do you believe in Moon Phase? (planning what week to hunt Kansas)

[Bowwild]

I learned about stand burn out back in my late twenties. I had permission on the hottest property of my life in those days -- 1,100 acres in Indiana on the MI state line -- Elkhart County.  It didn't matter how bad I sucked, I saw deer on this place.  I kept a diary during those days (I averaged 63 hunts/season). I only counted deer in bow range.

When I'd move a stand (I only owned a couple in those days)I'd see lots of deer day 1 and 2 (I recall my record was 26 deer in bow range), fewer and fewer until I was down to "only" 1-2 per hunt. Then I'd move the stand. It never failed, I always started to see lots of deer again.

I thought I was the world's best scouter.  Then after two seasons of this I realized, I had been stinking up the place or otherwise alerting deer to my presence -- even though I rarely observed a deer becoming spooked, they were patterning me. The longer I hunted in the same stand the more the deer were aware and avoided my stand.

[Don Stokes]

I lived in South Carolina for several years. It was legal to "shine" deer until 10 PM, as long as there were no weapons in the vehicle. Members of the club I was in routinely rode the roads around our lease looking at the deer after dark. When the night was dark, we saw many more deer in the open than on full moon nights, contrary to what we expected. On a good dark night we would literally see 10 times as many deer as on a full moon night. I don't know what the deer are doing on a full moon night, but it apparently doesn't include getting out in the open. Maybe they feed in the woods when the moon lights things up.

My experience hunting matches Terry's. I learned to hunt midday hours during bright moon phases.

[Mojostick]

Bowwild,

Stand burnout is even a bigger concern on smaller properties. If 2 guys are hunting 40 acres, you need to be really smart about how you hunt it, without "ruining" the parcel before things get good.

In Michigan, our bow season opens October 1. I know lots of guys that plan lots of time off work, and the all important wife permission time, on the first week. They do so because they've been dying to "go huntin'" and give into impatience. I don't blame them, but what often happens is, daytime highs are 65 and daytime activity is nill. Now, in some farmland area's, deer can still be in easily predicted summer patterns, but not so much in other wooded area's.

So what happens is, they burn up valueable free time, alert deer to the location, and see little deer activity.

It's hard to do, but I suggest hunting only sparingly until the chase period starts, then pack in multiple all day sits, hunting a different spot each time, taking winds into account, of course.

And taking the moon phase into account. That's why I'm already planning on the new moon dates in late October vs the full moon around Nov. 10 for my Michigan hunts.

Of the bowhunters I know that are typically most successful, this is the strategy they employ.

It's kind of a "don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes" sort of thing. Don't burnout a spot until things really crank up and are as perfect as they can get.

My best bow buck was killed on Nov. 1 2005. The location was also among my best. I completely stayed out of it until that Nov. 1 day. I wasn't in the spot for 2 minutes, literally, when the buck came by. I was lucky enough to had just nocked an arrow. It was that fast. I hadn't even gotten my face mask or hat on. I remember when the buck ran off with my arrow sticking out I said to myself "what the *@#& just happened!".

I got busted by a really nice 3 years ago, in the same situation. I had just sat down around 3pm for a peak chase period hunt and was still clearing leaves at my feet only to look up and see him 20 yards away staring right at me. That was also the very first time that spot was hunted.

If anyone fishes small trout streams, you'll learn that it's usually the first cast, assuming it's a good cast, into the slot/pool that gets a trout to chase. Stand burnout really isn't much different.

The moon phase may well effect different regions differenty as far as daylight activity. I don't know the southern rut or how different variables impact the deer down there. Anything about my experiences as far as bowhunting is roughly from the 40th parallel, north.

[Irish]

Mojosticks, I have experienced much of the same things here in NE Kansas.   A lot of good info here.

[straitera]

This has turned into a great thread packed w/consistent experiences. May have to hit you up Mojo for your reference material or field notes. MOF, would be good if you could post them on a thread.

The south often has ruts by county. That is, one part of Texas will have bucks running all over Hell's half acre chasing does while nearby nothing. Never thought to correlate it w/moon phases. BUT, I have seen many of the biggest deer of my life at midday.

[Mojostick]

"BUT, I have seen many of the biggest deer of my life at midday."

It's amazing how many bowhunters overlook mid-day when conditions all line up. Lots of guys think only daylight to 10am and then go back out at 3pm til dark. In parts of the season that thinking is just fine, but not when "the stars align".

In my opinion, if one can hit it when there's a new moon just when the chase phase of the rut starts, (and if in the north, with a light rain/snow mix-I just love those days), you have to hunt all day on those days. Those are the dream days. On such days, 10am can be action filled, as can noon and 2pm.

[Slasher]

Nothing new here... anytime during the rut but Full Moon has me packing a lunch.... While I haven't documented it.. I think I see less deer right at daybreak and sunset on those full moon days... But Full moon days whenever its not 80+ degrees(we' have had some wierd weather here in GA in November) the amount of movement between 10-3pm seems greater...

I agree with Terry on those drizzly days... I also think any overcast day is good as well.. I find heavy wind and lightning to be not only dangerous but downers for deer activity as well...
 

[Stumpkiller]

I certainly believe deer are effected by moon phase.  BUT, I believe more in hunting every opportunity regardless.  I have taken deer at all times of the day and during all mone phases.  Often a deer is "jumped" by other hunters smell, noise or movement and wanders to different cover; so opportunities come at any time.  I'm more apt to still hunt during full or fuller moon phases as I believe the deer are more active at night in those times and lay up more or longer during the day.  

In NY our legal hunting times are official sunrise to official sunset, so it matters not for hunter visibility

[Terry Green]

Yep....good info here for sure.

   

[BradLantz]

lots of good points but what if I simplify the question ....

you can choose to use your only week of vacation to bowhunt big whitetails in Kansas and your choices are

hunt the week where the New Moon is at 2:56 P.M. on Wed (Oct 26th)

hunt the week where the First Quarter is at 11:38 A.M. (Nov 2nd)

hunt the week where the Full Moon is at 2:18 P.M. on Thursday Nov 10th

hunt the week where the Last Quarter is at 9:10 A.M on Nov 18th

[Stumpkiller]

When is peak rut?  There's a monthly cycle and an annual cycle and you want to find the "best" of where they intersect.  In NY it would likely be just slightly after that full moon, so say right around Oct 15th would be prime time.  We usually peak around November 1st with the shortening daylight and chillier nights (Kansas may be different??), so the 26th would be my "for planning" date of your choices.  


But then you'll ALWAYS get "you should have been here last week" regardless.

[WildmanSC]

If you hunt the full moon, hunt the middle of the day.  A lot of hunters leave the woods mid-day and as a result kick bedded deer up ahead of them.  These deer will remain moving and if you stay in the woods, you'll get some shot opportunities.  I might note that this applies no matter what the moon phase.

Bill

[BowMIke]

I live in Kansas and he first three weeks of November would be my choice of the best time to catch rut activity.

[BradLantz]

If I'm reading the opinions right, a full moon at 2 o'clock in the afternoon isn't going to affect deer nearly as much as if it were a 11:30 pm full moon, right?

[Stumpkiller]

1.) Always use the locals advice when they're nice enough to give it.  ;-)  By mid November we're done with the rut hereabouts.

2.) The 2pm moon still effects the does (and therefore bucks) but the activity will be to your benefit if it happens when you can see it.  

3.) We're talking biology and not mechanics.  Deer, trees and children never do what you expect and even more rarely what you want.  There are anticipators and stragglers on the fringes of the bell curve.  

Good luck and much success.

[snakebit40]

Last season the best deer hunting I had was the second weekend in Nov. its also opening weekend of pheasant season in KS. I live 40 minutes from Hoxie and an hour and a half from Stockton. I don't remember what the moon phase was but I do remember rattling in five bucks in two hours that Sunday of opening weekend. I've also had a lot of luck starting the 23rd of October till the 1st of November. I've killed 3 of my last 4 buck that last week of October. That being the new moon this year, I'll defiantly be out in the woods during that time this year. Hope this helps.

[Bowwild]

I lived in Kansas 3.5 years. If I had one week I'd go for the 2nd week and hope the winds weren't much higher than the daily average of 13mph.

Here in KY my favorite times are:
1st 2 days of the season (1st weekend of September)-- 1/3rd of the bowkill will be in the first month of the season. But that's hunter behavior more than deer patterns.

Last week of October

First 2 weeks of November (firearms starts 2nd Saturday)

My favorite day of the season, due to past events, is Election day Tuesday in November.

[sagebrush]

I never seem to see as much when there is a full moon at night. Whether I'm rabbit hunting or deer and elk hunting. The elk don't seem to talk as much either. Gary

[Don Stokes]

Relative to stand burnout, I live in the corner of my 50 acres. Twenty of it is in mixed pine/hardwood timber, the other 30 being very thick cutover. I mostly hunt the woods, and to avoid burnout I have 10 ladder stands situated around the property. I almost never hunt the same stand twice in a row. I hunt the stands according to wind direction and where I hunted last, and I have a portable stand to set up if a hot spot develops, usually a white oak the deer a favoring at the moment. It's remarkable how the deer movement patterns change during the season just in the 20 acres of woods.

During the bright moon phases I definitely see more deer in the midday hours than early or late. When the moon is dark, I try to get to my stand while it is still too dark to shoot. When the moon is bright, I'm lazy and wait until about 10 AM to go out.

[BoonRoto]

Brad, of the options you presented,

"hunt the week where the Last Quarter is at 9:10 A.M on Nov 18th"

that would be my choice.

Lots of big boys are out looking again after they lost their does. Movement as a whole won't be as high as the first week of November but the big boys are really moving during that period.