Does Moon Phase Impact Deer Movement?

[just country]

morning, 7days before 7days after a full moon. in the north and east
weather and the moon due make a difference in wildlife movement.
in TX. we as outdoorsmen

 

[just country]

continue I rely of the moon chart for hunting and fishing.
works for me. gbot tum

 

[Tesoro]

You cant always plan your hunt around the moon but you can hunt based on the moon.
All critters and fish operate around the moon as they are either feeding or hiding from being fed on depending on the cycle. So if your huntin an area you need to figure out where the deer feed and bed and travel back and forth to and look for them there depending on what moon time it is. The deer feed more than once typically so after they bed they will get up to munch a little and stretch their legs.
If its cold they will bed where they get warmed by the morning sun and if its hot they will bed where its shaded and cool when the sun pops up. Dozens of tricks to learn for diff areas and diff animals. Bottom line is anyone who dosent believe that the moon dosent have a big play on animal behavior hasnt been in the woods or on the water too much. if you use the moon you increase your odds of finding them.

And yes adverse weather can change things but deer have to eat no matter what every day so they arent going to hole up for 4 days and not eat and just bed just because the wx is crappy. They have a cycle and it really isnt changed just because there is overcast obscuring the moonlight for a few days.

The rut throws everything out of wack so you need to look where the does bed and hang out. If you're looking for big bucks out of rut they will usually bed up higher with better views and escape routes. The does dont have those same instincts and bed closer to their feeding areas.

ps:Of course alot of this becomes mute in hunting areas where the deer are being disturbed by mass hunter invasion.

 

[carl1775]

YES!!!!! Deer are not independent of, but rather rely on the moon phase for their daily life. The way I like to describe it would be the ancillary anecdote of humans using the sun to mold their day. That said, sometimes you stay up late and party, then sleep in a little the next day. Outside influences will skew daily routine. However, you will very quickly return to your "normal" schedule. Deer, along with most all other animals sans humans use moon phase and not sun cycle, to rule their instincts. So, absolutely, positively, science based and proven, deer rely on the moon phases for their habits.

 

[Tesoro]

I remember when I was a kid on a ranch in n cali my stepdad would say tomorrow is time to go shoot a couple of bucks for the jerky rack. I would ask breakfast at 4 am ? And he would say nah we wont leave till about 10 am. He would always hunt the jerky bucks in the summer as we sun dried the meat and would do it on the big moon. So he would drive the jeep to the hills which had the big black oaks with the breeze and shade. Less flies and cool. Thats where the bucks would be bedded down with their ears twitching in the oat grass or between old windfalls or rocks. If we had left when I wanted, all anxious to go hunt at day break, the bucks wouldnt have arrived for siesta time yet!

 

[imyourhuckleberry]

In my 50 years of hunting I would say yes. No scientific proof but during the full moon I believe deer will feed into the morning. As most of my kills have been very late in the day. On the times that I have kills very early in the morning were days when the moos was not full. It could be coincidental, but my brothers will get up very early and return later in the day disappointed while I slept in. By the time I go out and come back I have venison.

 

[KyCarl]

Lets see ...2/3 of the earth is water. And what controls the tides?..The Moon!
Of course it affects game movement..Just like photo period causes changes its not the
heat but the amount of light reaching their brains.
Nature is controlled by nature...