Moon Phase

[Muleyman]

Just curious as to which moon phase all of you experienced hunters feel is the best for hunting mulies ?

 

[mdcrossbow]

don't know , never hunted Mulies. I have used the moon transit almost exclusively for the past 15 years to hunt white tail. this is one of the best sights I know of.
http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneDay.php

 

[sreekers]

The hunting is far better IMO when there is little to no moon. It extends the period of time that the deer are active for almost an hour sometimes.

 

[montanahunting]

I love a full moon it beds them down early and spot and stock is good. This is good because i have already found the one I want and am waiting for the right time ,place, and shot. as the wife says they bed down and i tuck them in.

 

[Blue Yummies]

WHAT!!!!
I thought full moons are the worst, because they feed all night and
rest early and feed late. Same goes for fishing, I thought?? Who knows
I might have been hammered drunk when my guide told
me that the fish weren't biting because of the full moon B.S.

 

[duckhead59]

dont know about muleys...but for whitetail I always prefer no moon...or an early rise and then falls long before dawn? that way they are bedded down when you go out early before dawn and move earlier in the am. figured most deer were the same? either way full moon is always the worst cuz they are up and active through out the nite and you stick out like a sore thumb in the moonlight trying to get out for morning hunt...actually worse than daylight.

 

[montanahunting]

The point I make is I want them bed down and I dont go early when they are up spot and stalk is my key because i am looking for one I have watched for some time. This is what a full moon gets me. now I hunt different for whitetails. I hunt all moon phases to sit and wait is a waste of time. of course we do not hunt food plots like the eastern boys i hunt fair chase.

dont know about muleys...but for whitetail I always prefer no moon...or an early rise and then falls long before dawn? that way they are bedded down when you go out early before dawn and move earlier in the am. figured most deer were the same? either way full moon is always the worst cuz they are up and active through out the nite and you stick out like a sore thumb in the moonlight trying to get out for morning hunt...actually worse than daylight.

 

[Free Hunter]

Here is my take on the moon phase. I follow this religiously. I hunt hard the three days before a full and new moon...and, the three days after. In the last five years, i have taken three whitetail bucks better than 130 inches. I would have a fourth that was a possible 150 class but, I made a bad shot. Brought in a recovery dog and the whole nine yards without recovering the deer. I was so sick over not recovering the buck that I parked the bow for the season. Only 12 days away from the start of a new archery season.

 

[duckhead59]

montanahunting...I didnt refer to any food plots cuz I dont have any...I hunt my farm...its all fair chase (thats the only way Ill hunt)...and I do a lot of spot and stalk myself.
While I personally dont agree with the idea of mechanical feeders...a food plot is quite different and includes all the elements of fair chase...it's actually no different than if you hunt wallows, tanks or water holes out west.

 

[----]

Because we all know hunting over bait or agriculture isn't fair chase...?

 

[duckhead59]

Randy11...bait's for anything is a no-no back here...as far as agriculture...heck...everything back here is agriculture...there's about 95% more ag land than 'natural'...so I guess ag is natural back here...lol...ag land is fair chase.

 

[----]

of course we do not hunt food plots like the eastern boys i hunt fair chase.

Sorry duckhead, I should have been more specific.

 

[montanahunting]

food plots for shooters not hunters

I also hunt farms that have crops for human food not ones that plat for animals. A food plot is just that(man made) a wallow or water hole is not man made. A food plot is for shooters not hunters. Not to sat it is all bad but very easy to shoot if you bait bear, deer or other animals not much of a challenge. but to control the poulation of the heards and it is safer in populated (human).areas

montanahunting...I didnt refer to any food plots cuz I dont have any...I hunt my farm...its all fair chase (thats the only way Ill hunt)...and I do a lot of spot and stalk myself.
While I personally dont agree with the idea of mechanical feeders...a food plot is quite different and includes all the elements of fair chase...it's actually no different than if you hunt wallows, tanks or water holes out west.

 

[duckhead59]

randy11..np...I kinda thought you were being 'tongue in cheek'...lol with ya!

montanahunting...I hear ya too...like you...I dont believe in the show up and shoot concept so often seen on tv...those shows have taken food plots and water tanks to a whole different view. food plots serve a good purpose in adding nutrition at certain times of the year...also will hold does around on the property resulting in bucks visiting during rut.

 

[The Hedgehog]

Full moon has helped screw me more than once. Pronghorn hang tight in the dark but will move considerably if there's a full moon - so will other animals. As for deer and elk in the mountains, they don't hang in the open after daylight if they've fed all night long under a full moon.. so much for the spot part of the stalk. It was a full moon (nearly) last night.. I saw 4 dink elk at sundown, then saw 2 of them out feeding this AM, just briefly (10 minutes), before hitting the trees. I'll take no moon anyday over full moon. Although I've seen animals move over 3 miles in pitch dark - if I had to pick, it would be no moon. As far as moon phases... I think that's all a bunch of hocus pocus.

 

[DRAFTSTUD]

of course we do not hunt food plots like the eastern boys i hunt fair chase.

Sounds like you got all phases of Deer Hunting figured out. Except the Pounding of your chest and making statements out your azz. Know what you are talking about before you talk badly about the way one Hunter hunts from state to state. I have heard that East-West crap for years, it just doesn't hold up like you think it does anymore. John

 

[mtmiller]

Full moon is safer for me to hike in with and I save on batteries. I have never let the moon decide wheather I should be hunting. Always have better luck when I am out in the field.

 

[MN Public Hunter]

I don't pay any attention to the moon phase either, I just hunt allot and hunt hard.

 

[duckhead59]

mtmiller/mnpublichunter...I agree there. I dont let it determine if I hunt as I dont have the luxury of time to miss just because the moon isnt 'right'...lol. it just determines how I approach the morning...after about 9-10am it doesnt matter much anyway.
you ever notice that on full moon when you are moving you stick out worse than in the full sun?

 

[duckhead59]

draftstud...excellent point on be judgemental about hunting styles. I've learned over the years its often determined by geography, tradition, experience and what works...lol. what seems 'different' in one area may be the only way to do it in another. like I mentioned about feeders, I dont use them, but a buddy who hunts in TX says its the only way to draw deer in from the vast surrounding scrub brush to a shooting area.
as legal/ethical...do what you need to do and enjoy the hunt?