Dr. Marcus Lashley<\/a> from the University of Florida Deer Lab. In both those studies, GPS data showed no real relationship between the different moon phases and deer activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAbout ten years ago, I started paying more attention to the moon during deer season based on a few things I had read, but more on the hunting success a few acquaintances had by hunting during certain moon phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, I incorporate moon phase data as a part of my hunting plans. That being said, I also work full-time, so I hunt when the opportunity arises, regardless of the moon. But the moon data does play a role in how and when (in terms of the time of day) I hunt. Again, it plays a role in my hunt plan but does not govern when I hunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another point worth noting about moon phase deer hunting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other factors outside the moon can change the way deer move. One example is heavily hunted public land. Heavy pressure on public hunting land can significantly change how the whitetails move, but they are reacting to the hunting pressure versus the moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With heavily hunted public tracts, the hunting pressure will cause these animals to change their feeding schedule, bedding locations, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m going to go over a few different deer hunting scenarios involving the moon phase and weather conditions and then how I hunt those conditions. Remember, these are just my own experiences and opinions, so your hunting success may vary.<\/p>\n\n\n
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This small buck walked right under my stand mid-day (11:30AM) outside of the rut<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<\/span>During the Rut<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFor me, the rut changes things as I try to be in the woods as much as possible, especially during the peak of the rut. During this time, I tend to take the moon phase information into consideration, but I\u2019m hunting regardless of the phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I focus on finding does during the rut because the bucks won\u2019t be far behind. I typically focus on two areas during the rutting season:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nFood sources<\/li>\n\n\n\n Bedding areas<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nDuring the mornings and evenings, I\u2019ll focus on hunting food sources that I know are drawing does. When possible, during the midday, I\u2019ll transition to another stand near a bedding area. While the bucks aren\u2019t thinking about bedding down during the rut, the does will. And, chances are, bucks will be near any hot doe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on the rut phase and deer activity, I usually try to hunt all day (if possible). I typically pack my meals and try to sit all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Outside the Rut<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhen hunting outside the rut (the active rut), I tend to give the moon phase information more attention and adjust my hunting times and techniques off those phases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some moon phase situations outside the rut and a quick overview of my hunting approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Full Moon with Clear Skies The Following Day<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nI find this moon and weather scenario to be a challenging time for deer hunting. The deer activity is predominantly nocturnal, with little action or movement during the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this situation, my preferred approach is to get in the stand in the late morning (around 10 AM-ish) and hunt up until the late afternoon (around 4 PM). You might be surprised at the volume of deer movement that occurs during the midday hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I saw one of the largest whitetail bucks I\u2019ve seen while hunting (to date) come out of a dense bedding thicket at 1 PM. Unfortunately, he was headed away from me, so I never had a shot at him. That being said, he was absolutely a wall-hanging candidate and would have been my highest-scoring buck to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Full Moon with Overcast or Cloudy Skies The Following Day<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nWith this moon and weather situation, the whitetails seem to move on a more expected schedule of rising early to feed or socialize, followed by some rest periods (bedding), and finishing the day with activity up into dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I usually hunt this scenario just like a typical deer hunt, where I\u2019m in the stand well before first light and hunt until lunch. I break for lunch (or at least try to slip out of the stand and stretch my legs a bit) and then return to the stand by 2 PM to sit until dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While there does seem to be some mid-day deer movement, I find it to be less than the full moon with clear skies scenario. Sometimes, depending on the circumstances, I may stay and sit through the entire midday period. For example, if I\u2019m positioned far from my truck or am significantly worried about spooking nearby bedded deer, I\u2019ll stay in the stand for the entire day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Daytime Full Moon with No Clouds<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\nIn my experience, a full moon during daylight is an excellent time to hunt. I\u2019m not exactly sure what it is with this situation, but deer activity is usually very good. If possible, I always try to get in the woods during this weather and moon combo, especially outside of the rut period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I try to hunt all day with these conditions because the deer movement is usually pretty good. While there doesn\u2019t seem to be as much mid-day movement compared to the full moon with clear skies the next day scenario, there does seem to be some mid-day movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With this scenario, I focus on hunting food sources that have nearby known bedding locations. And by \u201cnearby,\u201d I mean bedding areas very close to an active food source. That approach potentially allows me to see whitetails feeding and traveling to bedding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of my favorite stand locations for this type of deer hunting is a food plot or food source in a field bordered by a thicket, thick brush, or cutover area. This allows the whitetails to feed close to cover and then only travel a short distance to bed. In my experience, when food is located right by a favorite bedding area, the whitetails are more likely to leave the bedding area and eat several times a day because the food and bedding cover are so close together.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Example of moon activity during the day<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n