Moon phase boooo

[Doe Nob]

Worst possible time for a full moon this year - last week of Sep.

I guess it will be really good for the first rilfe hunts in NM.

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml

 

[Hilltop]

Archery hunt the 10th through the 17th looks like it will be pretty good..

 

[Ikeepitcold]

Stupid moon has screwed me up more then a few times. Thanks for nothin! Well except the gravity part that's cool.

 

[laxwyo]

I've hunted with a guy who called in the first elk I killed with a bow. He previously guided in Montana and Wyoming and he says archery hunting elk on a full moon is his favorite time to hunt. He said calling in elk at noon is the easiest.

I'm actually starting to believe him after the last few years of not heading back to camp after the elk lay down after first light

 

[Doe Nob]

What's the theory there? They run all night, go to bed early and then get up around noon to stretch and water?

 

[laxwyo]

A herd bull is more likely to leave his cows when he knows where they are and have laid down. He's comfortable going to check something out and grouchy because he's tired.

 

[Hilltop]

Makes sense Lax... Deer hunting mid day can be very good during a full moon.

 

[laxwyo]

I've seen it work great. Although I had a premium tag in an area with a high bull to cow ratio, I called in most Bulls from 11-1. In the mornings when they were all out feeding, I couldn't call any of the satellite Bulls or herd Bulls in but I could call in lots of them after they laid down in the junipers. I bugled in the herd bull from 500 yards across a sage flat at 1pm because 30 cows were laying down in the high sage. Give it a try!

 

[Umpqua Hunter]

Stupid moon has screwed me up more then a few times. Thanks for nothin! Well except the gravity part that's cool.

Without the gravity influence of the moon I would have a tough time digging clams and fishing chinooks.

 

[packingin]

I can relate, a few years ago in Colorado during a full moon phase the elk wouldn't start bugling till 10 to 11 am then quit early afternoon. went on all week

 

[jimss]

You may notice a big difference in elk activity during a full moon depending upon what part of the country you are hunting. You may find that elk in low elevation in southern UT where it can be 80 to 90 degrees during the day may act different that elk at 11,000' elevation in Colo daytime temps may be 50 to 60 degrees. If you take the same scenerio in southern Utah when there are afternoon rainshowers to cool things off the bulls may be going nuts whether there is a full moon or not. I hunted Wyo elk this year through the entire archery season there was big moon during the first of archery season and no moon late in the archery season. The only thing I could come up with was elk were holed up on windy days (15 to 40 mph). Bulls were bugling all day on relatively warm days all day long during a full moon and holed up on cloudy days when there was 0 moon.

With that said, if you are waiting 15 years for a tag you may want to consider drawing the tag in a year when you can stack everything in your favor..,in particular if you are drawing a tag in southern UT where daytime temps can be extreme! If you elk hunt often I would just go for it irregardless of moon phase and hit it hard!

 

[Gr8bawana]

I do believe the weather has more of an effect on game than the moon. I have observed elk start bugling overnight after a front came through with rain and cooled things down in AZ. I really don't think game animals need the moon to see well at night, like us night blind humans.

 

[WapitiBob]

I have noticed zero difference on full moon hunts when in a good area.

 

[25contender]

I still favor hunting the week before and the week after new moon during bow season. The colder the better. It has been out of control 90% of the time my hunts have fallen this way.

 

[RUTTIN]

I tried to keep track this last year when my archery elk hunt fell during the full moon that last week. The elk would start to bugle around 11am when every one else had headed back to camp. Normal night and mornings were hard hunting, but the middle of the day was great! Just another reason to stay out all day hunting


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[ivorytip]

we had elk going crazy until 1pm last fall and start up again at 5 during full moon. its a myth, changes things up some but all in all its a myth. and these days they were going forever it was 70+degrees outside, that's hot for Idaho mt hunting in fall. I like to hike at night during the full moon and locate elk during night time when they are vocal, takes out guess work in morning and I can be set up first light. when the cows decide they are ready to be bread, that is what gets rut going hard, not moon.

 

[Blackdawg]

My experience with bucks and bulls has been that the full moon is a negative time to hunt, in my mind, "getting a little old and forgetful " the activity has been diminished during the course of daylight hours versus activity during daylight hours when hunting the dark of the moon. The best moon activities in my "old forgetful mind" have been warm water fish species,"bass,bream" get on beds with the full moon and waterfowl typically migrate better on the full moon.