Hunting times

Jeremy Richards

New Member
Hey guys I am curious about hunting times. I normally follow major feeding and migration periods when hunting deer. If it says today is fair and the wind is good, its cold and it say from 8 am till 12 pm noon thats the time I will hun that day. Is that wise? Are these feeding and Migration charts accurate? somebody help me out. How do I know when is the best moon days to hunt?
 
I think there might be something to the charts but I still see more deer numbers the first hour of shooting light and the last hour of shooting light. I am a believer in the charts when it comes to fishing thought. I also put more stock into the actual weather conditions of a particular day then the charts.
 
Based on my observations I would not say the tables are 100% but the accuracy is very high taken into consideration with other variables. I firmly believe the rut, weather and hunting pressure all trump moon phase. Another consideration is proximity of stand to bedding area, the closer to bedding the more accurate the tables have been for me. As far as days being labeled best or fair, I don't put much stock in that part because new moon days are always labeled best days and they typically suck for me. I much prefer waxing , waning and full periods. Hunt when you can hunt but pay attention to observed movement in relation to the major and minor periods and formulate your on conclusions about the accuracy on the ground where you hunt.
 
I used to look at the tables and the like and I have since stopped. Local conditions and especially local weather have a far greater impact than where the moon is in the sky. Yes I am sure it can have an impact, but hunting pressure, weather conditions, phase of the rut and the like all have far greater influences on wild deer.

Hunt when you can and enjoy it. Biggest trigger I look for is the passing of a cold front....the more severe the better.
 
I used to look at the tables and the like and I have since stopped. Local conditions and especially local weather have a far greater impact than where the moon is in the sky. Yes I am sure it can have an impact, but hunting pressure, weather conditions, phase of the rut and the like all have far greater influences on wild deer.

Hunt when you can and enjoy it. Biggest trigger I look for is the passing of a cold front....the more severe the better.


I agree with weather having the biggest impact. I love hunting in low visibility conditions like like fog or light rain. I see the majority of good bucks at this time.
 
Our biggest determinate factor in a great sit or a dud is wind and not charts. Air that rises and blows in one direction consistently usually results in good sits. When that is combined with a quick drop in temp or a snow storm or blow just ending great sits are the norm. Generally early morning to 11 am is our heaviest witnessed movement but that is likely because of the cover types we choose to hunt the most.

On light with variable winds occurring or the kind of wind when smoke comes out of the stove pipe and spirals to the ground and swirls away we often stay in and if we go out we usually say we should not have. If we hunted long range spots like high tension lines versus the thicker woods of our property there likely would be a different result. The fun for us is getting close while for some it is longer range shooting; thus we each enjoy success under different conditions depending on how we hunt. For the most efficient of us how we hunt is based on what is appropriate for the weather; for people like me and others how we hunt is based on what we enjoy the most. Neither thinking is wrong of course but it surely produces different ideas on things like charts and when it is best to hunt.

With our rifle season being seven or eight weeks long here in northern NY we may be unique in having the opportunity to only hunt when conditions are right for our chosen type of hunting.
 
Hey guys I am curious about hunting times. I normally follow major feeding and migration periods when hunting deer. If it says today is fair and the wind is good, its cold and it say from 8 am till 12 pm noon thats the time I will hun that day. Is that wise? Are these feeding and Migration charts accurate? somebody help me out. How do I know when is the best moon days to hunt?
I don't put much stock in those charts... Deer are somewhere all the time. Find them and shoot them. I do pay attention to the wind. I hunt terrain just like a Bass Fisherman fishes terrain. Find the creeks, Saddles, Bedding areas, and set up according to the wind.
 
Over the years, I've compared charts and other moon predictions to my personal observations and I see no correlation.
Early bow season, evenings are better than mornings.
From Halloween thru the rut, I stay in the stand dawn till dark.
Late season seems to have more mid day and late day movement. I believe that deer moving during the warmer periods of a winter day is for calorie saving reasons. Deer gear toward minimizing calorie usage during the winter.
 
All things being equal, I just hate a full moon. I'll still hunt, but if i'm taking time off, I always ck and try to schedule with a New moon. Nothing scientific but I do anyways. Cold fronts with steady winds after day or two lousy weather are the best if I were free to hunt any choice.
 
The moon charts, IMO, are much too general to be of any use. Conditions in the WT deer's range are many and varied depending on where you live. I hear folks in the North talking about cold weather getting deer on their feet to feed. In my state, low twenties will have our deer bedding until the sun gets up well, say mid morning. Just like me, they ain't used to it !

In the rut, all bets are off, because bucks are where you find them, here today and gone tommorow.
 
I hunt when I can and after the hunt is over, I check the charts. The charts are about 50/50, maybe even 60/40 in being right. If you aren't in the stand, you can't prove if the charts are right or wrong.
 
Agree with what others have said. I put no stock in the moon. For me it's temperature, wind and stability.
 
I think there might be something to the charts but I still see more deer numbers the first hour of shooting light and the last hour of shooting light. I am a believer in the charts when it comes to fishing thought. I also put more stock into the actual weather conditions of a particular day then the charts.
My dad always said "7-9, 4-6, get your face outta the damn phone and look for deer ESPECIALLY at these times"
 
Back
Top