Daylight activity, Wind/Moonlight

[Giladad1]

Have heard many times that deer will not move around much when it is windy. Have also heard that when there is substantial moonlight, the deer will be active at night and not in the day. Was wondering what you guys w/ lots of experience in the field think abt this. Mark

[DEERSLAM]

Deer will normaly hunker down if it is very windy, though I have seen them out feeding if they are in a sheltered area.

 

With a fill moon, or close to full, deer will feed heavily at night and bed very early in the morning. It is a good idea to be out hunting midday as the deer will tend to get up and feed for a short period and find a new bed as the sun shifts.

[CouesWhitetail]

I agree that deer are less active on windy days. I believe the reason for this is they are more vulnerable to predation because they can't hear as well. I have watched deer stay bedded all day when the wind was blowing hard. Ever try and sneak up on a deer in windy conditions? it's much easier

 

With regard to the moon, I think it's not true to say that deer are always more active at night in a full moon. In fact I think some studies have shown deer to be less active on a full moon night and more active on 1/4 moon nights. Other studies have shown activity to be related to the position of the moon directly over or under that location on the earth.

 

My personal observations do not support the "deer are more active at night during the full moon" theory. I personally have glassed up deer that were feeding early in the morning following nights with a very full and bright moon. I have also seen deer feeding at night during nights when there is no moon. I believe their feeding at night is far more dependent on the temperatures during the day and other weather factors. If it's really hot during the day, as in Arizona during the summer, deer are more active at night. If it's been windy all day and the deer has been bedded most of the day, it will feed at night. If there is hunting pressure so heavy that it limited deer feeding during the day they will feed at night.

 

I think planning your hunt based on the moon isn't really effective. You have a limited number of days to hunt, hunt every one you can. Are you really going to skip hunting one day because the moon was out? Weather conditions will help predict deer movement much better than moon phase. If there is a relationship with deer and the moon phase, I think it's just too complicated to use as a tool to predict deer movement.

 

Amanda

[DEERSLAM]

I agree with Amanda, hunt hard everday in the field regardless of moon phase or weather (there are exceptions) and good things will happen.

 

As far as moon phases, I know guys that swear by hunting the phases of the moon.

 

I also feel strongly that a specific deer herd in a specific area will react differently to moon phases based on hunting pressure, pressure from predators, available feed etc. I have seen deer on refuges that feed in the open all day everyday reguardless to the moon phase.

 

Hunt hard, Hunt smart

[billrquimby]

Amanda's right on, as usual.

 

Although it's not scientific, I've noticed I see considerably more game of all types -- from deer to rabbits -- while driving at night on backroads during the dark of the moon.

 

Bill Q

[bowhunter4life]

I also agree.I have found the same.have noticed less pressure out there on these days.It is good becouse I typicaly have the county to my self,while other gave up that day.mike

[Benbrown]

I will also endorse Amanda's explanations. Years of radio-tracking white-tailed deer have shown that they treat darkness like cover. They will move farther and feed and bed farther from cover in the dark of the moon. Thus, it takes them longer to move back to daytime bedding areas during their early morning activity periods. This gives rise to the assumption that they are more active in the dark of the moon.

 

Conversely, when the moon is full, deer remain closer to cover during their night-time feeding and bedding periods, and it takes them significantly less time to return to daytime bedding areas. Our research showed that deer are strongly "crepuscular"--that is, peak activity tends to be in the evening a few hours on either side of sunset, and in the morning a few hours on either side of sunrise. In terms of active fixes vs. inactive, there were no significant differences between full moons and dark moons.

 

The data also confirmed that deer are less active on windy days. As Amanda noted, they can't hear as well, and their scenting abilities are thrown off by windy conditions, so they tend to hold tightly to cover.

 

Most of our radio-collared deer did get up in the middle of the day, usually to go to water and find an afternoon bedding site where they remained inactive until evening, if they weren't disturbed.

[BowhuntCoues]

I have also heard coues need to drink water every day. How often do they really need to drink? I know while sitting waterholes I have not seen the same bucks everyday. Seem like they frequent the waterhole every 3rd or 4th day, that is in late summers. What have you noticed with that?

[wklman]

I believe it's easier to hunt coues on a windy day than a calm one.it seems when its calm and quiet I have a terrible time sneaking up on deer. last year I was able to sneak within 75 yards of a bedded buck while the wind was blowing about 20 mph. one shot from my .243 and he was down for good.

[Red Rabbit]

Some of the greatest deer activity that I have observed is when the full moon is rising as the sun is setting.

 

I believe a study showed the deer activity was higher when the sun and moon were 180* apart, IIRC

 

RR

[reddog]

I agree about the wind factor, but I also believe that thre is a corolation between activity and moon phases.

 

Next time your out try looking at your GPS, most of them now have a moon phase caculation buit into them. Look at the major and minor times for hunting/fishing and make a mental note as to the deer activity. Also if there is a "major" at mid-day when you are usually back at camp make it a point to be in the field. I really believe that these things work.

 

Now I'm not saying to be in sleeping bag at first light if the "major" starts at 10 in the AM. I'm just saying that I think there is some credibility to the moon pases. Check it out what do you have to loose. I know I look at my GPS for "major and minor" everyday that I hunt.

 

RED

[WHT_MTNMAN]

Well I'm still trying to formulate my opinions. Last night was a bright moon and I was sitting in one of my favorite spots that I usually glass 15-20 deer before 8am. This morning. I only glassed 6 deer, two were bucks (one very nice one) that I watched bed down around 9 almost an hour later than every other time I've been out this summer. I don't know what I think yet, still too new to this game to know.

 

I do believe that wind is HUGE, I never see alot of deer on windy days, but again I'm still postulating.

[ajohunter]

Ok let me throw in something else here. I have found deer to be active especially after a good rain. Many times i have sat out a down pour and found deer to be very active right after. That why i always hopefoe rain during teh Oct. hunt. and also to cool things off a bit.

[CouesWhitetail]

I have also seen heavy activity after a good rain.

 

What I would suggest is that whoever is interested in finding patterns related to the moon (or anything else), start keeping records. Carry a small notebook of some kind with you.

The problem with just keeping mental note is that we tend to remember the things that fit our preconceived ideas and forget the things that don't fit it.

 

Remember deer activity is strongly related to weather. Wht_mtnman, perhaps there was some weather the evening or night before you went out that kept the deer down. strong winds? Then the deer got up and fed during the night, making them less active in the morning. You might try going out every morning after a full moon for months and see what you find.

 

Amanda

[az4life]

Amanda is right. Keeping meticulous notes is a requirement for accurate research.

Mental notes are just not reliable when you have so many of them in your head.