Is it all a bunch of superstitious stuff? Is there any proof that the moon affects how the animals will move? A lot of people mention the moon phase but it's as if they say it to act smart. Idk if it does affect whitetails or not. It would seem the factors that affect deer movement would be safety, weather, and food. If say the safety is great, weather is perfect, and the deer is famished, would it still not move on a full moon?
You have to take all that into consideration, but IMO Moon Phase is just another tool in the chest. The main thing to remember is Overhead or Underfoot.
It's not a 100%, everything isn't...however the correlations with the rut once you study it are crazy! Charles Alsheimer's book on the subject is one of my most read, tabbed and re-read books in my whitetail library.
Regardless of moon phase, some weather and safety...deer move every 4-6 hours for food/water... to answer your question I think the deer will move on the full moon...they are more likely to move at night because if its clear they can see very well in the moonlight but still have the cover of the night for added security. Theres many theories as to how and why deer move all have some sort of validity...moon overhead and underfoot correlate to times where deer move more to feed
It is one of 1000 factors that effects movement. All things equal, I'll hunt strong lunar times. Oh, and just for fun, talk to someone that works in an ER and ask then if a full moon has any effect on what they see? I could even see it working in a restaurant.
i don't know how the moon affects deer, or if it even does. but i do know how it affects my Muskie fishing. at least 75% of muskies that have been in my boat have been caught within 15 mins of something significant with the moon.. examples are new moon, full moon, moon rise, moon set, moon over head, under foot. etc. also movement as the number of fish chasing seem to increase. one very small example. (other circumstances like these have happened many times) three guys in the boat all throwing on a hump in the middle of a lake for a good half hour, the hump is half the size of a football field at best, moon rise was just a couple minutes before sundown. 5 minutes before sundown so within a minute or two of moon rise we had a double follow, a couple cast later a bigger fish showed up and a couple casts after that a smaller one shows up. four fish sitting almost on top of each other didn't move a muscle and then all of a sudden they where chasing hard.. this comparison is from two different types of animal, a predator and a harvester. but if you spend fifteen minutes browsing a muskie guides page you will see how much of there success is based off of moon settings. hopefully someday the patterns to how deer and other harvesters react to the moon phases will be more widely known and maybe it already is but the secrets just have not been shared
Hunt when you can... but if you have to choose your days, use the lunar charts. It does make a difference. I even watch cattle activity and have noticed a correlation between feeding cattle and deer movement. I have a hunting guide friend in SC who swears by the tide schedule and will hunt an hour or two before and after tidal highs and lows, even if it means skipping the early morning or afternoon hunt for the middle of the day.
I have just started trying to figure out the moon fases. Around here if the moon if full and it is clear, you may as well sleep in. I have yet to see deer movement when the moon was full. Thats all I have figured out this season.
I wish I had figured out 20 years ago. It is one of many factors...but have realized that since I started using it, my sightings and success have greatly improved. SB
From personal experiences, I dont believe that the moon phase effects deer movement because on November the 10th (which was a full moon) I saw the most movement ive seen yet this year being doe with 2 fawns, later a 140" buck chased them across a field in front of me. Personally, I would say that weather is the most important thing for deer movement. Cloudy/ overcast day and even slight flurries trigger deer movement. This is just from my accounts in the woods.
You do realize it's the moon that causes the tide to rise and fall right? So hunting the tide is basically hunting the moon :D
Absolutely... but there are still specific times during a full moon period when the tides are highest and lowest. I, like most people, have to work on a schedule so I go when I can and I hope for the best. I have killed deer however in the middle of the day and my friend would always check the tide charts after we killed or saw deer and it was uncanny how often (not every time) it was during one of those peak periods. Knowledge is just another tool in our arsenals.
Like others have said, it helps to monitor and hunt the strong lunar times if possible. I have killed most of my mature bucks with the moon high early in the evening, or when it is still up in the morning. On a straight full moon, I see most of my movement in the middle of the day. I think it is definitely a factor, but so is weather, rut, etc. Arm yourselves with as much information as possible to get within 20 yards of your prize.
