Understanding the connection between deer movement and the moon, and why the MoonGuide works so well predicting big buck activity!
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.
