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!
What’s the secret to killing mature bucks consistently? How do some guys seem to score on bigger than average bucks year after year when other hunters struggle just to see a shooter? There are so many variables that can affect a hunter’s success it would be tough for a couple guys to agree on one or even two of these key factors. I’m willing to bet, the more guys you ask, the more different answers you will get!
After 33 years of bowhunting I’ve learned a few things in the whitetail woods. Scout more than you hunt, play the wind, the first time in is the best time and quality products can make a difference between success and failure! There are just some pieces of equipment that you should not scrimp on! Quiet bows and treestands are a must without a doubt. Spend every penny you have to buy the best arrows possible. Shoot a broadhead that will NEVER fail. Last but not least, buy the best binoculars you can afford!
Beating a mature bucks nose is what its all about! Show me a big whitetail that has survived to be 4, 5 or even 6 years old and I will show you an animal that has learned to play the wind to his advantage, he has to or he dies, plain and simple. By the time a monster buck has reached maturity he has become a survival expert and he trusts his nose above all other senses. I have based my entire strategy on hunting giant bucks around the wind because I know how important it is. If one thing changed my success ten fold, it was when I quit hunting the winds that were good for me and started hunting winds that were good for him!
Illinois has been one of my favorite hunting destinations for the last 6 or 7 years, and I normally draw a bow and a gun tag, (non residents can shoot one buck with a bow and one with a gun) and with the gun opener this Friday I couldn’t wait to load the truck and head west. I managed to take my best Illinois buck to date in October this year with a bow, and hope my luck continues into the gun season. I hunt with a very close friend in Illinois that farms a few thousand acres of the fertile farm ground that borders the Illinois River in Schuyler county, just west of Springfield. Since it’s not too far out of the way, I usually make an annual stop in Peoria to see my friends at Lone Wolf Treestands when I’m in the area. Now, normally I’m not the type of guy that will try and push a product on someone, let alone talk about it on tv or write about it. But, after my visit with Jared Schlipf the owner of Lone Wolf, he showed me a couple new products that are definitely worth mentioning!
What can we do to increase our chances at harvesting a monster buck out of state this year? I hunt multiple states every season, and its the legwork you do in the off season that can greatly impact your success on out of state hunts! It’s really not much different than scouting for a big buck back home, but since most of us have limited time, we should have a game plan before hitting the woods to make the most of out scouting expeditions. I’m not going to go into detail about what state to hunt or finding a place once your there, that’s another subject, but I am going to concentrate on explaining what I look for once I have a specific out of state property in mind.
Harvesting big bucks in your home state consistently can be tough, but doing it out of state can be a real challenge! It’s next to impossible to scout anywhere like you can at home, but when you combine todays technology with a smart scouting plan, you can increase your chances drastically! Theres no doubt, I have always had my best success at home when it comes to getting a crack at a big dominant buck, but through trial and error I have managed to come up with a few tactics that can help you be more successful on your next out of state hunt. On any given year, I will normally hunt 5 or 6 states, this year a few more, and it takes detailed planning along with some strategic scouting trips to make the most of my season.
In the past few weeks I’ve discussed late season tactics and what a huge role security cover and food play into this end of the season game. There is one more topic of discussion, and that is the 2nd rut. I’ve read numerous articles about the subject and heard many different opinions on this matter. As far as I’m concerned, I believe what I see and I have witnessed first-hand, bucks breeding does in October prior to the main rut and as late as February long after the November peak. Why, I’m sure it has a lot to do with buck to doe ratios, with some does not getting bred the first time around along with fawns born late and coming into estrous later than the rest of the herd. I’m not going to say I know for sure though, because I don’t. There is definitely some validity to it though, and its worth mentioning.