Lunar Influences on Deer Activity

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?
[Read more…] about This is what it’s all about right here, a giant whitetail buck making a mistake and moving during daylight.

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.
[Read more…] about Understanding the connection between deer movement and the moon, and why the MoonGuide works so well predicting big buck activity!