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Do any of you rely on Solunar or Moonguide?

LiverEatingJoe

LiverEatingJoe

Active Member
Joined
Aug 16, 2018
Messages
154
Location
Western North Carolina
I always just try to follow rules of thumb about morning (dawn) and evening (dusk) hunts. But I know some folks really monitor moon phase, etc.

Wondering how folks that rely on these tables really use them best and if they are successful.
 
I agree with using the lunar phases to hunt and fish by. It really does work. Animals tend to be more active during certain moons. Unfortunately with my work schedule, and I am sure most guys, you have to hunt when you get a chance.
 
I think the solunar tables are interesting to monitor (and have been doing so for decades) but I would not plan a hunt around them. Like bigjoe said "hunt when you get a chance."
 
I've been checking them for a couple years now and don't take much stock in them. Kinda like the weather, I can't tell you how many times the weather said it would rain in the morning so I slept in only to have it sunny when I woke up.
 
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Not trying to be abrasive but I believe QDMA has done some telemetry and GPS studies on deer movement that have shown that deer aren’t as impacted by lunar phases as some folks believe.
 
Heres something that I have found to be really accurate. If deer have their winter coat which really starts to come on about Sept 25-28th here you can bet they aint moving very far if the temps get above 50-55. They may move but it wont be far.

That first week of the season (Sept 15th here) if you have a lot of deer by all means hunt all day because the don't have to fight that coat and can stay comfortable.
 
I swear by the moon but I don’t care much about the phases except how they effect the amount of light there is at night And wether or not the moon is up during daytime hours. My theory (I didn’t come up with it obviously but subscribe to the work and teachings of those who have come before me) is that deer are a lunar oriented species. So they, in general, are up with the moon regardless of phase as we humans are in general up with the sun. We aren’t always up at sunrise and don’t always got to bed at sunset and some of us stay up all night and those deviations are present in deer populations as well but generally speaking the majority of deer are most active with the moon. That’s the theory. So I want to hunt when the deer are active. What I look for in the lunar tables are daytime moons. A full moon up all night almost always means a slow day hunting and I have done journals going back almost 20 years to justify my reasoning with documentation (this doesn’t mean that the deer didn’t just move where I wasn’t, I am only one person.). On the converse a new moon that is up all day is always my most action event of the year and I try to take off for this time of year even over the rut. Now here in Wisconsin next week we will have a new moon that will be up all day which will mean black nights. Couple that with the pre rut activity starting to peak and it’s a perfect storm to go hunting.

So my moon rules:
1: hunt when you can see the moon in the sky during the day
2: the bigger the moon is for longer at night the less daytime activity you will see
3: who cares about the phase except when it effects moon light at night. I.e. a new moon at night may still make for good day hunting because of reduced visibility at night for the deer.
4: if the moon isn’t right, hunt anyways because it’s better then not hunting.

That’s pretty much it and simplifies the moon game for me.
 
I like to think that they are right. All summer and preseason scouting I see deer during the peak and minor times while I’m out and about. Once season rolls around I follow it to some extent but I don’t see the same amount of deer, probably has to do with mast availability in my areas. Good mast years moon guide doesn’t work but on bad years it’s golden.
 
Rely? No, I hunt when I can. Do I believe the moon has an effect on deer? Absolutely and have since the 80’s. Forget phases and light at night on a full moon and all the other nonsense you hear for or against the moon’s influence on deer, it’s all about their stomach and digestive process.
 
I use the moon quite frequently, but I don't let it dictate my entire hunt. I still hunt regardless of the moon's activity, simply because animals live in the woods and I won't see them if I'm not there. Period. But let me put it this way: I have found over the years that wild animals will move based on certain moon phases and the rising and setting of the moon. You can usually (but not always) bet you will at least see more squirrels and hear more birds chirping and flitting about at the very least during both the minor and major periods that are marked by the solunar tables. However, as someone above already said, any time the moon is visibly in the sky during the day is a good time to be hunting.

Now, that said, I have found that the highest (peak) amount of wild game movement in the woods tends to occur whenever the moon is either rising (overhead) or setting (underfoot) within 30 minutes of sunrise or 30 minutes of sunset....or at least that's what I have personally observed. So, say there is a new moon phase, the solunar table calls for a major activity period at dawn, it is a cold front on the right wind in the second week in November...you had best believe that's the day I plan to get out and be in my stand at least an hour and a half before sunrise and set up on fresh sign. Things are probably gonna happen for you when you put the sign, weather, and moon together with your scouting.
 
KYHunter said:
Not trying to be abrasive but I believe QDMA has done some telemetry and GPS studies on deer movement that have shown that deer aren’t as impacted by lunar phases as some folks believe.
Click to expand...
Wildlife biologists have yet to find a statistical significance in deer movement for both moon and weather. For me - I could care less about the moon, and these studies have me feeling better about the fact that I hunt when I can hunt - it's hard enough to get out, so I don't let weather and moon dictate my schedule because I can't.
 
It does have an affect on deer movement. It’s just one key to the puzzle. Other factors can affect how much of an influence the moon has. Lots of things affect movement like temps, hunting pressure, barometric pressure, rut, wind, rain etc. I have noticed over the years with cameras that the moon definitely plays a roll. It’s just another tool. I hunt when I can. And if the moon table says they will move at 11am, I’ll stretch a morning hunt out pass 11 if I can. Or if it says they will move at 1, I’ll get down early from a morning hunt and be sure my evening hunt starts before 1.
 
nope, just hunt whenever I can, not staying home because moon guide says its not a good day. Cant shoot em from the couch. Mike
 
I first noticed it with cows then started thinking about it with deer. About 20 years ago I did a study on trailcam pics with relation to moon position. Not just my own pics, but pics from over a hundred different people from across the United States. Tens of thousands of pictures. There was enough correlation for me to be satisfied with my hypothesis.

But like said above, I’m going to hunt when I can, but I will stay a little longer or hunt mid day if my experience tells me that’s my best bet.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that it’s the be all end all and if you aren’t following the moon then you’re doing it wrong. Hunt however you want to hunt. Learn from your hunts and find what works for you because I CAN tell you there is one thing that is more important than anything else and that is confidence. Have confidence in what you do and rock on
 
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