Man has long understood the effects of the gravitational pull of the moon, even beyond the obvious like the earth’s daily rising and falling ocean tides. This gravitational force also has a profound effect on living creatures. Deer hunters have long looked for a connection between the moon and deer activity. Initially, they looked for a connection between the various phases of the moon and deer movement. However, this connection never seemed to pan out for hunters and, despite continued efforts by some, was ultimately refuted by researchers.
In 1994, outdoor writer, Jeff Murray, penned the book, Moonstruck. In his book, the late Murray, asserted that it was not, in fact, moon phases that affected/predicted deer activity but, rather, it was the position of the moon. When you think about it, this makes more sense as the position of the moon better predicts the strength of the gravitational pull of the moon. Murray’s theory was based on various works including John Alden Knight’s Moon Up Moon Down, a book about his solunar tables. But, it was Murray who helped to isolate those times during the moon’s elliptical orbit around the earth that result in maximum gravitational pull. Known in astronomical circles as superior transit times and inferior transit times, this happens twice per orbit and is, essentially when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot.
But, as any even marginally experienced hunter can tell you, this certainly cannot explain why they see a lot of deer activity on some days and not so much activity on a majority of the days they hunt. If the moon is directly overhead and underfoot twice a day, there had to be something else. And there is! By cross referencing the superior and inferior transit times with crepuscular times, Murray hit paydirt! Crepuscular times are those prime hunting times that all hunters recognize as the best times to hunt – early in the morning right after first light and late in the evening right before dark. So, a few times each season for a few days in a row, the moon’s maximum gravitational pull aligns with prime hunting time. This is when the typically nocturnal big buck, that well-trained hunter-avoiding machine, may very well make his very occasional during- daylight appearance. And when you absolutely must be in the woods. It’s only the Deer Hunters’ MoonGuide that tells you, at a glance, but in great detail, when these optimal Red Moon times will occur.
There is more. Not only does the MoonGuide tell you when these magical Red Moon time periods are going to occur during this year, so you can plan your out-of-state hunting trip or decide what days to take off from work, it also tells you, based on the particulars, where you should hunt during each and every day of the year, whether a red moon time period or not. By “where”, we are referring to field edges, transition zones or bedding areas. Presented in a handy, easy to use dial form, the MoonGuide is waterproof and will easily fit in your pack.
The MoonGuide may be the best kept big buck hunting secret out there, but there are plenty of big buck hunters who swear by it. And, who use it every year. I have had such tremendous success with the MoonGuide over the last 20 years, I bought it from Jeff Murray’s family after Jeff passed away.
I knew this information needed to be shared with the hunting community and that I could help other hunters enjoy more success in the field, if they would be open to using and understanding how it works.
If after a fair try and after factoring in such things as weather conditions, your Moon Guide has not proven to help you identify the optimal times for big buck activity, I will refund the purchase price of your product.
]]>It’s that time of the year again when everybody has the same question, what’s the best week this year to plan my guided or out of state hunt? Well, that’s kind of a “loaded” question and can be difficult to nail down. Personally, I’ve enjoyed tremendous success the last decade planning my trips far from home, maybe my strategy can help you!
First things first, are you deer hunting or chasing a specific animal? Obviously, there are more big deer killed during the peak of the rut than any other time of the year. So, if you’re just hoping that the breeding phase of mid November pulls a mature deer out of the cover and in front of your stand, this period may be your best bet.
If you have your sights on a particular big buck, you might want to consider scheduling your trip a bit earlier. Towards the end of October and into the early part of November, mature bucks are still on a predictable pattern. With the rut fast approaching, these older deer will be more apt to move earlier during daylight, but not traveling far and wide searching for a hot doe. This scenario creates a perfect storm for a big buck making a mistake. He’s like a loaded gun, waiting for something to pull the trigger. I believe that triggering factor is the Red Moon. I’ve found that if I schedule my trip to coincide with the last Red Moon of October or first part of November, it’s my best chance of being in the right place at the right time to catch a big buck making a mistake by moving during daylight.
Last year I managed to wrap a tag around my biggest Illinois buck to date following this exact strategy. With the help of my good friends in Illinois, our Whitetail Institute plot was tucked in a very secluded spot and got hit pretty hard by late October. As the scrapes began to get opened up, we actually “primed” the spot with fresh estrous from Raw Frozen Scents for a week straight before I arrived. My plan was to be there for the Red Moon hitting November 3rd through the 7th.
The evening of November 3rd found me perched in my Lone Wolf, overlooking a variety of Ravish Radishes, Tall Tine Tubers, and Winter Peas. Even though it was unseasonably warm for early November, I knew everything was lined up for a great week of hunting. The first 2 bucks through the plot showed up extremely early and they were on a mission, never even stopping to eat. One was a giant 7 point that had to 5-6 years old, definitely mature, and a great sign of things to come. The first group of does showed up a good hour and a half before dark, with the giant 7×7 right behind them!
As the monster whitetail entered the food plot, he immediately pushed the biggest doe back into the timber and I thought the show was over before it started. He didn’t follow her more than 10 yards before marching right back to the edge of the plot to work a scrape. Over the next 10 minutes, he left the plot 2 more times, only to return working 2 more scrapes in the process. He did not want to leave! I have to believe priming those scrapes with estrous for the week prior did the trick. As the giant worked his way along the edge of the plot, coming closer with each step, I could hear more deer coming from behind me. All I could do was hope my Ozonics did its job protecting my downwind side. When he got to my side of the plot he was at 50 yards. Now at the edge of the timber once again, the giant stared intently at the group of does filtering through the woods behind me, it was now or never!
This mega whitetail ended up scoring just shy of 187” and was my fourth whitetail to crack 170” on an out of state hunt during the Red Moon!
]]>Over the past 2 decades, I have witnessed the moons effect on big whitetails first hand. Mature animals, no matter what the species, act differently than the rest of the herd. The longer they survive, the smarter they get and daylight activity decreases the wiser these cagey old creatures become. Still, there are natural factors that can influence an older animal to move when they normally wouldn’t. Animals can sense when the weather is about to change, triggering them to become active. The gravitational pull of the moon is just another natural factor that impacts this movement. There are only a handful of days each month when the moon’s strongest pull occurs at primetime and this “Red Moon” period is your best window of opportunity!
It seems the older they get, the fewer of these errors they make. After 4, 5 or even 6 hunting seasons, a mature whitetail buck has learned to stay put until the cover of darkness conceals his movements. So, if making an appearance in broad daylight is such a rare occurrence, what causes them to slip up on occasion and how can we predict when it’s going to happen?
Outside of breeding season, it’s extremely difficult to catch a mature buck with his guard down. When monster bucks are on a strict feeding pattern, there’s not much reason or need to move before dark. There are a few natural factors that can give a cagey old buck a little nudge to move a bit earlier than normal, giving us the opportunity we are looking for. The factors I’m referring to are the wind, the weather and the moon!
Every deer learns at a very early age to trust his nose. They literally live and die by their sense of smell. What could possibly make a big buck feel safer than having the wind in his favor? If you want him to feel comfortable enough to move during daylight, give him the wind! Don’t make the mistake of only hunting winds that are good for you, focus on hunting the winds that are good for him!
The weather can have a significant impact on daily activity also, suppressing or amplifying it, depending on the conditions. Clear days with blue skies and high pressure are perfect for increased activity, as well as a sudden drop in temperature after a spell of warm weather. Personally, I love hunting after an afternoon shower. Once the rain blows through and the sun comes back out in the evening, it seems like deer come out of the woodwork!
I’ve followed the moon and its influence on whitetails for over 20 years now, it does make a difference. There are only a handful of days each month when the Red Moon peaks at primetime in the evening, when deer normally want to move anyway. These are the best days each month to catch a big buck moving just before dark! It’s just another natural influencer to push deer to feed a little earlier than normal.
Any of these factors can be a trigger, making a big buck move during daylight. The point I want to stress is this. It’s the days when 2 or 3 of these factors happen simultaneously, that’s when things get bloody! Stack the deck in your favor. There’s normally a 4-6 day window of opportunity during the Red Moon. Wait for a wind that’s good for your target buck and a weather pattern to increase activity on one of these Red Moon evenings and you could be shocked at the outcome!
]]>