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Moon Phase and whitetail deer

5K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  Nyles 
#1 ·
I recently started a thread on the use of a journal while hunting. One piece of information I am looking forward to keeping track of is the movment of whitetails during the differnet stages of the Moon Phases.

I have heard about the difference it can make while elk hunting, and am curious what diffence it will make in the feeding patterns and bedding patters of deer.

Would anyone like to elaborate on what they tend to know about how the Moon phase might affect deer.

Thanks for the info. Knowledge is Power!

Coach
 
G
#2 ·
Just read an article in one of the recent Peterson's about this, but the data was collected on high fence deer. The observers said the moon had no relvancy in the whitetail activity. But, since we bowhunters have nothing else to do for several hours while on stand, I say lets collect the data and compare. JMO
 
#3 ·
full moon and new moon are usually the best times for me

This past weekend I saw 100+ deer and no elk and it was a full moon.

The next day i saw considerably less deer and still no elk.

My garmin GPS labeled saturday (100 deer day) as being excellent
gps labeled the next day as being a good day, which it was (had 3-4 shot opportunities, but not tag so just had to watch)
 
#4 ·
I just finished reading a book by Jeff Murray called MoonStruck. I am sold and going to try my vacation days around his predictions from the moon phase for 2009. The affects of the moon werent directly related to the moon itself but when it was exactly overhead and underfoot of of your latitude and longitude. He also sells calculators that predict the rut and best days and times to hunt ungulates specfically not the general hunt and fish calculators which many have tried and say dont work. Not that is is a huge case study but for example last year I took the second week of November off right before gun season and didnt see any shooters and not many deer. The week before some folks I know who hunt the same area say a ton of deer and got a few nice ones. According to Jeff's calendar I should have for 08 taken off the first week on November not the second for the pre-rut chase phase.
 
#7 ·
I don't have enough data for anyone to draw conclusions, but last week I checked my 2008-2009 log against moon phases and noticed that I saw the most deer when the moon was half full or less.

I saw nothing during full moons. (Those were morning or evening hunts. I don't know what mid-day activity was.)
.
 
#9 ·
This would be a good thread to keep updated.
I found some good info on the moon phases here
http://www.almanac.com/moon http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/index.php?month=10&year=2009&css=moon.css&Submit=Go http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php use the U.S. Naval Observatory link and this but it's for england or somthing.. http://www.cellstop.com.na/weather/windhoek-moon-phase.html
Note the moon phases are bacward compaired to ours here in the US.
I was allways told the best fishing and hunting times or when they are more active is when the moon is directly over head or under foot and that is when the tide is highest or lowest. can anyone else shed some more light on this?
Thanks.
 
#10 ·
Thats wierd I was told deer move and feed when its rising or falling. (the moon)

But yall do this only and best way i know to convince yourselves is buy the casio fish/hunt watch doesnt matter which put it on and everytime you see a deer look at the times....wont b long your a believer. Your buddies can participate and tell you when they see a deer...before long your watches name will be "Mickey" and everybody wanna know "Whats Mickey say?"

Make sure you set up it correctly
 
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