My son and I hunt deep NE TX just North of Lake O The Pines. I'm trying to plan a time to take some time off work to go deer hunting. I know the deer are in rut sometime around the 2nd or 3rd week in November. Do the moon phases have an impact on the rut? Would like to pick a time when the bucks are most active. The is a New Moon on Nov 16, would that be a good time?

definitely don't go when it's a full moon, 3 quarter moon, or half moon you don't know how many time I've been skunked because of the moon phases.

I'm not one to really pay much attention to these sort of things. B/C regardless of moonphase, I'de rather be in the woods that anywhere else when I get a chance. I assume most game activity charts are the same, but I found a lot of truth in them over the last few years. I mean don't get me wrong, I'm still on a stand when the feeders go off, but have been suprised when I decide to sit on the stand on through lunch or get there early in the afternoon to see deer slip into the food plots pretty consistent to what the charts show. (This would be assuming "good weather conditions")

Chart

if your like most of us you can only really go on the weekends. and most of us will hunt any moon if your not out there you cant kill them. i hunt no matter what the moon is doing i don't see as many deer on a full moon but i do see some. so if its deer season i say go hunting as much as you can

The moon phases are important to game movement times. But these can be easily overriden by hunting pressure and secondly weather conditions. My place has very light hunting pressure so I have been able to observe game movement as it relates to the moon phases for a long time now. My favorite time to hunt is 2-5 days after the full moon. I like to hunt the afternoons and this period puts the major game movement in the afternoon to evening time frame. There has been on major study done on the rut as it relates to the full moon and it was found that the major part of the initial rut will likely occur with or just after the full moon. With all of that though, anytime is hunting time in my book. Wish I was there now.

I usually see a ton of deer on the mornings on and following the New Moon.

There is some disagreement between wildlife biologist on the effect of(or lack of) the moon on deer rut activity. Moon phase theory says that the rut occurs 2-10 days after the second full moon following the Autumnal Equinox. Or after the third full moon following the Autumnal Equinox for southern states.

Autumnal Equinox this year is Sept. 22. That would kick off the rut around Nov. 7 or Dec. 6 depending on where you hunt. The Oklahoma panhandle northward tends to be the early zone.

I have to agree with rtp's post. I go whenever I can, but over the years have noticed in November and December, the days right after a full moon are when I see the most rutting activity. Keep a log of what you see, the date, and the moon phase. I did and found the info very interesting.

best time is around when the feeder is gonna go off, i like to get there 30 min before that....sometimes the moon is still up sometimes its not....

Im not a big fan of the full moon. Seems like afternoon activity gets real slow. Ther does seem to be some rut coorelation with the full moon but in my area, where ther is pressure, it seem like most of the rutting takes place at night.

Full Moon is definitely the best. You don't need a spotlight!

def go on a "no moon"

I agree %100 I will definitely be in the woods every day the week of Nov. 16th.

new moon!!!

Anybody seen the moon phase for opening bow season? sucks!!!

I recently read of a new study of deer that were tracked by radio transmitters and it said it found no correlation of deer activity and lunar movement.

Personally, I don't believe it. I've hunted far too long to ignore the fact that deer sightings during morning and evening hours drops like a rock during a full moon.

I will always hunt no matter the moon. I have found after a full moon, the deer move later. The longer you are in the woods the better chance you have of shooting a deer.
I always wonder why some hunters assume deer stop moving at 10am?? Maybe it's a sore rump?

HAPPY HUNTING

Lots of guys swear the deer move closer to the middle of the day during fuller moon phases. I believe the best time to hunt is anytime you can.

Its been years since I've hunted Tx, but in Michigan, they move about every 4-6 hrs. Believe me, if I could have sat that long, I'd spend all day in the woods.
It's great to be back home!!

HAPPY HUNTING

Haven't shot one at the house yet... But I just like being in the woods!

kill or no kill i like being in the woooods SO JUST GO AND HAVE FUN.

I try not to hunt on a full moon. I see more numbers on the 1st quarter and 3rd quarter moon. Then again, I've seen alot of deer on a new moon as well. If you close to where you hunt then I would not even consider the moon phase and just go to be in the woods. However, if your like me and are a long way from the lease then I would avoid the full moon and go any other time.

i go when i get a chance, i dont have enough opportunites to be picky when i can hunt

agree. i still go hunt bc I am down but I see fewer deer the the moon increases. during the rut i dont care about the moon bc the rut cancels it out....definitely plan on hunting a new moon

James Kroll says that moon phase has no effect on daytime movement. I'm not sure I agree with that, but that fella has spent a lot more time watching deer than I have.