Full moon question?
- Thread starter archer19
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SudberrySlayer13
Well-Known Member
As of lately my morning movement has been little to non existent… seems to happen every year around the rut. I often won't head to the stand til around 10 or 11 and will stay til dark. I have taken the majority of my mature deer between 10am to 3pm
I've tried and tried to relate movement to the moon but have never found any repeatable consistency that allowed me to accurately predict movement. Moon phase, moon position, doesn't matter. I'm not not saying someone else hasn't pegged it, just that I haven't. And I've tried.
killingtime 41
Well-Known Member
I always thought wind direction and possibly barometric pressure. Having more to do with deer feeding. And wind direction meaning they might not be in a particular area depending on if the wind is in their advantage from whatever direction they leave the bed. It being in yours doesn't really equate to squat. If they are using another area to have the wind in their favor. But don't take that as the rule. Cause I have no way to prove it one way or another. But from a youngster I was always told deer don't feed in the morning cause there out all night.
Have always heard when the moon is bright and full the deer feed all night and move later. Is it true…I don't know and just get in the woods when I can.
I am old school stupid.....but you ever complain about the "spring forward" and "fall back" way of life? Time didn't change, you and I just accepted the fact that someone else made us call it differently. Deer and every other thing living follows the rhythm of the world.......we don't....because we are stupid. If you see a big buck at lunch today and tomorrow he shows up at 12:10PM......he never changed. Look up pendulum painting.....I guess my point is that.....we look for a deeper understanding of things and beat our own goals in the process. A deer is no different than a mouse that gets in your cupboard. The harder you try to catch it.....the harder it is to find.
WTNBowHunter
Well-Known Member
Sharing some interesting research from the MSU Deer Labs folks. Same data is found from the other deer research labs across the country as well.
deerhunter10
Well-Known Member
Never seen a correlation. The only thing we have seen is deer just move all night long and then they don't seem to move at all during the day.
megalomaniac
Well-Known Member
Movement overall has been terrible post rut past 2 days on cell cams... but the 2 4.5yos that were on camera were between 1130a and 1230p on their feet tight to cover feeding.
BSK
Well-Known Member
Same here, at least from a hunter sighting standpoint. The below graph is hunter sighting rates by waxing and waning moon, as well as percent of the moon's surface illuminated. There are some ups and downs, but nothing really pushes the trend more than about 10% above or below average. I don't think most hunters would notice a 10% change in buck sighting rate.
One of these days I'll get around to analyzing something less biased than hunter sightings, such as moon versus trail-cam pictures day versus night.
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Wiley
Well-Known Member
I gave up on all mood theories years ago. Deer feed when they're hungry. They may or may not be sensitive to the wind in a given area in relation to the location of the food source.
This is a very small sample size of just a single camera on a scrape about 150 yds from bedding. Put the camera on that scrape Sep 14th
| MOON PHASE | PHOTOS |
|---|---|
| NEW MOON | 12 |
| WAXING CRESCENT | 18 |
| FIRST QUARTER | 13 |
| WAXING GIBBOUS | 20 |
| FULL MOON | 37 |
| WANING GIBBOUS | 34 |
| THIRD QUARTER | 18 |
| WANING CRESCENT | 11 |
Have you cross referenced dates and time of day?
This ^^^^^
Always hated to have a full moon and get out with the wind howling . Makes me just want to go back home but .... killed a decent eight in Lewis Co once with those conditions. With that said I hid my climber close to where I was going to hunt and still hunted . Went into a deep hollow heading to the next top where I had seen a deer but behind me I heard movement and the buck was chasing a doe so I busted him . I've killed deer during a full moon but sightings are definitely less . Liked to hunt during a new moon though 
Deer moved good yesterday afternoon 2 hours before dark and were moving again this morning shortly after daylight till 9 am.
I had all kinds of movement the last 3 days; but I really think it had more to do with the much colder temps than it did the full moon
Went this morning and as I got to the gate deer ran off. Get almost to my tree this morning and deer were moving everywhere. Couldn't see them only hear. Eventually bit the bullet and tried to sneak on to my tree only to get busted. Sat in the wind for a few hours without seeing anything else. Nature called so I left a bit Early and headed home. Saw multiple deer along road. Went back to lease to move a stand and chased one buck away at 930 ish and then saw another cruising up the hollow at 11 ish.
skylab413
Member
Killed a decent 10 pt around 11:15 today. I have hunted the past three days…and all the bucks I have seen has been between 10-2. The early morning movement has been nonexistent. This was in Knox County.
I've tried to keep it simple with my own observations. When the moon is fairly bright, regardless of waxing or waning, I usually see deer movement right within the first half hour of shooting light, then again late morning.
In the evenings, it's almost classic for me. Not much movement until right when I start to climb down my tree and I hear deer approaching. Then I'm pinned in a tree til they leave or I lose patience and start throwing stuff. It's gotten to where I'm gonna start carrying a Kazoo with me to scare deer away on those evening hunts.
If bucks are chasing, of course that changes things.
It's so predictable with me that I can't put it into words.
In the evenings, it's almost classic for me. Not much movement until right when I start to climb down my tree and I hear deer approaching. Then I'm pinned in a tree til they leave or I lose patience and start throwing stuff. It's gotten to where I'm gonna start carrying a Kazoo with me to scare deer away on those evening hunts.
If bucks are chasing, of course that changes things.
It's so predictable with me that I can't put it into words.
Although I've taken the majority of my best bucks between 7 and 9 AM, when the moon is full, such as this last full moon, I saw bucks chasing at 10:30-11:00 the following day, with little movement early.
