How important is the moon?

[BuzzH]

I think elk density/ bull to cow ratio's, combined with weather and hunting pressure, have a lot more to do with how much elk call and how long they stay visible than moon phase.

Don't really know as I've never given the moon phase much thought.

 

[elkocd]

Lots of things have an "affect". Weather, hunting pressure, water, moon on and on. The key to becoming someone who kills a bull every year is to learn how to adapt. If you get stuck to one tactic then the factors you can't control will keep you from being successful. Hunt every day you can in all conditions and you'll learn how to be successful regardless of things like the moon or weather. I've had some absolutely incredible hunts in full moons. Yes, it may have changed things, but does not mean the elk were still not elk.

 

[buckihunter]

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate all the replies! Everything you've shared has been very helpful

 

[Huntnnw]

never even crossed my mind

 

[cnelk]

Since you asked...

I went thru this little exercise several years ago with another guy who ran my numbers.

Me and my buddies took 22 elk [archery] in 10 years [2004 - 2014]

16 harvests were in a moon phase of 50% visibility OR LESS [some were new moon, 1st quarter, etc] 6 harvests were in a moon phase of 90% visibility OR MORE [very near or at full moon]and quick research shows 3-4 days on either side of the full moon date have > 90% or more. Shall we say 7 days are 90% or more visibility? And approx 14 days have < 50%

Category Observed Expected # Expected

1 <50% 16 11 50.000%

2 >90% 6 6 27.273%

3 50-90% 0 5 22.727%

Chi squared equals 7.273 with 2 degrees of freedom. The two-tailed P value equals 0.0263

According to the analysis we did better than expected when the moon was dark, about what you would expect near a full moon, and less than you'd expect (zero) when the moon was out but not bright. It shows some evidence that it's better hunting during darker moon, but I wouldn't schedule a hunt around it.

I cant say I dont look at the moon phase when planning my hunting time, but I do factor other contributing items ahead of the moon phase.

 

[Trevor96]

I don't have as much experience as a lot of people on here, but my opinion is all else being equal, moon phase makes a difference, but there's a lot of other factors that I would consider before that

 

[sagebuster]

After 40+ years of chasing elk up, down, and all around, like CNELK above, I graduated from pure expectation based on hunch and intuition to hard data calculation after about my fifth season. I buggered Biologists, scrummed with every fellow elk hunter I could find, and kept detailed records of my in-field encounters. We all pretty much have learned from Biologists that the peak of the elk rut is around the Equinox, the 22nd of September. The rut, they say, can be in full swing within 10 days on either side of that. My records over the years indicate that, based on where I was hunting, if I counted back ten days from the 22nd, I was in a pre-rut phase...I was calling in bulls on the 12th or so, but they were generally searching for cows and responded only to a cow call. A bugle that early didn't seem to get as much attention. Over the years I realized that I was more successful when there was no moon or the moon was in an early phase. I wasn't as successful during a full moon. So I scheduled my hunts accordingly, although there are obviously times when the moon has a mind of it's own and fails to cooperate.

There are a ton of variables you have to think about when planning an elk hunt. Rut phase, moon phase are just two. You can't pre-figure them all. I always expect my best shot, based on experience, is to count back about ten days from the 22nd, and if there is no or little moon, I figure I am going to have maybe one or two days of magic in a five-day window where luck will prevail. If that doesn't work, then it's a crapshoot after that. Everybody has their own expectations. It's nice to have some hard data to back them up. Once you are in the field, you have to learn to be adaptable...just like the elk.

 

[cnelk]

FWIW - I went back and looked at the moon phases when I killed my last 5 archery elk: 2015 - 2020.

2 Elk - Last Quarter - Moon visibility 60%
1 Elk - Waxing Crescent - Moon visibility 20%
1 Elk - First Quarter - Moon Visibility 60%
1 Elk - Waxing Crescent - Moon Visibility 33%

 

[WCB]

Weather is IMO the main factor besides hunting pressure. Moon...full good for packing out...no moon dark at night.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Bobby Trippe may have a different opinion.