I like all phases except the full ...just before, during, and just after ....I see deer sometimes, but they seem to get funky.
I have always wondered that myself.. This past saturday was a full moon and I saw a deer each sit. I also know that some trail cam pics had deer on them at mid day..
I used to, and kinda still do, hate hunting during the full moon. I used to schedule my rutcations around full moons unless not possible. Anymore I think I use it as a crutch to justify the lack of deer sightings when it is likely I'm just not able to hunt where they are that day or I sit the wrong stand. I can go back to 2009 and figure out what moon phase was on the day I killed and I'm betting a few will be during the Full moon phase. Can also go back to 2011'ish on this forum and see what I was saying about activity via the Live From the Stand Thread. That is one thing I love about that thread, if there is a certain weather event or moon event that only occurs every so often, I can go back to those threads and see what I was seeing or bitching about I used to schedule my rutcations based on Charles Alsheimers rutting moon theory, but it was hit or miss and hard to validate as it is usually last week of October to 3rd week of November when things are primetime anyway.
Gonna have to wait until late December when Hurricane Quantico bears down on the east coast and you wind up in the cold sector as it departs. Welcome to the tail end of 2020
In my opinion the moon phase, i.e. how much of the moon is visible at night, only has a detrimental effect during a full moon on clear night. A full moon on a clear night kills early morning movement unless its position is directly overhead or underfoot during these hours. What is important is the moon's position in the sky. If the moon is directly overhead or underfoot during either the first few or last few hours of daylight, day time movement will pick up during those hours. If it is not, than day time movement will be the best during the three hours when it is directly overhead or underfoot. Often, during the full moon its position relative to overhead or underfoot means the best movement will be between 10a - 3pm, when most hunters have gone home or back to camp.
I have always heard that, and read that, and yet I am always not in the stand at that time..I am scouting and moving cameras
I hunt every chance I get. So whatever the moon is doing at that time, is what it's doing. Can't say I've ever noticed an actual difference in killing stuff or not.
I don’t pay attention to moon phases as much as I do the overhead and underfoot. Weather trumps the moon....every time. But when you get both working together it’s almost unstoppable. (Yes I learned this from a bunch of podcasts, but it’s true.) Another thing I have realized, just because you don’t see deer does not mean they are NOT moving! So, in my book, positioning of the moon means WAY more than the phase. Just my 2 pennies. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Imo, light cycle and weather play a more important role but with that being said I am a subscriber to overhead and underfoot times, whether it's true or not sometimes a hunter just needs something to believe in to help with the motivation. Regardless, I hunt all I can when I can.
That is how I am as well. But, when I can, I try to make those times coincide with the thought process I lined out. I find that I see way more deer during those times than the times when I hunt without timing it to moon overhead or underfoot.
