Deer and the Moon
There has been much written about deer and the moon. Some people say
the best hunting is during a full moon, others say a full moon is bad. So what
do you believe? We have read many articles and research about the feeding habits
of deer and how they relate to the moon. Here is some information we have found
and would like to share with you.
Because a deer has a four-chambered stomach, a deer is designed to feed
quickly to minimize exposure to predation, then retreat for security cover to
"chew its cud." Deer must feed rhythmically or the microorganisms
living in the first chamber of their stomach, the rumen, will die. Without these
microbes deer won't last long, because they won't be able to digest woody fibers
and food matter high in cellulose. So deer, like other species on the planet,
feed on a regular schedule. Again, this schedule literally rotates around the
Moon.
Each day, the Moon rises and travels across the sky above the horizon just
like the sun, peaking at its midpoint before beginning to set. But unlike the
sun the Moon rises a little later each day - about 51 minutes, on average. This
makes tracking the Moon's comings and goings difficult and is largely
responsible for keeping hunters in the dark over the years.
Back to the top
How to Make the Lunar Connection Work
This may seem complicated but the implications are very simple. Many factors
contribute to when and where deer will be active, but none are predictable ...
except for the Moon. In other words, you can't count on temperature, wind,
precipitation, hunting pressure (or lack of it) on any given day afield, but you
can always count on the Moon to beam its coded message at predictable times. So
before you head out, first find out when the Moon is overhead and when it's
underfoot.
Then concentrate your efforts in appropriate places at those special times.
Briefly, you can intercept a deer in one of three locations: Where it beds,
where it feeds, and the in-between zone of travel corridors connecting the two.
Once you know when the moon peaks, you can construct a sound game plan to put you
in the right place. After all, being in the wrong place at the right time isn't
any better than being in the wrong place at the wrong time! For this reason, be
especially sensitive to early morning and late afternoon "Moon times"
that allow you to hunt food sources, since they're a lot easier to identify than
bedding areas. Which is the main difficulty of midday "Moon times":
Deer will be bedded down when the Moon's urge to "get up to feed"
hits, and they won't venture far from security cover to feed. Moreover, if you
attempt to set up near a field edge for an afternoon hunt, few deer will make
before dark during this phase (remember, the next Moon time is at least several
hours away).
Back to the top
Research to Support This Connection
How do we know this is fact and not folklore? Texas Tech University biologist
Steve Demarais and whitetail management consultant Bob Zaiglin radio-collared 25
trophy bucks and monitored them from 1985 through 1987 in South Texas. The
pair's extensive background enabled them to interpret and express their data in
hunter-friendly terms, first published in the September 1991 issue of
Buckmasters. Many insights were gleaned but one particularly stands out: Deer
movements were most pronounced during the traditional hunting hours of dawn and
dusk "when there was a 1/4 to 3/4 Moon." Further, the Moonless and
Full Moon phases seemed to "break this pattern down."
When Is the Best Time to Hunt
The key variable here is Moon position: Quarter-Moons peak overhead (and
underfoot) during low-light periods of sunset and sunrise. Coincidentally, bucks
use the reduced light as cover and are more comfortable with their surroundings
during early and late "Moon times" associated with these phases. This
observation is substantiated with harvest data: Most deer registered at check
stations throughout the nation are harvested during favorable morning and
evening "Moon times." On the other hand, very few bucks are taken
during Full Moons, largely because the Moon is directly underfoot during midday
- a time when hunters are programmed into thinking they won't see many deer.
Many people will sell you charts which give you the moon times. However, we
feel this information is so powerful and so helpful to hunters, we are going to
let you know how to find these times out for yourself, FREE !!
Back to the top
