Deer Activity and the Moon

[Rob Fin]

I've done a little reading lately about the effect of the moon on deer activity. I'm not talking about how it figures into the timing of the rut, but rather how it affects day-to-day activity all the time. If I understand correctly, deer tend to be more active and feed more when the moon is directly overhead (halfway between moon rise and moon set) and again when the moon is directly underfoot (halfway between moon set and moon rise). This means peak activity periods occur when the moon influenced activity times coincide with the deers normal peak activity times (dusk & dawn).

Do I understand this correctly? Have any of you paid attention to this and what have you witnessed? Thanks for your input.

[longbowben]

Hunt when you can, always wind in your face.Just remember deer have to eat thats the only thing on thier mind at this time of year.

[Pat B]

I believe the solunar tables are figured by the overhead moon and the moon directly under like you said. About 2 hours either side of the apex is the best feeding tomes. When the moon is on either horizon is the secondary feeding times.
   I haven't done extensive studies of this but it seems to work out that way.
   Our ancestors used moon phases for all aspects of life and they got us to where we are today. Most of us are too busy and don't care enough to pay attention to these things anymore.        Pat

[Rob Fin]

Thanks Pat. I'll post in a couple weeks to let you know if I find it to have an affect. I'm hunting all of next week, so maybe I'll see a correlation between the apexes and the activity. It's not something I've ever paid atention to in the past, but I am curious. I don't think I'll change how I hunt, but I may make some adjustments to the times I hunt.

I agree that we tend not to pay attention to things like moon phases. I think paying attention to nature's various rythyms can only enhance the whole experience.

[Biggie Hoffman]

I ALWAYS look at the solunar tables. It doesn't keep me from going mind you, but if I see the major feed is say, 10am until 1pm, I'll stay in the tree longer than normal.
The downside is, when you see the major feed times as mid afternoon, it's hard to have the confidence you need to hunt that morning  :-)

[Bill Turner]

I read "Moonstruck" by Jeff Murray a few years back. Made sense to me and I've been following moon phases and Jeff's moon phase clock ever since. As Biggie said, it don't keep me out of the woods but it might keep me in there a little longer. I pay particular attention to mid day activity periods according to the clock. Good hunting and "keep'um sharp".  

[Pat B]

When you have a major feeding time at mid afternoon you will have a minor one 6 hours before and after so you can cover almost all of the day light hours.
  Deer usually feed for a while, lay down for a while, feed for a while and so on. Being where they are feeding and knowing what they are feeding on is as important as getting the timing just right.    Pat

[Rob Fin]

Thanks for all of the input.

[John3]

I agree that knowing all you can is a good thing. I also know that you "can't kill a deer on the couch".. Hunt hard and often.

good luck out there.


JDS III