Hunting The Full Moon

[Bioguy]

Interesting points, but i have to ask if you actually read what I wrote and actually watched the video you posted?

1. I dont believe the full moon influences the rut either, it just happens to fall around the same time every year. Just a coincidence.

2. The majority of what I wrote was to help understand how WEATHER influences movement. That's useful information on any day that can be used to determine whether or not to even bother going to the stand. I also stated that if weather conditions were not right, weather trumps moon phase pretty much every time.

3. This is probably the reason there have not been solidly conclusive studies on the moon phase and deer movement because there is no where you can conduct that study without weather influencing the results. So we will never really know.

4. His studies confirmed that they moved more in the middle of the day during the full moon. And you are right, deer are crepuscular, meaning they move around twilight and dawn every day. Never said that you dont see deer in the morning of a full moon. There have actually been many time ive seen as many as 15-20. Ive seen very nice bucks in the morning as well. Generally they have been right at daylight or before, but ive seen the occasional nice shooter buck between 7:30 and 8:30. But I have seen the most shooters bucks in the mid day time frame. There is no guaranteed method. I saw a crap load of movement yesterday between 12 and 3 yesterday. Including a BIG BIG buck. The video also said that the moon did not seem to influence when they move, but it did effect the intensity of movement. Well the full moon increases intensity in the middle of the day. Most hunters think deer lay down and sleep all day until evening. This is not true. Deer will move several times during the day, they just don't move in areas where most hunters WANT them to be. You can't hunt deer where you want to see them, you have to hunt where they are. They are not moving in and out of feeding areas, so that stand between the food plot or on the food plot is likely not going to be successful at seeing mature deer in the morning. Every once in a while you may luck out and assume that what I wrote is crap. All I am trying to say is that if you want to have a better chance of shooting a mature deer during the full moon, you need to hunt mid day. I always hunt the morning of a full moon. You never know. And the earlier you get in the stand the better. When conditions favor morning and evening movement, which is every other phase of the moon you should absolutely hunt near food sources morning and afternoon and skip the second shift (unless it is the rut as deer move constantly during the rut). I wrote this to help other frustrated hunters who hate the full moon understand why it seems that they were generally unsuccessful, and show them what they could do to increase their odds. At the end of the day its all about increasing odds. There is no fool proof method that guarantees success. Sometimes you strike out. But I promise if you learn to understand how different factors affect deer movement, and apply that to when and more importantly where you hunt, you will see more QUALITY bucks. And Im not talking about 8 and 10 points that are actually only a 1.5 to 2.5 years old, I have let more of those walk than I can count. Im talking about that mature 3.5+ year old bucks that are worth harvesting that you've seen on your trail cam but never see when your hunting. Hunt him where he is, not where you want him to be.

Not only have I watched the video I posted, I have talked with Marcus about the subject. As I said, his study had some good insights and observations, but the results are not conclusive. It is not realistic to generalize deer movement for the entire southeast from 16 adult does on 1 study area. Marcus has since collected data sets from GPS collared deer across the US to check for moon phase relationships and that analysis is still underway.

You asked if anyone else had input to provide ("P.S. Please feel free to add your experiences and thought to this thread."), and that's what I did. Agree with it or disagree with it, I provided my input. Just here to contribute, not to argue.

 

[Holbc57]

I am glad you posted that article! I am excited to follow that research and see what he finds!!! I didn't mean to come across as arguing with you, if I did i apologize. Just trying to clarify that most of would you said i wasn't disagreeing with either. Full moon just seems to be a time when most hunters struggle, and its about the only time Ive noticed moon phase to be a strong enough factor to consider it. Full moon phase last about three days. I hunted every one of those days. Where I was at all the weather conditions were good for the first two days. High barometer, cold temps, calm winds etc. Observed lots of movement right when I expected to Early early morning, mid day to about 4, and again activity at dark. Saw several good mature bucks in that middle period. The third day, wind sucked, barometer sucked, temp was warmer and I saw only a few deer all day long. All bucks, one good one right at 12:30 but he was moving through like he didn't want to be. The rest of the phases I think can be used to anticipate when heavier movement could be expected, morning or afternoon, but either one is usually a good option if weather is good. This is why I don't think its possible to scientifically draw conclusive on the moons influence unless they could somehow create a controlled test area free from outside influence that always has ideal weather conditions, which is impossible. Its very seldom all weather conditions are all ideal, usually only happens a few times a year. But when they do its about the only time you can expect to see a lot of deer almost guaranteed. I think Marcus would be a very interesting person to talk to. I wish I could have his job! That would be a dream come true for me!

 

[Holbc57]

Ok just wondering. I just picked up a piece of property that's full of pines and has a thicket leading to a ridge any suggestions? And I mean THICK the ridge is on the other side of the thicket.. Not part of my lease. I'm not use to hunting pines.

I'm not sure here man. If I had access to that ridge thats where I would be when the winds are right. Ive not hunted many planted pines. Depending on where your food sources are at the should be a good place to catch them moving to and from food sources. They're also an area deer like to bed down in. Ive seen both. The times Ive hunted them I only saw a few moving towards food sourced right at dark. Ive explored several planted pine area an seen alot of sign where deer had been bedding heavily. If you can find an area they look to be bedding in frequently and some trails leading to it, you could try hunting that. Again, a have very little hands on experience with it, but I would guess you should expect to see deer moving into bed mid morning most frequently. You could also try hunting them in the middle of the day, not just the full moon and try catching them moving between beds. Deer will move within bedding areas in the middle of the day regardless of other factors. I just dont know that I would expect high traffic on a regular basis. Maybe someone else with some hands on experience hunting them will provide you some input.

 

[Bioguy]

I am glad you posted that article! I am excited to follow that research and see what he finds!!! I didn't mean to come across as arguing with you, if I did i apologize. Just trying to clarify that most of would you said i wasn't disagreeing with either. Full moon just seems to be a time when most hunters struggle, and its about the only time Ive noticed moon phase to be a strong enough factor to consider it. Full moon phase last about three days. I hunted every one of those days. Where I was at all the weather conditions were good for the first two days. High barometer, cold temps, calm winds etc. Observed lots of movement right when I expected to Early early morning, mid day to about 4, and again activity at dark. Saw several good mature bucks in that middle period. The third day, wind sucked, barometer sucked, temp was warmer and I saw only a few deer all day long. All bucks, one good one right at 12:30 but he was moving through like he didn't want to be. The rest of the phases I think can be used to anticipate when heavier movement could be expected, morning or afternoon, but either one is usually a good option if weather is good. This is why I don't think its possible to scientifically draw conclusive on the moons influence unless they could somehow create a controlled test area free from outside influence that always has ideal weather conditions, which is impossible. Its very seldom all weather conditions are all ideal, usually only happens a few times a year. But when they do its about the only time you can expect to see a lot of deer almost guaranteed. I think Marcus would be a very interesting person to talk to. I wish I could have his job! That would be a dream come true for me!

No worries. There should be more studies coming out with regard to moon phase. New technology (GPS collars, trail cameras, etc) is allowing researchers to collect large amounts of data and analyze it in ways like never before.

Personally, I use Big Game Logic (www.biggamelogic.com) to enter my trail camera data and analyze it. Big Game Logic connects the photos with weather data and turns it into easy to read charts and graphs (see below). I let my trail camera data tell me what I need to do. I find it to be a much more scientific approach to deer hunting. Sounds like something you would be interested in...good luck!

 

[Holbc57]

That looks awesome. Can you input in stand observations as well? I've have actually found the iPhone app Deer Hunters edge to be fairly accurate. It uses moon phase to predict movement way in advance, but it takes into consideration weather in your area to adjust forecast 4 hours out. Still have to know where hunt those conditions, but a useful tool.

 

[GT-40 GUY]

I've killed a lot between 12 and 3 after a full moon. What do they call your rifle today? Something like a Pennsylvania machine gun?

gt40

 

[whitedog]

I've killed a lot of big deer during a full moon. Almost all of them were early morning in grown up fields. In fact, I killed a big deer in your county(Oconee) early one morning last week in a food plot. The key is they were all in the peak of the rut for the county I was hunting at the time. I say, during the 2 week period that is peak for your county, spend as much time in a stand as you can. Hunt where you can watch the most does. For me, That is field edges, overgrown fields(mowed shooting lanes), and food plots. I stay out of the woods and core areas. It has served me well.
If you believe in it and it keeps you in the stand, that's all that matters, It'll help you kill deer.

 

[GTHunter007]

Very well written. I agree with everything you said. Problem I have with the studies done, is they are using data from deer taken in large increments and try to relate higher movement with different phases of the moon. This will simply not be the case and the study is not targeted correctly.

IMO, a deer's movement pattern is divided into 4 parts. A heavy feed, two minor feeds and one in between. Overhead moon lines up with the heavy, underfoot the middle ground and the horizon line is the minor feeds. Moon POSITION IMO is what plays the role. This is verified in a few studies IMO when daytime activity is higher on new moon days and 1st quartered morning movement appears higher.
I have this debate going with my observations and data with a couple UGA biology guys and I am gaining their belief. We have a large group in the woods who communicate and moon position is indicative of a lot of observed movements. Not all, but a lot.

Wasted studies will keep targeting moon phases equated to higher movements when in reality this time span is too large as deer MUST eat too much in a day to wait 7 days to move more.

The study that will blow moon data up or verify it will take data points from deer on a 15 minute interval instead of 2 hrs. It won't take long for this info to show either a randomness or a correlation of movement between the animals. 2 hours is simply too wide of a time frame to study deer movement. I sit and watch deer most days of the week. Even bedded deer will stand up for an hour and barely move out of an area sometimes. Or some will move out to a hardwood draw, feed for 30 minutes and then come back and lay down. A 2hr data collection misses this movement. I just wish this focus on PHASE would be gotten away from and moon POSITION would become the focus.

I have one buddy who stays on his food plots in the evening targeting a specific buck. But he likes to tell me his deer won't come out until the last 30 minutes before dark and my theory is wrong because he doesn't see deer other times. While I understand his thought process, I also understand that deer will not spend much time in a wide open field in the mid afternoon like they do at night. Safety, light and visibility for them is a great concern and spots play a huge part in where and when deer move. Just because you are not seeing them, does not mean they are not moving somewhere.

Then you have those mornings when temperatures are nuts and a lot of guys are hunting...shots ring out all morning long and immediately they want to debunk the theory as well. I like to equate the moon position stuff to humans and how we eat breakfast. If you sat at a McDonalds and collected data from 5 AM until 11 AM, you would see humans trickle in and feed the entire span of time, but I GUARANTEE you there would be a 30 minute or even a 2 hr period when there was a line wrapped around the building from people wanting to eat. Same applies to deer IMO. You can see one at any given time for any given reason, but there WILL be a time when the largest percentage of deer will be on their feet moving.

 

[bowandgun]

Here is one I shot this Friday in a hardwood bottom loaded with acorns, also used a remington semi auto 30-06. Big full moon and saw another buck chasing a doe right before this one came through and could not get a shot. i went from high to low and two minutes later right back to high. Good info in your post.

 

[joey1919]

this is a good thread, sick of hearing "well daddy always said", our understanding of deer has changed a lot in the last 30-50 years. i had a friend tell me Friday night that he wasn't going Saturday morning because the moon was "too bright". i went, killed a nice buck. i told him,"you keep waiting on the moon to get right and i'll keep dragging them out of the woods."

as stated earlier, this time of year, anytime you can be in the stand is the right time to hunt.

another friend calls them "too" hunters. the ones that say "i ain't going because: the moons too bright, its too hot, its too cold, its too windy etc etc. well, keep waiting for the stars to align, and the rest of us....we'll keep dragging them out of the woods.

i always ask those folks, do you still get hungry when the moon is full? do you still feel the urge to "breed" when its windy. well, so do deer.

 

[Holbc57]

I killed the one in my avatar about 10 minutes before you couldn't legally shoot during the early parts of the full moon. Ive have observed lots of heavy activity very early in the morning and very late in the evenings during full moon. I think it that same reason people often get goose egged during that time. Morning movement gets heavy before the sun ever comes up. I try to get in my stand at least 1.5 before shooting light, and move in very very carefull to try not to spook anything in the area. The good thing is the moon is bright enough you dont need a flashlight, which makes this easier. Also folks might tend to give up before it get late enough because they hadn't seen anything yet. Truth be told, if a button head wasn't still browsing around in the area, I might not have ever seen that deer. I was planning to head home as soon as he moved out! The key is patience and planning.

GTHunter, I couldn't agree more. Moon position in my experience does play a role. I was not going to get in to all that, but that is actually what the solunar tables are based on. The major periods are based on when moon is overhead and underfoot, the minor periods are based on moon rise and moon set. The reason the full moon is when these theories generally appear to hold more weight, or less when depending on who you are and your personal experiences with it, is because the moon rise correlates is perfectly with a "minor" period in the morning (moon set) just before or at sunrise, "major" period in the middle of the day (moon underfoot), and another "minor" period in the late evening just as or after the sun goes down (moonrise). Since there is no one who would argue the crepuscular nature of deer, these technically theories on moon influence periods line up perfectly when deer naturally want to move. When I hunt mid day even when its not the full moon, I still see more mature deer than I do in the AM and PM, just not always as frequently. Like I've said many times, big bucks did not make it to 3.5+ by being stupid or by pure chance. You don't see them traipsing around the woods when most younger or less sought after deer are moving around heavily in the AM or PM when most hunters are out looking for them. The rut causes a brief moment of stupidity, as most men can relate to, when the does want to breed. Women have a way of make you do what they want you to do. That's why they are seen more frequently in the AM and PM during the rut. As soon as it is over they seem to disappear out of sight until the next year except for the occasional showing when it is often too dark to see to shoot them. But they still are active in the middle of they day because they have to be to survive.

During other phases of the moon, there are some observations I have made that I do believe warrant consideration. The later in the morning the moonset, or minor period falls during the day (such as right now), the more active deer seem to be in the morning, but not necessarily at the precise time the minor period is. And the evening activity tends to occur later, and be less active. And please I am not saying you dont see deer in the evening, because you often will. But you generally wont have one of those hunts where you sit down at 3:30 and see 10 or 15 deer before dark. Likewise, the earlier the moon rise becomes, deer activity in the evening seems to be much more active than the mornings. I have been in the stand every day except one since the moon was at 45% illumination both morning and evening or all day. If I cant be there I have a trail camera in a different area watched a pile of corn at least just to how often deer move to feed different times if I cant be there myself, as the majority of activity is missed by a camera on one spot. From that day which was October 30 till the November 8th, I observed less morning time movement, still saw a good bit, but even more afternoon activity. The closer to the full moon, the earlier that activity became during both periods. Oct 30 deer moved well, but with less frequency in the mornings till about 10AM. I pay attention not only to what I am seeing, but also the frequency of gunshots in the area. The afternoon movement I saw, and gunshots I heard, occurred with more frequency in the afternoon. The the most active time occurring earlier and earlier in the afternoon the closer the full moon became. Again, good activity both periods, just judging activity and the timing of it. Now that the moon is setting later in the mornings, I am seeing more and more morning activity and less evening activity. Again, seeing deer both times. The rut however somewhat distorts this theory making it difficult to judge scientifically. The moon does not cause the rut, its just a yearly coincidence. It is also difficult to gather data that suggests this truth without using your own observations. Basing the mass collected data such as number of deer harvested during each period is extremely distorted. There is no way to know which time was more heavily hunted, and how many of those hunters saw many deer and didn't shoot, or how many hunters shot the the first deer they saw. I think the best data you can find are statistics from outfitters who routinely have the same number of hunters hunting the same general areas and periods each day for the entire season, and record info on deer sightings and harvest. That is about the closest thing to a controlled sample you can get in the real world. Though it is a small test sample, and weather and rut still has its influence, most of the statistics suggest a fairly strong correlation. Again, because there is no way to make these studies truly scientific and therefore cannot be scientifically considered proof. The consistency of data from various outfitters, as well as my own observations leads me to believe it warrants significant consideration. That being said, all hunters should draw their own conclusions based on their own property, because activity levels and when that activity occurs will be different depending on what deer primarily use your property for. A deer I might see right at dawn leaving a food source may not venture through your property till 10am looking for a bedding area. These tools are useful in determining when and how heavily you should expect deer to be active, generally feeding and browsing, but not necessarily when you should expect to see them in the particular stand you are hunting. I apply this to my hunting strategy as follows: If I anticipate activity in food source areas to be heaviest before daylight in the morning, I try to hunt closer to where I know they will bed and try to avoid feeding areas, and expect to see activity later in the morning than I would near a food plot. I dont want to spook or push deer trying to hunt in a food source area when I cant set up there BEFORE they get there. So I hunt where I know they are going when they finish undisturbed. If I anticipate feeding activity to start right at or after daylight, and can get in or near a food source and between a bedding area before they get there, I hunt there expecting to see more earlier in the day. I dont want to spook or push deer if they are most likely in or near their bedding areas. Most peoples property they hunt is not large enough to accommodate this type of stand selection. That considered, take a close look and observe the activity you see in the area you hunt. If its mostly slow moving feeding and browsing, you are probably in a food source area. If its quicker, more "transitional" movement so to speak, then you are likely near an area they tend to bed down. Once that is determined, carefully consider when to hunt and went not to hunt. If you hunt a day and time that is conducive to your location, try to anticipate when they will likely be in the area, set up well before that time, and expect to likely see more activity. If still want to hunt when conditions aren't right for it, exercise caution getting into your stand so as to not push deer away, and manage expectations. If you end up seeing alot, GREAT! But if you see little to nothing, do not look at it as a waste of time because you learning something important in the process. I still go hunting even when I know I probably wont see much if anything just to observe that for myself. And I don't leave disappointed because I know why it probably was, and have gained better understand of when to hunt there and when not to hunt there. And if I luck out, great! I believe there is a reason why you can hunt an area for several days in a row and see alot of deer, and then all of a sudden the next several days you see little to nothing there. It probably not because you over hunted like common belief as long as you were careful with your scent, careful going in and and coming out, leave as minimal evidence of presence as possible, and try not to shoot anything unless its what you are looking for on that particular hunt. If that's the case its not because you hunted it too much, its because the timing of the deer's routine patterns has changed. Don't give up on the spot and go looking for a new one because they will be back. It all comes full circle eventually. Just change your tactics, if you can, and hunt a spot ideal for current patterns, then come back to it later.

 

[Holbc57]

Sorry for another long write up guys. I didn't want to include this in the first post because it not on quite the same topic, and it would have been 20 pages long, but it is more relevant to current hunting conditions in GA. Hope it helps.

 

[GTHunter007]

You and me are on the same page brother!

 

[Holbc57]

Here is one I shot this Friday in a hardwood bottom loaded with acorns, also used a remington semi auto 30-06. Big full moon and saw another buck chasing a doe right before this one came through and could not get a shot. i went from high to low and two minutes later right back to high. Good info in your post.

When did you shoot him?

 

[Bioguy]

That looks awesome. Can you input in stand observations as well?

Yes! In fact the BGL app has a journal feature so you can enter observations while you're in the stand. The website also has a place where you can enter stand observation data. After the data is entered, the website compiles the data into a report (see below for the report from this year's hunting log data)

 

[jimmylee6985]

Yesterday evening I hunted a hard wood bottom between 2 thickets about 430 I grunted within a minute it sounded like a train was coming through the thicket, he came to the edge of the thicket and made about a 60 yard pass back and forth on the edge of the thicket I never seem him but I know it was him. ..how do I hunt this deer the rest of the rut??seems like he was only looking for a fight if I would have had a decoy he would have came in

 

[nrh0011]

so during a full moon cycle which day do you like hunting the most? the morning after the first night a of full moon or the day after the last full moon before it changes to a gibbous?

 

[Holbc57]

Yesterday evening I hunted a hard wood bottom between 2 thickets about 430 I grunted within a minute it sounded like a train was coming through the thicket, he came to the edge of the thicket and made about a 60 yard pass back and forth on the edge of the thicket I never seem him but I know it was him. ..how do I hunt this deer the rest of the rut??seems like he was only looking for a fight if I would have had a decoy he would have came in

You know this is the million dollar question. My advice would be this: You've seen him in that area. You know he moves through the area. He'll chase does around that bedding area all day. Stick with it, and hunt the edge of that area all day as much as possible and wait for him to chase a doe near you and pop him. Sounds to me like he was curious about the grunt, but had other does near him and was just making sure he didn't have an incoming threat. I have had mixed result with the use of calls and scents. I think you really need to be careful when and where, and how often you use them. I really believe that they give you about a 50% chance at creating a positive response, and a 50% chance at a neutral, or worse case alarming response. I am by no means an expert on calling, but there are a few things on the subject I have experienced to be true...If you call when the deer can easily spot your location, your more likely to have a neutral or negative reaction. When you call at them when they cannot see your location, such as your case when he was in thicket away from your position, you are more likely to get a positive one. More often than not when this happens, they will move to a position where they can see what made the noise, and unless there is something there that is more enticing than their current situation, the response stops there. Deer have excellent hearing and are able to pinpoint where sounds come from with ease, even from fairly great distances. I have seen the same sort of thing with doe in heat lures and other scent products. First of all I don't believe in using scents that the deer in the area would not normally encounter. These types of scents again have a chance at appealing to their curious side, but also a chance at as alarming side. As far as estrus scent goes, I haven't noticed many bucks have an "alarming" response to it. I have noticed, particularly around the rut when a doe is in heat, she will often notice the smell and avoid the area. My guess is she doesn't want the competition. If a buck is following her, he is going to stay with her, and not give much thought to the lure. IMO, if you are hunting the rut in an area where you see alot of does passing through within your range normally, don't use the scent. They will lay down plenty enough on their own. The longer they are in your area, there more they lay down, and the more likely the buck following her will stop and investigate even if she's moved on. But every once in a while you get that buck that has not found a doe to chase yet, and will come charging in. Vary your tactics when you're hunting, but don't if it not working. Try just plain ol fashioned waiting.

so during a full moon cycle which day do you like hunting the most? the morning after the first night a of full moon or the day after the last full moon before it changes to a gibbous?

Firstly, there is never a "bad" day to hunt, unless you risk lightning strike or pneumonia! Take the good with the bad and stick with it. Thats the only way to learn how the deer in youre area like to move in different situations. If you get goose egged, you didn't waste your time if you take the time to try to understand why they didn't move through the area. Take notes...did you spook deer moving in? Was it windy? Did the wind blow towards where you normally see them coming from? Did I do anything I dont normally, like put out scents, or hit an estrus bleat periodically? Its all valuable information if you learn from it. Also remember that just because you didn't see deer doesn't mean they were not moving. Listen for gunshots nearby as an indication that they are moving (at least while there are other people actually hunting). One advantage of being in a club or hunting with others, is you can cross reference observations and see what type of areas they were active in.

That being said, my favorite, and most successful days are the entire week leading up to the full moon. Its pre-rut, from my experience buck activity favors the wee first hour of daylight and then really seems active mid-day to afternoon. Myself and guys I have taken hunting with me have seen and killed some very nice deer during both those times. For the last few years the day following the full moon has been relatively unproductive. I saw a nice buck this year on that day, but my sightings have not been as frequent on this day. At the same time for the last three years including this one weather conditions have been generally unfavorable for active movement so its hard to say, so I'll still be in the woods. I always spend every spare second in the woods before the full moon. Since work has to be done, I have to pick my battles a little bit more following it. I generally favor and have had more success mid late mornings and midday till about one or two following the full moon. So when I cant hunt the entire day, that's when I try to go. The rut usually sets in around this time so there's really not a specific "good" time to go. When conditions aren't favorable, close to bedding areas seems to work well for me. When conditions are good I look for transition areas between bedding area. I don't make much effort to get between food and bedding at this time, as their main focus is sex and food becomes an after thought. Bucks will be chasing does around all day long, so you want to be where the does are gonna go to run away from them. Between bedding transition routes seem to work well for me. Early pre-rut, and post-rut is when I try to get between bedding and food. Thats seems to be the time periods when food is their main focus. Its worked for me so far.

 

[nrh0011]

Awesome stuff. Thanks