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I’m a planning freak when it comes to the bow opener. With it I get the full benefit of the element of surprise: Deer haven't been pressured for months, and this makes them less alert and more predictable. This, in turn, helps make me more successful — I’ve arrowed more trophy whitetails during the “early season” than I have during the rut.
And speaking of a rut, I can’t keep from making annual deer forecasts based on the moon. (It helps when you’re batting 70%!) I know this to be a fact from the thousands of hunters who regularly plot their annual hunting strategies around the moon’s unique 29.5-day month. If we really know what we’re doing, the moon can help put us in the right place at the right time. So, if you’re new to this game, all I ask is that you keep an open mind. And if you’re a veteran “moon hunter,” you know the routine—here’s everything you need to capitalize on this year’s Opener. As for you skeptics, here’s another year to prove yourself wrong.
It’s interesting that knowing when can help know where. The starting point is the fact that all living creatures exhibit alternating periods of rest and activity that are essentially linked to the sun and moon. Without these "biological rhythms," survival of most species would be jeopardized. Here’s a good example. Today, as I put the finishing touches on this article, a New Moon is staring down at me. But it’s invisible, because it’s blocked out by a midday sun. Which is OK, because I know I’m going to sleep like a fat farm dog tonight, compared to two weeks ago when the moon was full. Then, I tossed and turned. What’s going on? Melatonin, the hormone my body produces when the sun sets, induces drowsiness to help me fall asleep. But because I’m a “light sleeper,” the extra light from a Full Moon tends to trick my body into thinking it’s not quite late enough to fall asleep. And the older I get, the worse this phenomenon becomes
The day-active, night-rest cycle of humans is known as a circadian rhythm. It’s the opposite of nocturnal animals such as snakes, raccoons and owls. Interestingly, deer are neither circadian nor nocturnal but instead are somewhere in between—they function satisfactorily during the day and during the night, but seem to prefer the low-light period of twilight. A decade of research has convinced me that the moon's position in the sky, combined with the light it reflects from the sun, explain why deer are "lunar feeders." Put another way, deer are a lot like fish in that deer are predictably active during key lunar periods.
Technically, the Moon's superior and inferior transits—also known as overhead and underfoot positions—are what hunters should be most concerned with. These are “times,” not “phases,” and are what seem to trigger deer to "get up" to feed. Indeed, the astrological coordinates of the moon in these positions can be accurately translated into hours and minutes called "moon times." During the deer season, you can bet my schedule will rotate around these times as much the Earth rotates about its axis.
I said earlier that "when" can tell us "where." Put them to the test this fall, and be sure to keep good notes.
Start with a moon overhead around sunset. This lunar period is my favorite bow strategy for hunting near field edges and woods openings. Now it's possible to hunt feeding deer (or those within a staging area) because an overhead moon encourages deer to feed before, during, and after sunset. Simply put, hunters will see more "field deer" now than during any other segment of the 29.5-day lunar month. Unfortunately, this is a short-lived period that lasts but a handful of days.
Now suppose the moon peaks in the sky directly overhead at sunrise. Now’s the best time to intercept a buck in the "transition zone" as he heads for daytime cover; after spending the night in open, low lying areas, he now instinctively seeks out dense cover at higher elevations. This “morning moon” period comprises approximately 1/3 of the lunar month and, though it can be decent for evenings, it’s really made to order for morning hunts.
When the moon peaks during midday hours, on the other hand, odds are stacked against you. Though this is the most common lunar period, accounting for nearly 2/3 of the lunar month, it’s the most challenging. The problem is that deer are usually bedded down for the day by the time it’s light enough to hunt. This forces hunters to set up near security cover in hopes of catching a buck “stretching” during midday hours.
This fall (2003), 7 states open their bow season when the moon will be overhead or underfoot within a couple hours of sunrise. Key dates this year are: September 20 (Florida, South Dakota, Tennessee) and October 4 (Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia). Moreover, Maine’s October 2, 2003 bow opener will be greeted with a "daily double"—a pair of moon times during daylight hours (6:34 a.m. and 7:09 p.m.). Incidentally, the best strategy for Maine hunters is simply committing to an all-day vigil; you should see two concentrated deer movements, one in the morning, one in the evening. In other words, better capitalize on this rare lunar event.
Regarding general hunting strategies, a moon overhead or underfoot early in the morning is ideal for slipping between feeding and bedding areas. Naturally, the later the moon time, the closer you’ll want to inch toward bedding areas along your chosen travel corridor. For this period, I favor creek beds (where vegetation grows lush), ridge lines (hopefully where acorns are falling from white oaks), and deep woods forest openings (where waist-high saplings offer tender browse and leaves still clinging to their branches).
Why is this such a difficult lunar period? Three reasons. First, it's tough pinpointing bedding areas compared to feeding areas; bucks are especially mysterious about where they decide to bed down for the day. Second, should you manage to get a handle on a preferred bedding area, it’s nigh impossible to sneak within bow range if the buck is already bedded down. And third, early fall bucks are in the energy-conservation mode and won't move any more than they have to. Indeed, if they get up at all to feed, it's going to be within spitting distance of their beds.
That said, I suggest not placing too much emphasis on the Opener if you’re after a heavy-racked buck. Instead, hunt fringe areas and wait another four or five days when the moon will have swung around to my favorite lunar period, afternoon moon times.
Undoubtedly, the ability to intercept deer near a preferred food source is the most lethal strategy for bowhunters. Prima facie evidence is the deer registration data from across the nation—invariably, the most kills overlap Quarter Moon phases (coincide with sunrise and sunset), and the fewest kills occur during Full and New Moon phases (coincide with midday moon times). And when you realize that it’s a simple matter to plan these hunts months ahead of time, well, what are you waiting for?
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