Full moon hurt day time movement?
Wisconsin
Contributors to this thread:
Did anyone have a noticeable drop in day time movement of mature bucks around and during the full moon?
On my end we had things going great from the 25th of October - 3rd November and then they disappeared during the day. Still lots of little boys running Doe's during the day though. Noticed this until the morning of the 8th. Wont know again what went on after until we get up there for gun season to check cameras again.
Just wondering if anyone else had a noticeable Drop in Mature buck movement leading up to the full moon. Two years ago we noticed similar drops in activity right before and during the full moon.
I don't believe in the Full Moon stuff. Mother nature is Mother nature and if there's does to be bred bucks will search and will be on the move day and night to find them, full moon or no full moon they just don't stop after a evening romp in the hay. Those big boys will travel for miles in search of does and could be gone for days. Just my 2cents.
It was my understanding there would be more daytime movement during a full moon & less at night. I'm certainly not convinced of all the moon stuff, though.
45 years of notes tell me your all wrong. The full Moon does impact deer movement for different reasons at different times of the year .
Plus everything changes depending on clear skys, cloudy, rain, snow, and sub freezing temps. I really could write a 20 page booklet on this subject.
Example ; snow today, clearing tonight, light winds, low about 15 degrees. If I hunt Wed it will be between 10 am and 2 pm and close to the bedding area .Lincoln cty.
45 years of notes tell me your all wrong. The full Moon does impact deer movement for different reasons at different times of the year .
Plus everything changes depending on clear skys, cloudy, rain, snow, and sub freezing temps. I really could write a 20 page booklet on this subject.
Example ; snow today, clearing tonight, light winds, low about 15 degrees. If I hunt Wed it will be between 10 am and 2 pm and close to the bedding area .Lincoln cty.
I don't think the moon changes a thing other than what you see happening. Were I was hunting it was fairly clear and bright at night, and I think with the bright moon out all night it encourages more movement at night and less during the day. That is not saying they aren't moving at all I just think they spend more of the day bedded down after a long night of running, cruising, w/e.
Either that or this year and two years ago they just started locking down with the first few hot doe's right around the full moon.
When the Moon is out in a clear sky in the morning I have seen for a fact on many occasions they end up in the fields later into the morning. Likely because they don't realize its getting light out as quickly.
Full moon definitely affects deer movement (daytime). My logs show that 3 days on either side of full moon is a brief slow down in movement. Sure, I still see deer but not nearly the rutting action I usually see. It's still a great time to be in the woods. Saw the same slowdown thing this past weekend.
This is all southern Taylor county by the way.
Bucks search for estrus does. They search when its hot, cold, cloudy, raining, calm, windy. They even search during packer games. For some reason it seems hunters need to make up some sort of an excuse to justify why they aren't seeing anything. My favorite is the dreaded "lockdown".
It did for me. The weather being a little jacked didn't help but when the full moon hits I notice a drop in movement. Night shots on cams go up daytime shots go down...
If the wind is not to bad this next week will be great.
Hammer I am with you - daytime activity in the toliet! Retro Im not making an excuse - I'm telling what I sa wafter 6 hours on stand...one doe. Now prior to the full moon - strapped myself in as my head was on a swivel! Much more daytime movement - whether it's the moon or not...I dont have a clue...awful suspicious however....
Hammer I am with you - daytime activity in the toliet! Retro Im not making an excuse - I'm telling what I sa wafter 6 hours on stand...one doe. Now prior to the full moon - strapped myself in as my head was on a swivel! Much more daytime movement - whether it's the moon or not...I dont have a clue...awful suspicious however....
So 4 people so far including myself have seen similar trends.
I am in no way making excuses, just have noticed something year to year. Connecting the dots is all it is. Similarly went from head on a swivel to playing games on my phone to stay out there.
Well these theories would explain why I have an empty buck tag yet and why my handle is what it is. Always learning. Ruger & others share some more if you don't mind.
Fawns are born in the spring during the same time period. Has to be that way in order to maximize chances of survival. That tells me the rut happens during a specific time period regardless of moon phase, weather, or who's in the white house. There will always be a few does who cycle out of whack with the rest of the herd, or fawns who cycle late. But mother nature has timed the breeding cycle pretty precisely to optimize survival in the northern whitetail range. Whether your seeing the action or not, its happening. I think the majority of the time when a guys hunting area goes "dead" its because there's an estrus doe somewhere outside your hunting area that your buck or bucks are spending time with. As was stated above, these bucks go a long way in the rut.
I guess this moon phase only has to do with deer, never seen it affect black bear movements or other critters.
Retro this has nothing to do with breeding, just day time activity. I have no doubt that most breeding happens at the same time every year. But when neighbors for miles around all see a big down tick in day time mature buck movement around and during the full moon there has to be something there.
The average conception date in Wisconsin is somewhere between November 14th-16th but again that has nothing to do with day time activity.
I have to agree with retro and I get what you're saying ACU. My theory (only theory) is a bit of both of what you see or think. I think that the deer are coming into heat at a peak. I think a buck will chase at any time and any condition. I also believe deer would probably rather chase when it's cool. I know deer are nocturnal. Naturally deer prefer to do what they do at night. That's why we know the odds are better to see deer a couple/three hours after daylight and a couple hours before dark. I logged in a lot of hours over the years. Not as many as Ruger, but enough to know that certain times, conditions, time of year, coolness, clarity, wind etc. will increase or decrease the daytime activity, and still, most activity is those peak times I previously mentioned. I don't care what anyone says about ten to two, those times are less favorable. I know because experience tells me that all day grinds are just me being stubborn, and wanting to believe lol.
I will say that the full moon allows deer to see perhaps better than blackout conditions, yet it's still dark, tends to be cooler, tends to be calmer, and happens to fall on that exact time when does in estrous are peaking.
When guys say the rut is over based on their experience on the 80 they might hunt, is a silly statement. Just read the threads. One guy nothing, the other guy everything!?
Mature bucks and daytime activity, might relate more to whether you have mature bucks. This year things were different. I hunted hard....very hard. Harder than most I imagine? I saw a total of three mature bucks during the day. Plenty of dinks. A few more 2.5's. Moon in my opinion increased daytime activity for some reason, but I can only base that on just deer, because I wasn't inundated with mature deer. Rock county hunting three farms of private property with around 1200 acres. If I could have cloned myself to hunt all three farms and perhaps cloned myself again and hunted three stands all day, I think I would have seen many things happening that didn't necessarily match what was happening at another farm or another stand or another wind or another condition.....including the moon.
Side note here, and I'm sure our police friends can agree. Crime rate rises immensely during the full moon. I also knoww that my fellow workers and myself have had near sleepless nights because of that same moon. So I do not doubt for one second that if the moon affects gravity and the tides, it can affect deer and other game animals (including man).
Considering most nights it has been cloudy here, I'm not buying it. And, like some have already said, what's been dead for some (few sightings, esp. of nice bucks) has been a bonanza for others (oodles of deer, including some shooter sightings). One of the photos I just posted in the rut update thread, a buck shot Sunday afternoon, was out cruising within minutes after the hunter got into his stand (around 1:30 p.m.).
I will say this: where I see a lot of hunting activity (whether bow deer, turkey, goose, duck, pheasant) I'm seeing fewer deer in the fields by day. Where pressure is light, deer seem to be out early, almost like summer. If they know (or think) they're being hunted, that can make things get pretty quiet in a hurry. Maybe not as bad as after opening day of gun season here, but still enough to seriously reduce sightings — even during the rut.
Saw as many 3.5 y/o+ bucks over past weekend as I can recall in a long time. 4 of them between 10am and 3pm on Saturday. All in chase mode. I don't buy into the moon phase thought process this time of the year.
I agree with the guys above. For every guy that is blaming the moon for less than fantastic hunting, there is another guy telling everyone about the best rut hunting hes ever seen. This has been going on for as long as we've been hunting. Lots of factors influence individual deer activity on a given day. The rut is a chaotic time when even the deer don't know where there going. Hunting the rut will always consist of long boring hours on stand with nothing happening followed by short periods of extreme action. Maximize your time on stand to make sure your there when the action is fast and furious. If you try and make it any more complicated than this, I really think your kidding yourself. My opinion only.
This year during the full moon we had a lot of wind during the day and every deer I saw was on edge. I went outside Saturday night wind was dead. Heard more chasing in those minutes outside than in all the daylight.... Pulled a camera on Saturday put out Sunday before... 64 deer pictures- 18 during shooting hours... 4 were bucks one was a mid 140s. So I believe moon gave them more light to chase but they didn't like the 20+ mph wind during the day. Not one was between 10 am and 3 pm. Hopefully Thursday through Sunday will be good with much less wind..Grant Co
I hunt regardless of moon phase. I keep logs like a lot of you and some software to analyze data. Not only my sightings but trail cameras.
If I lump all the data into the same season it looks like certain moon phase makes deer more active. if I look at the next season active phase can change. But if I break it down to individual stands it is all over the board. Also, if you are doing this make sure you are looking at when they are active. Breakdown day and night as well as trailcam or sitting on stand. Ask questions. Hunting pressure, temps, etc.
Many variables so I go hunting when I can. I do know I have trouble sleeping during full moon phases as others mention so maybe there is something.
As for all day sits; during the rut I am out there all day and the last two hours has mostly been a waste of time for me with very little deer activity.
The moon phase could have an affect, not really sure, I don't pay attention to it. I do know this - give me the last couple of days in October, the first 12 days in November, temps ranging from 20s to low 40s, light/steady winds and you have the making for an awesome day on stand. I also know this - you have a much better chance of killing a mature buck on the days stated above than any two week period of the year no matter what the moon phase is doing during this time.
In other words - weather and time of year have a much more of an affect on mature buck movement than moon phase.
Just my thoughts. BC
I think the moon does impact deer movement. If it is warm then the deer are very happy to stay bedded until the later if the moon is full. It also lets them see their browse better and so they fill up quicker. But if it is very cold then their stomach nags on them to get up and eat and so they don't lounge around in their bed any longer then usual.
I have already posted but for me when the full moon comes there are some years when it is dead dead dead during morning and evening and afternoon and this year was one of those times. All mine and my pals trail cams (we have tons of them) in the surrounding area go dead as well. All my buddies pals say the same thing in the same area. This is not just 5 or 10 guys but more like 50 covering a decent size area. Is it the moon? Is it the weather? Is it both? One (the moon) generally impacts the other (the temp) IMO and cool temps plays a role in deer movement.
The full moon does not hit on the same day each year and what comes with a full moon?
Historically people seem to think that most years Nov 5th through the 15th are the best times to hunt. I agree but why not every year and what if the weather is jacked? Does it play any role IYO at all or delay anything or is it all hog wash? My opinion is it plays a roll. Being raised by a farmer and a small time farmer myself I know for a fact that most years you had better pay attention to that moon phase when it comes to crops. When you put them in and when you had better harvest them. So does the full moon impact temps and do temps impact deer and specifically the rut? I think so but what do I know.....lol..
IMO there is more to the starting of the rut than just the photoperiod.
Here in MI around here we just saw the rut start to kick off the past day or so and on NOV 6th when the full moon hit and the few days after it was dead here but it wasn't just before that. Last year it was already swinging by this time and it just so happens the full moon last year was on Nov 17th and well past those cherished dates of the 5th-15th. Next year the full moon will fall on Oct 27th and I bet dollars to donuts guys say it was swinging earlier than this year. Just watch and see. lol
:o)
It would be great to see what will happen next year during the full moon, unfortunately we no longer have deer up here so it will be hard tell the difference.
How many time have you heard the phrase .."Nust be a full moon tonight"...
That being said, I saw little movement on the full moon this year.
Pete=Pec is correct during a full moon people do act...well, weird would be a good term. The wife works in a Care Center and she says as well, full moon...residents are really at it!
So yes, there is some truth I believe!
So I haven't heard much about daytime activity since the full moon left us? Have things picked up, or is the full moon theory still questionable? I honestly believe the bell shaped curve of the rut and the fact that does need to drop fawns in the spring when survival is optimum, followed by the fact that deer are definitely nocturnal and probably prefer cool weather to chase and be chased has more to do with it. I'm certainly hearing less talk of chasing, and more talk of tending which leads me to believe that the daytime activity is more of a result of peak timing. Both day and night it happens, and I believe if deer are given a choice simply due to using their nightime vision to their advantage, prefer most often to chase and breed at night, no matter the moon.
The sky will be black at night for the gun opener, and for you boys that gun hunt, you should really see some daytime activity if the moon theory is true?
I think deer just prefer low light and darkness however. Drive ten miles observing open fields during daylight. Do that same trip at night with a spotlight, and we all know what a difference we would see.
"So I haven't heard much about daytime activity since the full moon left us? Have things picked up,"
Heck yeah they picked up. Around here anyway and last year I feel heavy movement came at least 1 week earlier during those "best days to hunt". Then again the full moon was on Nov 17th last year and the Oct full moon was on the 18th or 19th.
When that full moon hits every 3 or 4 years during the 1st week of Nov IMO it jacks things up just a bit. Not big time but it throws things I expect to see off about a week IMO. Mine and several pals cams go dead with most full moons and they are up year around. Like I said there is more to it than the photoperiod IMO.
Side note: The temp plummeted this past 3-4 days and the moon is dark and deer are being seen everywhere again.
Coincidence? Maybe.
Hammer, by dark do you mean waning, or was there no cloud cover? We've had clear skies here of late. During peak full moon here, it was cloudy most nights. Still more than half full past 3-4 days. Cold weather will certainly get 'em up more, at least when not pressured.
Leaving in the morning for the big woods of Vilas County to enjoy the snow & cold temps. Word I got the last 2 days on deer movement it's been good during the day time from 10 AM - 3 PM. I have my sights set on a couple I've been seeing and if not this coming week maybe the gun hunt they may show up. For me I have to go when I can and not wait for whatever phase is best but there are definitely better times to go during the rut. Hopefully I will score with Mr. Big and post him here.
Naz,
When I said "dark" I meant the moon was not full like it was last week when deer movement was at a crawl. The week before that we had good regular movement and then it died off for a short time and now its going bonkers and deer are seen everywhere. This is past the historical "prime" or "best" days of Nov 5-15th that so many hunters cherish. Many guys have narrowed it down to Nov 7th-12th. Those days here this year and a few years back were terrible. However a few years in between were great during those dates.
We had no real cloud cover last week during several nights when the moon was full or nearing full.
In the past I never paid attention to the cloud cover part of this per se and just instead made a connection to that full moon throwing things off a bit. Perhaps when it happened like that it was also very clear outside and I never noticed. I cant really speak to that part though because I never looked at that aspect. I just know when the full moon hits deer movement seems to slow and our cams die off for 3-5 days. When it hits during the beginning of NOV like it did this year I feel it pushes things forward almost a week and big time movement seems to lag behind those years IMO. The historical "best days" seem to not be the best those years.
This is just my opinion.
Hammer, I don't understand why your cams go dead in a full moon. Do you mean in the daytime, nightime or both? It doesn't make sense that at that time there are no deer showing at all. Most guys believe that with a full moon deer activity is suppressed during the day but increased more at night. Could it be that your deer activity just moved slightly due to hot does or some other factor?
ding ding ding ding! That's what I believe smokey. Maybe all the does are feeding during the full moon, and are simply bedding up/sleeping/chewing their cud, and therefore the bucks stick close? There's many reasons deer don't show their presence during daylight hours. I attribute weather/temperature as the most significant factor, and will not rule out that the moon has some affect on deer. I don't know all there is to know about deer.....proven to me each and every time I make a mistake lol.
It really gets bad when this happens. Maybe that is why I have not seen any deer when hunting.
Smokey,
Yes my cams go dead during what we would all call "legal hunting hours." Sorry for the miscommunication or confusion.
I a not saying there are never any pics either. There is the occasional but during hunting hours when that full moon hits deer movement slows to a crawl.
My point is more to the full moon that hits every few years right around those cherished "best days" to hunt and also what happens outside of the rut the rest of the year when the full moon hits. It actually took me a while to figure out what was happing. I would see the cams die or slow big time and after years of this I finally narrowed it down and the only real X factor was the full moon.
By the way.....I still tough it out and hunt during those times. Have even killed some deer during those times over the years so its not all bad.