Deer movement & Moon phase myth ?

[okie]

During rut, bucks "go fool" and might be anywhere, anytime. They don't concentrate on food, but on something else.

TRUTH

 

[284winner]

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Just made another Moon run Wednesday morning.

Good eating !!!

 

[hogpatrol]

Solunar - Fishing & Hunting TM app by K Solutions for smartphones pulls in your gps location and shows the tables.

 

[Lone Hunter]

Solunar - Fishing & Hunting TM app by K Solutions for smartphones pulls in your gps location and shows the tables.

Hog, do you have a link to this app. Never mind I found it, Thanks

 

[chop house]

the biologist said there isn’t a significant connection with movement and moon phase.

i am not sure either way, but i do know ONE thing for sure. They are all reacting to the same stimulus, whether local weather or celestial events.

I literally can not count the number of times i been moving, or better yet driving, and seen deer in the same relative position of various fields and openings (say, SE along tree line or W corner) for that to be coincidence. And some times I'll drive a road, not see anything for first few openings, and be pretty certain I'll not see anything further on. Other times several fields will have deer in the same 'spot'

 

[hogpatrol]

Hog, do you have a link to this app. Never mind I found it, Thanks

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ksolution.solunartable&hl=en_US

Works worldwide.

 

[Kramerica]

i am not sure either way, but i do know ONE thing for sure. They are all reacting to the same stimulus, whether local weather or celestial events.

I literally can not count the number of times i been moving, or better yet driving, and seen deer in the same relative position of various fields and openings (say, SE along tree line or W corner) for that to be coincidence. And some times I'll drive a road, not see anything for first few openings, and be pretty certain I'll not see anything further on. Other times several fields will have deer in the same 'spot'

You just described a pattern. I watch the deer come out to the fields I hunt like clockwork and do the same relative thing everyday regardless of moon phase. They are creatures a habit governed by their stomachs and breeding for a short period of time. I just don’t buy the moon phase theory but to each their own.

 

[Mr. Ten-X]

Have hunted most every state with deer the past 50 years and I assure you that THE worst possible time to be afield is when there is a full moon phase.

That said, when is the best time for anyone to hunt...?? WHENEVER YOU CAN GO!!

 

[Tommie]

By now, the OP should have their answer...oh wait. He's been banned as a SCAMMER!

 

[fantastic]

I can only say this year during the full moon we figured we would not see deer during the day but they were up feeding all day. That was during the rut and both mule deer and coues.

 

[WindSurgeon]

I have learned in my area, to key in on a rising moon in the evening or morning. The full moon at night tends to send my deer nocturnal, so hunting a morning after the full moon is fruitless in most instances. If the sun is going down and the moon coming up at the same time, with high pressure, seeing deer is guaranteed. Conversely, a dark night with no moon can push the deer out of cover to feed and bucks to cruise for does at day break. My entire fall is planned around these few days.

 

[fantastic]

This study might be new but the topic is pretty old. I'm amazed by the number of hunters who still don't believe or have never heard the moon has an effect on deer movement. I'm almost positive a similar study was done years ago but can't find any info on it right now. That study was what Jeff Murray used to create his "moon guide" back in the 90's. It's based on the theory that the moon's position influences deer (and fish) to feed, which in turn makes them "active".

After reading Jeff's info several years ago, I started paying attention to a local deer herd that experienced no hunting pressure. I was amazed to see how many more deer would be in the fields feeding at dusk, when the moon was rising with fair weather. If the moon has that big of an influence on un-pressured deer, then it makes sense to me that the moon would also have SOME effect on pressured deer also.

However, I do not agree with Bill Vale or Charles Alsheimer's view's about the moon triggering the breeding phases of the rut. Diminishing photoperiod makes much more sense to produce consistent breeding year after year.

Hunting pressure and weather still trump the moon, but some days the right moon can give you a little extra edge in making bucks move sooner in the evening or later in the morning.

 

[butchlambert]

Haven't read all the posts on this. I have a lot of deer around the house. We just had a full moon and we were loaded with deer. At my house the moon is irrelevant. Normally don't see many bucks but we have 5 that travel together this year. 4 are decent shooters and the other is a young spike. 90% of the time they come out of the woods in the morning, walk north across the dam of the fishing hole, in front of the house and back into the woods. They seem to like our grass. In the evenings they do the opposite. I've been filming them with game cameras for 20yrs. We normally see 15-20 twice a day.
I don't hunt at home, but travel 5 hours west to hunt with family and enjoy the campfire with a couple adult beverages.
This is just my experience and I'm not qualified to say any of you are wrong.

 

[hogpatrol]

I hunt urban areas and I've found all the deer around here have smartphones and consult their solunar table apps to tell them the best time to eat. I have two brothers that come to the bird feed on a regular basis.

 

[Immike]

This is a picture of a 600lb fishing trip that we purposely set the lines out at 3:30 pm to target the moon phase. Everyone questioned this until 5:30 and we had to pull the lines in and get out of there.

 

[fantastic]

Been hunting desert muleys for 50 years and I have just spent the last month chasing them. I see many more deer bedded down at first glassing light with a full moon. I used to sit water alot and always noticed the full moon affected deer activity around water.

 

[Immike]

As others have pointed out that it’s a matter of timing with weather and breeding seasons. The deer get anxious for full moon and night activity so when the full is coming they can’t wait to get things started. The first quarter is excellent evening hunting over food plots and will generally be a enhancement of the normal low light activity. Evaluate when the moon phase is in and decide weather daylight activity will be in cover of the woods or out in the open field before dark.

 

[MikeT49]

[QUOTE......The first quarter is excellent evening hunting over food plots and will generally be a enhancement of the normal low light activity.......[/QUOTE]

Also, the last quarter for evening hunts on food plots, alfalfa fields etc. Really has more to do with moon position, not phase. Member fantastic brought up the work of the late Jeff Murray on moon position and deer activity. Similar to solunar tables. He found that when the moon is at it's peak overhead and also when it's at it's peak on the other side of Earth, deer activity was also at maximum. Just so happens, both quarter moons coincide with moon peak position for evening hunts on food sources. When I'm walking in to my stand in the evening and the quarter moon is hanging in the sky, I know I'll it will be a good sit.