Best times to hunt???????

[Autumnrider]

I hear and see advertising about the, MOON GUIDE and I also hear and see this thing called, HUNT AND FISH TIMES????????
Has anyone seen these things actually be truthful or even close to being something to build up your hopes on.
I hunt every possible opportunity I get and I have looked at the best times on the HUNT AND FISH TIMES, but I have really never noticed this method to be a fact to follow. ( never looked at a MOON GUIDE)...

 

[Gr33n Arrow]

I am no expert, but many swear by it. Moon Guide is the basic premise that the position of the moon in relation to the Earth, along with the phase that it is in, affects the eating and wake cycles of animals. Which is why you also see Fish times. Many will hunt only during the times indicated for movement based on these guides.

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[justsomedude]

It's fun to look at the Solunar guide. Never did me any good though

 

[Erniepower]

I tend to look at it after the fact to see if it matches, up..

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[huck72412]

I tend to look at it after the fact to see if it matches, up..

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Lol!! Me too Ernie. There are windows of time or dates that I will not miss but I'm never thinking of the moon during these times.

 

[redsquirrel]

I tend to look at it after the fact to see if it matches, up..

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Lol!! Me too Ernie. There are windows of time or dates that I will not miss but I'm never thinking of the moon during these times.

And.... how do they compare to your results?

 

[huck72412]

And.... how do they compare to your results?

Red,
I opted for a later vacation this year because of high temperatures so it changed thing a little bit. I was still able to hunt a within the windows that are crucial to my style but not the entire time. I will be going back and researching the moon phases and what relevance they may or may not have had on my results. As I said , I don't put much stock in it because I focus on dates and past experiences. I start at a certain time every season and primarily hunt funnels that "must" have a definitive food source on either the northwest or east side of them. I've passed on roughly 60 bucks ranging from spikes to 11 pointers since October 26. Mostly young subordinate 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 year olds. The deer that I have shot were estimated at 3 1/2 , 3 1/2 and 5 1/2. These funnels create the perfect storm for close range encounters with bucks because they are choked off by rivers and rock walls with food in the perfect places. It's very hard to stay out when the wind isn't right but when I manage to stick to my plan I see deer after deer seemingly all day long.

 

[Autumnrider]

I've kinda followed or checked these "TIMES", but there has not been enough evidence to follow "TIMES" to strictly go by. I don't know if it's a true thing or if someone has just made $ on this TIMES" thing.
All I know, good or a bad day according to these time tables, I'm going to hunt.

 

[redsquirrel]

I start at a certain time every season and primarily hunt funnels that "must" have a definitive food source on either the northwest or east side of them. .

I'm assuming you are hunting those for specific wind directions? Can you go into a little more detail on this? Also are you hunting an ag area where food sources are very well defined?

 

[John Eberhart]

Personally I don't put any credence into the moon other than this: If the moon is in or close to its full phase and there is no cloud cover at night, mature buck nighttime movements are stifled and there is a much more active midday movement pattern by them the next day (especially during the rut phases). If in the full phase and there is sufficient cloud cover to make it dark out, or it's raining or drizzling all night, mature bucks move as normal at night and as normal during the next day. That's 53 seasons of actually paying attention to moon phases and adjusting my hunting around them according to the nighttime weather situation surrounding the full moon phase.

Concerning best times; totally depends on what the situation is and where geographically you're hunting. For instance deer movements where I hunt in Michigan (heavily pressured areas) are totally different and in different types of terrain features from those of the deer when I go to Kansas. In Michigan for instance the mature bucks rarely (unless with a hot doe) wander from heavy security cover whereas mature bucks in lightly hunted areas (Kansas is on the extreme side of the lightly hunted spectrum) move much more at will and in totally open and exposed areas. Mature bucks in Kansas also will move at any time similar to the rest of the deer in the area whereas in Michigan mature bucks move more on the edge of daybreak and nightfall and during midday during the rut phases.

My overall preference for seasonal hunting time frames is pre-rut in Michigan (pressured states or areas) because mature bucks begin moving more during daylight due to a rise in testosterone levels and they follow somewhat of a pattern when doing so (checking scrape areas). In states where gun season doesn't open until after the rut (Iowa and Kansas) my preference is post rut hunting (late November). I only go to Kansas anymore during Michigan gun season, but used to go to Iowa instead of Kansas.

As far as mornings, midday, or evenings; have had about equal success in mornings and evenings (some locations are very specifically for one or the other), but have without question (in Michigan) had my highest percentage (actual time spent on stand) of kills during midday during the rut phases only.

 

[Autumnrider]

Thank you, John E. for your reply.

 

[redsquirrel]

f the moon is in or close to its full phase and there is no cloud cover at night, mature buck nighttime movements are stifled and there is a much more active midday movement pattern by them the next day (especially during the rut phases). If in the full phase and there is sufficient cloud cover to make it dark out, or it's raining or drizzling all night, mature bucks move as normal at night and as normal during the next day.

This is a very interesting observation John. Do you think this is simply because on a night with a bright full moon the deer associate the light levels as closer to a daylight level than a nighttime level?

 

[brydan]

This is a very interesting observation John. Do you think this is simply because on a night with a bright full moon the deer associate the light levels as closer to a daylight level than a nighttime level?

I don't know the reasons behind it but I've observed the same thing. A friend tipped me off to it some years ago when I mentioned deer not moving during daylight on a bright night since that's the standard thinking around here. His rationale for it was based on feeding patterns but regardless, I now like to be out during the midday hours on bright nights.

 

[Sipsey]

The same fellow who turned me onto what some here have termed as "Guido & 1 hairs love child" is also a cardiologist, serious bow hunter and guide here in Alabama. He has guided for over 20 years on one large property where guides would carry out 25 morning hunters & 25 evening hunters. As they came back to camp they were debriefed and NOAH weather stats were recorded along with sightings etc. He compiled all pertinent data in a program for reference. He stated that the first two years that more deer were killed during a full moon later in the day as he had expected, but the next two years were exactly opposite. He looked for another factor and it was temperature. His collection & compilation of data may be site specific but I think some of his conclusions are noteworthy. One of his main conclusions was temperature, on this hunting site, was the single most important factor in predicting the degree of whitetail movement on a given day. I know pressure and weather must all be taken into account and that is what makes hunting such a challenging occupation. I find I enjoy scouting more than the actual sitting. Piecing together the sign, terrain and those intangibles makes for a great game of "cat & mouse."

 

[John Eberhart]

Sipsey

I totally agree with that outfitters data as no matter what state you hunt in, temperature will definitely stifle or embolden movements. Temperatures are also relative to the area in which the deer reside. For instance here in Michigan in November, 60 degree days will stifle movements whereas 60 degree days in the southern states will embolden movements because 60 degrees is cold for that area.

On a November (rut phase) travel hunting trip my son Chris went on about 15 years ago, he hunted in a phenomenal location (low ground along a river) and in 3 full days of hunting in mid 70 degree temperatures, saw only 2 bucks. The next night the temperatures plummeted into the low 30's and the next day he saw 11 different bucks and took a descent one.

About 6 years ago I knew several hunters that went to different states (all in the Midwest) during the first week of November (pre-rut) and the daytime temperatures all week were in the upper 70's and low 80's and not one of them killed a buck and they saw very few bucks compared to previous years in the exact same locations.

The rut phases still proceed as normal, however the majority of movements take place after dark when the weather cools down.

Red

Yes, during a bright full moon, I can only assume that they feel more vulnerable, similar to what they feel during daylight.

 

[redsquirrel]

Very interesting, thanks John.

 

[red2delta]

So based on the info here, we can assume that a day after a full moon ( or equivalent) with a significant temperature drop would promote the most activity?

 

[skell]

Reading through this reminds me of one of the "Wired to Hunt" podcast episodes.

Here is the link...http://wiredtohunt.com/2015/07/09/t...-63-how-to-predict-deer-movement-wmark-drury/

I think I have listened to this specific episode 3 - 4 times. It is pretty fascinating to hear the level to which Mark Drury has analyzed what he has seen for mature buck movement. He goes into very detailed discussion on this very topic. In his words..."Weather trumps moon, but moon can accent weather."

From reading what John E. has posted here, it appears he and Mark D. have had very similar observations.

 

[redsquirrel]

So based on the info here, we can assume that a day after a full moon ( or equivalent) with a significant temperature drop would promote the most activity?

Yes.

Another thing I have had huge luck with is hunting immediately prior to or after a front coming through.

October 22, 2012. Just prior to a front Temps in 60s
October 28, 2013 Just after a front Temps in 50s
September 23, 2014 Just prior to a front Temps in 70s
October 23, 2015 No front, temps in 70s
November 22, 2015 No front, temps in low 30s
October 29, 2016 Just after a front Temps in 40s

So just off the top of my head, since 2012 4 of my 6 bucks (all mature) have come immediately prior to or post a weather front in varying temperatures.

 

[red2delta]

Yes.

Another thing I have had huge luck with is hunting immediately prior to or after a front coming through.

October 22, 2012. Just prior to a front Temps in 60s
October 28, 2013 Just after a front Temps in 50s
September 23, 2014 Just prior to a front Temps in 70s
October 23, 2015 No front, temps in 70s
November 22, 2015 No front, temps in low 30s
October 29, 2016 Just after a front Temps in 40s

So just off the top of my head, since 2012 4 of my 6 bucks (all mature) have come immediately prior to or post a weather front in varying temperatures.

Thanks Red,
I will keep this information in mind this coming season.