Just looking over some stuff here. Planning. Sick. I know. As a matter of background, I read this brief passage authored by Chuck Alsheimer, who I consider to be one of the planet's top authorities on whitetail behavior. Read this article. It will change your life. http://www.charliealsheimer.com/ca/moon.html Because I know you lazy schmucks didn't read it, I'll tell you what it said: The crux of the article is that the rutting moon arrives with the second full moon after the autumnal equinox. According to Chuck, the best 8 days to be in the woods are the 4 days before and after the Rutting moon arrives. This is widely known as the "seeking phase." Now, behold, as the Undisputed King takes this information and utilizes it to put yet another piece in the 2009 puzzle. These are the moments that define us . . . well . . . (ME). . . as a great American Whitetail Hero. Clearly, this is your chance to ride the King's coattails to deerhunting fame, and get an inside look at one of American Bowhunting's greatest minds. Using 2007 as a guide, the dates fell as follows: Autumnal Equinox: 9/23/07 First Full Moon: 9/26/07 Second Full Moon: 10/26/07 By his calculation, in 2007, the prime time to arrow a buck would have been between 10/22 and 10/30. Sounds good, right? Not so fast. A 2007 site-wide poll on "another site" yielded inconsistent results - as it turns out that this timeframe was not the best time, statistically. With 133 recorded buck harvests, we discovered that 35% of the bucks harvested fell between 11/1 and 11/10, while only 18% died between 10/21 and 10/31. Weird. People just don't shoot that many deer in late October. Fact. http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=2726184&mpage=1&key=timing� Read it and weep. So by Alsheimer's lunar calendar, the 2008 seek phase was slated to come much later: Autumnal Equinox: 9/22/08 First Full Moon: 10/14/08 Rutting Moon: 11/13/08 If you go +/- 4 days on the rutting moon, Chuck tells us that the big boys will be lookin' to get their collective swerve-on between 11/9 and 11/17/08. I arrowed my second buck on 11/17. Go figure. Now, for the meat and potatoes: Autumnal Equinox: 9/22/09 First Full Moon: 10/18/09 Rutting Moon: Monday, November 16, 2009 +/- 4 days: November 12-20, 2009 Mark it down. Schedule the birth of your children around it. Etch it in stone. The King has spoken.
