Full moon vs. Solunar tables vs. timing of rut.

[siskiyou]

I'm looking ahead to when I'll spend a couple of weeks in September chasing elk. Around September 19th the Solunar tables indicate a couple of strong days. There is also a full moon at that time...and it is up the entire night, rising around 7pm and setting around 7 am. Typically the rut is cranking up at that time of the month.

How much credence do you guys put on-
1). time of month
2). full moon
3). Solunar tables

[Swede]

Time of the rut is what it is all about. The cows come into estrus at the same time every year, with some variation for different cows. Here is Oregon the best time to hunt should be the last part of the season, if you are trying to take advantage of the rut.

[ElkNut1]

Welcome to the forum bud!!!

ElkNut1

[elkmtngear]

For a rut hunt, I'm looking to be out there as close to the end of the Season as possible. Early on, I used to take the moon phase into account, but experience has taught me that elk will continue to do what they do, regardless of the the moon phase.

The most important thing is being in the right place at the right time, and that comes from just being out there, hunting.

[ElkNut1]

This is one of the biggest questions many out of State & in State hunters have these days, that is, should I pick my hunting days during a Full Moon or just before or after or avoid this time frame completely? Personally, I love hunting Full Moon Phases! The closer to mid Sept to end of Sept the better. The Rut trumps a Full Moon! Hunting the full moon phases can be very productive when you approach it with the right attitude & knowledge of an elks activity at this time! Even in non peak rut times bulls & cows alike can become very vocal after dark come Aug.--Sept. -- We love taking advantage of these times.

When elk are vocal at night they're in their feeding/watering/wallowing & nighttime bedding areas. Calling after dark can be productive! When you find vocal elk in areas at night be assured they'll be there come morning if not severely harassed by other hunters, plus they are more than likely to be right back there the following evenings. It's a desired feeding/breeding area & it's tough to push them out of these types of areas. Hunt smart, keep the wind in your face, you'll be able to hunt them for several days!

I love messing with the Solunar Tables as well, thing is the rut of an animal is not considered, only feeding & movement patterns are. Again, The Rut trumps these things!

ElkNut1

[JohnFitzgerald]

Hunting the full moon is a love/hate relationship for me. Love to travel around at night, picking up as many vocal elk as possible. Hate the fact that I usually only get 3-4 hours of sleep a night during this time. Sacrific!

I usally switch to this tactic when nothings talking during the early morning or late evening.

[Swede]

For over 20 years now I have averaged about 100 hours per year sitting in my tree stand. During that time I have noticed no difference in elk activity due to moon phase. I have found the most productive hunting times to be when the days are hot and during the rut. When the weather is hot, the elk have to come to a water hole more to drink, and an occasional bull will come in to get shot, er. I mean wallow. During the rut they just move around more. Based on my personal record keeping on elk kills, it would appear that the full or near full moon is the most productive period by a small amount. I am no statistician, but I consider that just a coincidence.

[ctdad]

Great info. Thanks guys

[cnelk]

Where i hunt, The full moon takes a backseat to ML hunters.
The activity from the ML hunters seems to set back ALL elk activity for a few days.

I don't mind hunting the full moon phase, but I also factor other more important items to get the most out of my time in elk country.

[JohnFitzgerald]

Where i hunt, The full moon takes a backseat to ML hunters.
The activity from the ML hunters seems to set back ALL elk activity for a few days.

I don't mind hunting the full moon phase, but I also factor other more important items to get the most out of my time in elk country.

What is a ML hunter?

[cnelk]

ML Hunter = MuzzleLoader Hunter

[JohnFitzgerald]

ML Hunter = MuzzleLoader Hunter

Ah, thanks.

[otcWill]

WAY too much research and writing on the moon phase and its affect on elk activity! Don't worry about moon phase at all and concentrate on the rut. A nice weather front can make for better elk hunting than any moon phase.

[siskiyou]

Thanks for the replies. It's good to be able to get different perspectives on a variety of 'elk knowledge' subjects.

Back when I started calling there was the bugle and the cow call. When a bull 'chuckled' we just thought he was getting a bit bored with himself and wanted to introduce some variety into his song. Now, thanks to Elknut, I know that there's a whole vocabulary of elk talk. For those wanting to take the time to learn, there's a lot of complexity in elk vocalization, and a real advantage to be gained from learning it and applying it correctly.

On a similar note, I wanted to see if there's any new insight into the interplay of factors influencing what elk are doing during September.

Paul and John have me psyched up for only getting 3-4 hours of sleep a night should I decide to wander the mountains at night locating bulls. Swede has me regretting that I didn't take field notes over the last 30 years.

"If your just looking to kill an elk, just get out and hunt. That my 2 cents." Sounds like Jake's the only one charging . Don't any of you other fellers get any ideas or I'll have to drain the piggy bank looking for advice. (JK)

To Jake and the rest of you...I appreciate your insight. It's nice to be able to throw around these ideas that rumble around in my head.

[siskiyou]

Jake, I'm glad you responded...it gives me a reason to ask what we're all wondering...

Where's the 'butt crack' of Oregon? Sounds like the place to be for an enterprising Proctologist.

That's the upper Sacramento (near Dunsmuir) in the avatar. I chose that picture because it's one
that doesn't look like me very much at all. I'd say that I don't take good pictures, but that wouldn't
be true. Most of the pictures I take look very much like me...and they're butt ugly.

I elk hunt in Montana. Getting a California elk tag is close to impossible...although I did call
in a little herd of Roosevelt elk in the Marble Mountains last year when we backpacked in for a
futile archery deer hunt.

[siskiyou]

Maybe you live in Ashland...the only place close to Mount Shasta (where I live, and try to tolerate the last remnant of the the 'hippy-nation') that has more vegetarians than we do.