Author: attorney

Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere is deer breeding and hunting season. Hunters who are after big trophy bucks or supply of venison take to the woods in hope of bagging deer. In addition to good scouting, scent control, accurate shooting, and a generous helping of luck, many deer hunters consider moon phases to have a strong effect on deer behavior.

The second full moon after the autumnal equinox is sometimes called the Hunter’s Moon. According to tradition, the bright moonlight provides hunters with additional light by which to hunt game for the coming winter’s food supply. However, some modern hunters claim that deer are less active during a full moon. Others swear that a full moon means more deer movement during the day, increasing the odds in favor of the hunters.

Effect of the Moon on Doe Estrus Cycles

Since rut timing varies from year to year, observers look for predictable, determining factors. The popular belief is that decreasing amounts of sunlight signal the do to prepare for reproduction, and that bright moonlight triggers them to come into season. This begins the seeking phase, with bucks moving around and zeroing in on prospective mates. As the moon wanes, the chasing phase follows, culminating in the breeding phase, which occurs in the dark of the moon.

Moon Charts and Moon Phase Programs

Charles Alsheimer has written a book on the topic, Hunting Whitetails by the Moon, (Krause Publications, 1999). Alsheimer goes into detail about his research in support of the theory that deer movement definitely can be predicted according to moon phases. Hunters who agree that moonlight is a strong factor in deer behavior can also purchase software, such as QuickPhase Pro, that provides a program for predicting moon phases, moonrise, and moon positions for hundreds of years. Hunters won’t be out after the game for hundreds of years, but they might just find the information interesting.

Use Game Cameras to Gather Deer Movement Data

Hunters who want to do their own research on the correlation between deer movement and the moon can use game cameras to gather data. By setting up cameras to photograph deer in feeding areas and known paths, then graphing movement and overlaying the results with a chart of moon phases, do-it-yourself researchers can obtain hard evidence about the deer in their hunting grounds. Ideally, the research would include multiple years, so that factors such as weather and temperature changes could be taken into account.

Deer Hunting Success Depends on Many Factors

While an understanding of the effects of moon phases on deer behavior may play a significant part in anticipating when and where the game will appear, many other factors are equally important. Scent control, stealth, and accurate shooting must all be practiced. Hunters with the highest chances of success are those who are most familiar with their hunting grounds. No technology or moon phase chart can beat year-round scouting and years of familiarity. One must also pay homage to the hunter’s most valuable companion, Lady Luck, who may or may not send the deer into the hunter’s range. When all the variables of temperature, wind, sound, scent, movement, and inclination of the wild deer to stroll down just the right path at precisely the right time all come together, there is still the shot to be taken. It all comes down to the hunter, the weapon, and the deer in the sights.

Like most mammals, deer have extremely good noses and can smell everything humans can and much more. Deer must be on the lookout for predators at all times, and they also need to locate food and potential mates. Observation of deer as they move about their environments reveals that they frequently test the air for information in the form of smells. The challenge for hunters is to avoid producing smells that will alarm the deer.

Odors Linger, but Not Forever

Experiments with hunting dogs indicate that scent left by humans wearing boots dissipates within hours. Hunters can use this knowledge to their advantage by getting into position well before they expect deer to appear. Once in position in the blind or stand, movement, appearance, and sound become as important as scent. The hunter must think like deer, which depends upon the constant evaluation of the environment for survival.

Use the Wind to Advantage When Hunting

Wind direction is key to keeping that big buck or doe from smelling any disturbing scents that might emanate from a hunter. Although staying downwind of the game is an obvious technique, anticipating thermal shifts is a less-practiced but effective tactic. During the warmth of the day, air rises out of low areas, carrying scents to deer bedded on ridges above. Mark Hicks, in his article, “Hunt the Wind Lull,” (Field & Stream, September 2009) advises hunters that a lull occurs when the air cools at sunsets, keeping thermals from moving uphill or down. This provides a window when hunters can move into position without spooking deer bedded on high ridges.

Of course, keeping scents to a minimum is always a good idea when hunting. Perfumed shampoos, soaps, or cosmetics that humans find lightly scented reek to animals. Perspiration, urine, foods, and beverages all give off distinctive odors. Insect repellant and lantern fuel produce smell that even the least sensitive human nose can’t miss. However, experienced hunters find that they can hunt successfully despite odors from lantern fuel and insect repellant mats. Although deer most certainly can detect these smells, they don’t automatically connect them with danger. Newer developments in hunting clothing with scent block provide additional means of minimizing human odors, but hunters who can’t afford new hunting outfits need only remember that many a trophy buck was bagged in years past by people wearing plain old work clothes.

Use Doe Scent to Lure in Bucks

During the rut, when bucks are seeking out mates, doe urine is an effective attractant. Some hunters put the urine on rags and drag them along paths to lead bucks past the stand. Others scent the area around the stand. The dragging technique can be counter-productive if the hunter makes enough of a ruckus to alert the deer that something isn’t right.

Even better than spreading doe scent is to hunt where real does are attracting the bucks. Months of scouting pay off when the hunter has already learned where and when the does feed. The scent of does in estrus is discernible to humans who are particularly woods-savvy, and it is overwhelmingly attractive to bucks. Minimizing human odors and playing the wind is important, but anticipating the locations and movements of the game provide the best hunting advantage.

Suburbs are known for their large, attractively landscaped lawns, parks, and green spaces. These kinds of places are also attractive to deer. Parks and wooded areas provide cover and water, and the shrubs and flowers are tasty treats for hungry whitetail deer. With no predators, deer multiply freely. Automobile collisions with deer are common in the suburbs. A number of solutions to the problems created by suburban deer have been tried, including deer birth control and fencing, but these have had only limited success. Another solution is suburban hunting.

Problems Arise with Suburban Hunting

Although it may seem that the obvious solution to the problem of too many deer is to allow hunters to harvest some of them, there are problems to be overcome. The most difficult problem may be that of perception. Many suburbanites are unfamiliar with hunting. They may even be hostile to the very idea of recreational hunting. In that case, finding a deer hunter in a stand near their homes is likely to be uncomfortable for them. Given that deer rarely drop where they are shot, a deer that was shot from the property where the hunter had gained permission may die on the property of a person who refuses to allow the hunter to recover it. Suburban homeowners may also have concerns about the safety of their children and pets. Close communication between the hunter and everyone in the neighborhood is necessary to allay fears and maintain agreement on how and where hunting may take place.

Suburban Bow Hunting

Since bow hunting requires the game to be in rather close range, most hunters consider it the most suitable for suburban hunting. Surrounding property owners may also find this weapon more acceptable for use near their homes. Suburban deer are conditioned to ignore human activity, and are willing to stroll much closer to a hunter than are deer in more remote settings, so bowhunters would have good chances for successful hunts.

Deer Managers Consider Means of Deer Population Controls

Deer managers, whose job it is to maintain healthy deer herds, are faced with a quandary. Allowing more deer kills per hunter in wilderness areas will not address deer overpopulation in suburban areas. With no predators, suburban deer can overpopulate, resulting in poor health and proliferation of illnesses such as Lyme Disease, which poses a danger to the human population. Hunting in the suburbs would thin the herd, but area homeowners may not be able to accept it, and they certainly have every right to refuse access to their properties.

Clayton K. Nielson of Southern Illinois University stated in his address at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the Southeast Deer Study Group, held February 22 through 24, 2009 in Roanoke, Virginia:

“Although deer managers increasingly will need to pursue non-traditional methods of deer management in developed areas due to continuing trends in development, attitudes of suburbanites and exurbanites, and deer ecology, I contend there still is hope for hunting in the hinterlands of our urban centers.”