Holy smokes... DeRyderM asked about moon phase and deer movement, so I thought I would put together a quick overview and call it good. ...little did I know just how MUCH this issue has been debated in the last couple of months. So...here is the best answer I can give you, based on what I know and my opinions...

Is deer movement influenced by moon phase? I think the better question is, CAN it be...and I think yes, it can.

As we discussed in the last blog entry, photoperiod is really the driving force behind animals coming into their reproductive cycle – i.e. the amount of daylight vs. darkness each day. Recently, a lot of scientific data has come forth that shows that deer fawn conception dates (i.e. when a doe is actually bred) for specific areas are generally +/- 3 or 4 days around the same date each year, regardless the year, and regardless of the moon phase. For some, research into deer conception dates has been “the end all be all proof” that moon phase doesn’t influence the deer rut. However, while these data are easily quantifiable, and were collected over several to MANY years, some have pointed out that there are limitations to how they were gathered, and whether or not secondary influences like deer density, age, feed, their captivity, etc. affected how the does cycled. Similarly, in the last few years, several well-known “moon phase rut models” have been “shown” to be inaccurate, or only applicable to certain areas, by a variety of hunters posting their observations on various chat rooms and talk forums. So what’s true? What’s really accurate? Unfortunately, probably all of the above...

Without going into all the science, research, data, etc... I’ll give you MY thoughts on the subject, and how I would be hunting if I could be hunting whitetails this year. First, two points..

1)  The whitetail rut occurs at different times whether you are in the northern portions of their range or southern. Case in point, in northern portions, it isn’t uncommon to have the rut occur in late October or early November. In south Texas and northern Mexico, it can occur in January. Photoperiod drives REGIONAL reproduction cycles in animal populations IN RELATION to how those animals are adapted to REGIONAL seasonal shifts and resource availabilities – i.e. when spring green up occurs/the optimum time for young ones to “hit the ground.” Therefore, when predicting whitetail movement off of moon phases, I will admit, that making the blanket statement of “the second full moon after the fall equinox” can be misleading; it all depends on where you live/hunt.

2)  In my experience, the moon CAN affect when animals move – DURING THE DAY. Period. End of discussion as far as I am concerned. I emphasize “during the day” because that is when I’m concerned with animal movement. ...that’s when I can hunt them. What happens at night – for me – simply translates into what they are likely to do during the day.

So, what do I think about the moon phase and the deer rut?

First, we’re going to assume weather, wind, hunting pressure, etc. are all equal, or at least, don’t matter for this discussion. Let’s ignore it for now, because all of that and more can throw a monkey wrench in the works of any best laid plans...

If I wasn’t familiar with a particular area, I would check with local deer biologists and find out when THEY say the BULK of the breeding occurs for does in the region I plan on hunting. Most likely, (for most of you mid-west to northeastern hunters) they’ll give you a week to 10-day period like, “generally the third week November” or something like that. From there, I look at my calendar/moon phase chart to see what the moon phase looks like in relation to this “third week” time period.

Understanding that the GENERAL whitetail “activity cycle” before and up to the rut goes from the seeking phase (bucks looking for does and doe groups) to the chasing phase (bucks running around potentially receptive does) to the breeding phase (where most does are standing for bucks), I backtrack off of the middle of the time-period the biologist (or my experience) gave me, roughly 10 days or so. My bet is, based on their cycle, a lot of buck movement should be going on right about this time. If I had to plan a 7 day period to hunt – without looking at the moon phase – I would generally choose the 5 to 12 days prior to the time when most does should be ACTIVELY being bred.

Now, for the moon phase. My belief is that the moon phase can influence the intensity of activity during a particular phase in the breeding cycle. So... if the full moon (or at least “bright” moon) coincides with the chasing phase, I would expect to experience a higher level of chasing activity than during a dark moon phase. For me, I plan my hunt according to what the moon phase will be – but I keep it general. A lot of people claim that the quarter moon phases see increased activity... I honestly don’t have enough time in the whitetail woods to have an opinion on that, but a lot of folks have started to focus their efforts then. What I do know, is that when the moon is full – I’ll be sitting ALL day if I can. During the full/bright moon its not uncommon to have deer moving a lot during the middle of the day. When the moon isn’t very bright – typically the quarter moon and new moon phases, I’m focusing on the typical morning and evening hunts.

For deer, this is how I use the moon; I simply use it to help guide when I sit on a stand, and when I can expect movement. Because – like a lot of you – my time can be limited in the fall, looking at the moon phase can help me figure out how to budget my non-hunting time to maximize my hunting time. If a full moon (or bright moon) is going to coincide with when I want to hunt, I make sure that all my “chores” are done so I can sit all day. If the moon isn’t full or bright, I feel a little more confident in just hunting the mornings and evenings.

Because there is A LOT of discussion and info out there concerning this, here are two places on the internet you can go to look into more about the moon phase and deer movement. While I know there are more, these are two to get you started.

www.charliealsheimer.com/ca/articles/art_understanding.html – this is Charles Alsheimer’s site, and contains a good bit of discussion on his thoughts regarding moon phase and the rut. His book is still one of the “most referenced” guides on using the moon for deer hunting.

www.forums.qdma.org and search moon phase – the QDMA forum has a LOT of discussion on this, and what I like about it is, it references both research and non-research ideas, and provides other links to dive into.

Understanding that this topic is like asking “what is the best broadhead?” I can’t WAIT to see where the discussion goes. Ok... I’m ready for questions.... :-)

Chris

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written by DeRyderM, October 27, 2008

Chris, thank you so much for your time and input. As you said, most of us have to plan our hunts (even though I tend to make more room than most!) and that requires looking for the best days to sit. Here in MI, our gun opener is nov 15th and I believe that a good majority of bucks are starting to lock down with does. The first two weeks of November, and in my experience Nov 8-9, are always great dates for me. I seen an article in Field and Stream entitled, "Why you must hunt all day Nov. 12) I assume that aside from bucks actively searching for does. I imagine that the full moon is occurring then as well. This blog has been one of the most useful bits of info I have gleaned from this sight and that says alot b/c I have learned a TON of useful stuff!

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written by DeRyderM, October 27, 2008

chris,

Now that the rut is right around the corner and the last show was on scents... with no wind, how far do you think a buck can smell estrous? What about with a 10 mph wind. Are we talking 50 ft, 100 ft, 100yds, 500 yds? Any info you have would be interesting to hear. Thanks again for the great job you do!

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written by Chris Roe, November 10, 2008

Thanks DeRyderM... hopefully I can at least share some of my thoughts and ideas that will help put a few more punched tags in your pocket!

I thought I would wait a while to see if others chimed in....I'm surprised we haven't had any discussion so far.

Your question on how far deer can smell is a tough one to answer because of all the variables that go into how scent is carried in the air. Temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind consistency, vegetation, and terrain can all affect how scent is carried.

Damp air holds scent better than dry air, so if it is a damp/humid day, scent should carry farther than on a dry day. If the wind comes from a consistent direction, a gentle breeze (

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written by Chris Roe, November 10, 2008

Nice! ...it cut my comment off!

Anyways.... If the wind comes from a consistent direction, a gentle breeze (

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written by Chris Roe, November 10, 2008

AAAAARRRRRGGGGH It did it again!!!!!!

PM me....

Chris

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