenever I could take a week of vacation and time it so my brother could take his vacation at the same time. Moon phase, date or weather be damned! We hunted when we could and we were usually successful.

 

[sneakem]

Sure the moon effects movement and feeding, it's a fact. I have many friends that hunt solely around the wind, moon phase, barometric pressure, trail cameras and only when the conditions are right. They kill some great deer every now and then.

I hunt every chance I get.... I kill more than all of them put together... make your own destiny regardless of the conditions... It's not science, it's just math.

 

[hank4elk]

I sure plan on walking to my spots pre-sunrise in the bright moon if that is the case. Yeah it changes patterns,so.
I used tide/moon charts for best fishing times,but that is usually daytime too anyway.

 

[kmott]

deer and elk don't like full moons , that's when the werewolves be out.

 

[Hilljackoutlaw]

Cant harvest em at home on the couch watching randy harvest em on TV

 

[88man]

Cant harvest em at home on the couch watching randy harvest em on TV

OMG so true I think this almost all the time when on this board & with the guys that stayed at the holiday inn express

 

[bushman13]

A lot of people miss the boat when it comes to hunting the moon. Especially out west. Whitetail guys back east live and die by it.

It's not that a full moon means less or more activity the next day. It simply means the window for the activity changes. Typically a hunter is most active first thing the morning and in the evening. Same for the deer. A bright or full moon allows the deer the freedom of eating by moonlight, decreasing his daytime feeding hours. It also allows the deer to find his way to his bedding area pre-sun up. So his daytime activities have now shifted from dawn and dusk to about 10AM-noon. This is a period where the hunter is less active and therefore complain "this full moon is screwing up the deer". Not really, these are the days where you will see big bucks out patrolling at 10AM. I've seen it a million times.

 

[Bambistew]

I think the moon has an influence on when the game is active. I have never had great luck hunting elk in September with a full moon... They evenings are better than mornings they tend to be more active at nit.

For deer in the rut. I don't see any changes, and actually think I've killed more big bucks during a FM than not.

 

[westbranch]

I killed a bull chasing a cow at 8am and then a couple bulls were bugling all day while I butchered during a full moon in Sept 2018. Not sure how that factors in.

Maybe we could get the guy that runs this website to update his data with harvest statistics or other info to help us figure out some additional factors we can consider for picking our hunting units and what not:

Spurious Correlations

Correlation is not causation: thousands of charts of real data showing actual correlations between ridiculous variables.

www.tylervigen.com

 

[Ben Long]

I think it's more about human bias than wildlife biology. Elk and deer perceive the world in the exact opposite way we do. Nose first, then ears, then eyes. Humans think the full moon is important because light is so critical to our awareness, sight being our number one sense. Anyone who has ridden a mule at night knows that it can be pitch, pitch dark and a mule gets along just fine. I imagine elk are much the same. Full moon, new moon, they do their thing night and day. There are a dozen factors I weigh in timing a hunt before moon phase.

 

[bushman13]

Anything I said above applies only to whitetails. I am elk stupid.

 

[Brian in Montana]

I'd say I'm undecided on the moon phase being much of a factor. I've seen things that would make me think is, I've seen the opposite. Its an interesting debate, but I think that in most places people hunt, if it is actually a factor, its lost in the glare of bigger factors - hunting pressure and weather. In the end I pretty much just don't think much about it. Elk are where you find them, its pretty much that simple. And my schedule with work and family is such that I just get out when I can regardless.