I'm on vacation(as I am each year) Halloween thru opening weekend of gun season. Every year we see the same action as the chase phase increases daily until about November 12th.
The moon phase CAN NOT have any effect on breeding dates as it could move as much as 25 days in a given year. A shift of this magnitude would have fawns dropped a month late, mother nature(God) has it planned they are born in the optimum nutritional dates for their mothers.
There is no scientific data that supports moon phase affecting fawn birth dates. If you check on cranium-rump measurements you will find most whitetails (mature) are bred between Nov 10 and Nov 15 each year. Some early and some late but less than 5% over all.
What I will say without scientific data is bucks are much more visible between 10 and 4 on a daily basis than early morning and late afternoon. My theory is the mature buck has the urge to bed down at dawn. His need to breed overtakes his survival instinct and he gets up from bedding after a couple of hours. Again he neeeds to catch a "nap" late afternoon before he goes searching after dark. The only support I can give to my theory is Boone and Crockett records show the best dates and times to kill is November 4th-8th and majority are killed between 10am and 4pm. What is not factored is hunter movement in and out of woods by traditional "hunt till around noon hunters, then evening hunters".
My prediction is the opening of gun season will be a great day to be in the woods as the breeding season will be winding down and bucks will be searching hard for a receptive doe. Hunt hard as an archery hunter untli Nov 10th, lock down for big bucks as usual is from Nov 10th until Nov 15th.
Hunt where the does are, forget where you have buck photos of them feeding....... they ARE NOT feeding! Find the does and hunt down wind of where they feed and bed.
85% of rubs are done at night, I'm not going to hunt on a 15% chance. Scrapes are good until about November 8th when does are beginning to cycle, I'll take those odds. Looked at camera pics over past two weeks, not one scrape was visited in morning hours......6pm to daylight several pictures.
My son and I have killed several book bucks and most have been taken November 4-8th or November 16-28. One was killed December 21st (in its bed). Maybe a proven track record.
Good luck to all......... one thing I can tell you is....... none was killed from the sofa.......LOL.
