The rut?

[fireman815]

So i have been reading some on the rut and moon phases and was wondering what tactics everyone used on the rut activities. Ive never understood the moon phase thing and wanted to change some of my tactics this year and use vacation wisely. Thanks

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[AT Hiker]

I have been tempted to read "the moon guide" just to see what the hype is all about. Doubt I will kill a deer over 200" because I read the book though[emoji848].





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[fireman815]

Nor do I

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[Mike Belt]

When this moon stuff came out I read a lot on it and it sounded like it made perfect sense. When it was all said and done I believe they could just as well have said Jupiter or which side of a tree has the greenest leaves or just about anything else. It was so generalized that anything could have been substituted. The rut is a matter of diminishing sunlight. PERIOD! The amount you see of it is a matter of temperature. PERIOD! The only significant correlation I've seen the moon have to the rut is that during the time the rut is going on and barring unseasonably warm weather for that time period, when a full moon is directly overhead mid day you're apt to see more and earlier deer movement that afternoon. I've heard and read the same can be said for directly underfoot but I can't vouch for that. As far as allotting vacation time to hunting the rut, check the rut timing for the area you plan on hunting. It shouldn't vary over a week from year to year and pray for cold weather.

 

[AT Hiker]

IDK, Im not saying the moon directly affects the rut but it surely has some affect on them. Lets assume you get the "perfect" moon during the rut, top that with some below average temps and surely things will be a bit better. So if I was trying to schedule my days off, I would look at every angel.

 

[cozy23]

I listened to a podcast with Barry Wensel last week. I believe he said he has noticed that the morning after a full moon he saw an increase in deer activity. He gave some explanation/logic to it but I can't remember exactly what it was.

This podcast was on "The Push".

That said. I've planned my vacation for the days I saw the most rut activity last year which was the week of November 4th.

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[fireman815]

Thanks guys I appreciate it best of luck to you all this season and stay safe out there

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[Mike Belt]

????? The moon has somewhat of a magnetic pull. People... and deer are "X" percentage of water which is subject to a magnetic pull. Delving into that and producing some neat little wheels with charts and graphs made somebody a heap of money. If you believe in the "moon" theory and it gives you confidence then by all means stargaze. I think if the deer want to move they will; moon or not.

 

[AT Hiker]

Underfoot, over foot or whatever kind of foot, waxing/waning, full/new...lots of anecdotal evidence people swear by.
I know one thing, people sure do get crazy around a full moon here[emoji13]


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[AT Hiker]

I don't think the OP is asking if the moon affects rut timing, if so that has been proven wrong multiple times.
Does moon phase affect deer movement in general? Yes, so does food source, weather, etc.

So what I would do if I was trying to plan my time off around the rut would be to figure out when peak chasing takes place and hope the moon and weather are in your favor (with weather being a higher priority over moon). Sadly, the rut will take place no matter and regardless what the weather and/or moon are doing. The moon phase can be predicted so maybe see if it's in your favor for when the rut is going on.


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[HunterVol1143]

If you're wanting to plan vacation around the timing of the rut/moon I suggest listening to the "Wired to Hunt" podcast episode #63. The host interviews Mark Drury who explains what he has seen in regards to deer activity and the moon. The Southeastern US seems to vary from much of the country on when deer rut but I can vouch for the increase/decrease in deer activity based on the info from that podcast. Lots of info so be prepared to listen more than once.


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[muddyboots]

I wasn't a big believer myself until I started keeping good records. I have had some of my best hunts 3 days before the full moon in November. Also in afternoons u can see the moon in the afternoons before dark I also have good hunts. JMO

 

[AT Hiker]

This study seems to contradict the over/under foot hunter theories. They even suggest that these lunar tables might reconsider and look more at the moon rise/set around a new and full moon.

http://www.rnr.lsu.edu/bret/BretWebSite ... an2016.pdf


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[knightrider]

November 5th till season ends be in the woods!!! :stir:

 

[SilverFox]

In the Pee Dee region and sandhills of SC our rut always seemed to be the strongest the first and second week of November no matter what the moon phase or weather was. I farmed and was on the road a lot in the ambulance and those were the weeks I'd see the most chasing in the fields and the most bucks up and moving in the middle of the day.

So my point is... If you know any farmers, ambulance guys, police, UPS or mail carriers that hunt, I'd ask them when they see the most bucks up roaming in the middle of the day. My father was a mailman and kept up with it for years as to when he saw the most deer activity in the fields and the most hit by cars. He was in a rural area with about 150 miles on road on his route.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I used to watch the moon charts a lot but hunted any day that I could, so I hunted both the "good" and "bad" days. Very often the days that the moon charts rated as exceptional would in fact be noticeably better for deer movement IF the weather was also favorable, I.e. cold, relatively calm and overcast.

 

[102]

The rut (and I'm assuming we are talking chase phase) peaks at different times in different places. Also, DAYLIGHT intensity varies dramatically depending on heat, food, and hunter pressure (think deer hunting in general).

In our Illinois camp, among the 8 of us who hunt dozens of miles apart, we often have mast crop failures in one area while another has a bumper crop. Probably associated with frost in that area months before our arrival in November.

But there are good solid dates to hang your hat on. November 10th begins my North Western most boundary rut peak while December 1st my Southeastern.

 

[Jmed]

The data I have seen shows that the peak breading dates fall at aproximately the same days year after year. Whether or not you see it depends on a combination of the other variables. Most important to me is date (of 9 whitetails on my wall, 5 of them came from 11/9-11/13, 2 of my biggest came on 12/1&12/3, so i always try to hunt those dates), temp(obviously the cooler the more they move), and the moon phase doesnt dictate when i do or dont go. I have noticed I see more mid day movement durring full moons. The second week in November has always been my favorite

 

[primos32]

I personally have switched my hunting to certain dates on my leases versus moon phase or zodiac sign or whatever others use... and if good weather lines up with these dates the better. Trail cams and tracking observations have helped me conclude the dates that are the best. Also science backs up this theory by knowing deer breeding timing is set off by daylight amount.. which is the same every year so once you figure out when that is for your deer herd you are hunting I feel the odds of punching a tag go up.

 

[Boone 58]

When this moon stuff came out I read a lot on it and it sounded like it made perfect sense. When it was all said and done I believe they could just as well have said Jupiter or which side of a tree has the greenest leaves or just about anything else. It was so generalized that anything could have been substituted. The rut is a matter of diminishing sunlight. PERIOD! The amount you see of it is a matter of temperature. PERIOD! The only significant correlation I've seen the moon have to the rut is that during the time the rut is going on and barring unseasonably warm weather for that time period, when a full moon is directly overhead mid day you're apt to see more and earlier deer movement that afternoon. I've heard and read the same can be said for directly underfoot but I can't vouch for that. As far as allotting vacation time to hunting the rut, check the rut timing for the area you plan on hunting. It shouldn't vary over a week from year to year and pray for cold weather.

I agree for the most part Mike, however there are some strange years on rut behavior. I remember Alzheimer stating there would be some weird years and believe me I did experience some. For the most part here in Lawrence county and wayne county the pre rut seeking and chasing can and does happen the last 10 days of November, and then the breeding seems to hit pretty hard about the 7th of December and peaks for the next two weeks...........................I usually hunt every day during this time, as I have for the last 20 years , and I can say I have seen a lot of things somewhat consistent......................but I have on several years. 2002 especially was a weird year in that I saw much earlier rutting activity than some other years. Having said that, I can also say it never is "exact" from one year to the next and as Thanksgiving day rotates from one year to the next so does the variant of the rut it seems to me. I have had some years that on thanksgiving day the activity was "dead"...................others it was pretty hot. For the last two years I have taken both my bucks in the month of November, last year 10 days apart. The first on opening day, it was out "cruising" no rutting activity by the does at all, then on the 29th, I had witnessed a mature doe separating herself from her fawn buck, and within 30 minutes heard a mature 4 year old buck grunting and coming down her back trail as she was coming into heat and he was scent checking her back trail as I pulled the trigger.

 

[Mike Belt]

Boone... You're right in that the rut may not start on the same day from year to year but there is a certain day every year that you can mark on your calendar to expect to start seeing the beginning. That may vary by location but it generally holds true for the same areas yearly. I suspect that the first few does that come into estrous do so possibly a month earlier than most of the rest. That lingering affect may carry through until the bulk of the herd begin coming into heat. Since that's such a small percentage that may or may not go unnoticed but if seen by a hunter that may "fool" them into believing the rut has started. Once the magic day roles around, initially only a few does will come in and even then it may not be "observable" enough to declare the rut has started. Essentially, the rut may have started without the hunter knowing it for sure yet and especially if it happens during unseasonably warm weather. Then the biggest percentage of does cycle in and BANG! Here we go! Going back to my first sentence...knowing when that magic day is for your hunting area is crucial. That also leads back to the most important sentence in your post. "I usually hunt every day during this time."

If someone has limited hunting time and their goal is to kill a buck or experience the rut in their area then their hunting time should be reserved for this time frame. For those fortunate enough to hunt at will this is when they need to stay in the woods.

It's been my experience that this "beginning" won't fluctuate 1 week in any area and usually not that long. My special day is usually Thanksgiving Day and I pray for cool-cold weather. The "beginning" I see is usually post Thanksgiving Day but I still like starting to hit it hard a couple days prior to that in hopes of catching interested bucks beginning to cruise in anticipation. In the last few years it seems to be getting a later "observed" start and strung out longer into the season.

 

[Boone 58]

Great point, and you know something else I think plays in is the age of the does.................maybe the older ones come in sooner in some cases than the 1.5 and 2.5 year olds and the make up of the mixture of the age as a group can influence that?...........your thoughts?

 

[Mike Belt]

As I understand it the more mature does do enter estrus first which hormonally may influence the others. What has always baffled me is the timing individual does enter estrus. An early born doe fawn may have attained the body weight by the tail end of the season to enter estrus. If she's bred that late in the season then she will also have late born fawns. Does that mean she'll always come into heat later in the season? Let's say she's still alive at the age of 5.5 making her one of the more mature does. If mature does generally enter estrus earlier than their counterparts does her estrus timing change from her first year?