How Does the Moon Affect Deer Movement?

How moon phases influence deer movement is one of the most highly debated topics in the deer hunting world. Many experienced hunters believe that moon phases affect deer movement and consider them when planning their next hunt. Because you found this article, you are also likely interested in increasing your odds of success by planning your hunts around moon phases. Unfortunately, this probably isn’t the best way to do it.

Most data shows that moon phases aren’t the best way of predicting deer movement and planning hunts by concentrating on the moon phase alone is not a good idea. More importantly, regardless of the moon phase, studies have shown that deer move the most in the hours closest to sunrise and sunset.

The effects moon phases have on deer movement are very nuanced and heavily debated among hunters and researchers alike. Nevertheless, moon phases may have some effect, even if minor, on deer movement. Before diving into the research, we first need to understand what moon phases are.

What are Moon Phases?

Moon phases are the different and changing amounts of the moon that are visible to us in a month. They are caused by the moon’s orbit around Earth and the amount of the moon that is being illuminated by the sun. These phases have names and are split into two parts, when the moon appears to be growing it’s called waxing, and when it appears to be shrinking it’s called waning.

The new moon is the first of 8 phases. After the new moon, the waxing phases begin with the waxing crescent, first quarter, and waxing gibbous. After the full moon, the waning phases begin with the waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent.

A Contested Topic and Research to Back It Up

For years hunters have been making observations about deer movement and moon phases. The majority of hunters will tell you that moon phases affect deer movement. A poll conducted by Pennsylvania State University in 2017 found that 88% of hunters believe that the moon phase affects deer movement while only 12% don’t.

While sleuthing the internet, I found multiple studies focused on the effects of the moon phase or moon position on deer movement. Two studies reported that deer movement was affected by the moon phase or moon position during specific periods and two found that deer movement was not affected. Obviously, there is some disagreement on this topic. Let’s take a look at the studies!

North Carolina State University 2007

Tomberlin Weatherman focused on GPS tracking 18 adult male white-tailed deer from September through December 2003-2005. The study took place on a 3,287-acre farm under QDM (quality deer management) in Maryland.

After completing the study the researchers reported that “when moon phase was a significant predictor, pre-breed and breed, activity responses consistently showed higher activity levels during darker moon phases.” In short, they found that during specific periods of the rut, the moon phase had a statistically significant effect on male deer movement.

Mississippi State University 2010

Stephen Webb and co-authors used GPS collars to track fine-scale movements of 17 female and 15 male white-tailed deer from 1998-2004. The study took place on a 3,000-acre property in Oklahoma.

On study completion the authors stated this: “We found moon phase did not affect daily, nocturnal, and diurnal deer movements…”

Unlike the North Carolina State University Study, the authors of this study found no effects of the moon phase on deer activity. Let’s see what the authors of the Auburn University Study found.

Auburn University 2016

Jeffrey Sullivan and co-authors used GPS collars to track 38 male white-tailed deer from August to December 2010-2012. This study took place in a 6,306-acre, predominantly open forested area in South Carolina.

After completion the researchers reported that “on days with greater proximity to the new or full moon, the probability of activity during moonrise and moonset periods increased while decreasing (activity) during moon overhead and moon underfoot periods…”

Once again, researchers found a relationship between male deer activity and moon phases, and moon position. Although they found a relationship, they reported that deer may not be more susceptible to hunters during these times, and that deer could be staying in inaccessible areas or even avoiding permanent hunting stands. This brings us to our last and most recent study.

Pennsylvania State University 2017

In October 2015 and 2016, Jessica Hepner used GPS collars to track adult female deer in Pennsylvania State Forests.

After completing the study, the author wrote that “moon phase has an insignificant effect on deer movement meaning that none of the moon phases cause deer activity patterns to increase or decrease significantly.”

It’s important to note when interpreting results from this study, that it was not published or peer-reviewed, the sample size was not reported, and only female deer were tracked for one month. Nonetheless, the data is still interesting.

What Do These Studies Tell Us?

In short, the jury is still out! Two of the studies concluded that moon phases can influence deer movement during specific periods and two studies showed that deer movement is not affected by the moon phases at all. More robust research is needed to determine whether moon phases truly affect deer movement.

The fact that it is so difficult to determine likely means that even if the moon phase does affect deer movement, it likely doesn’t have a large effect or only does during very specific periods. That said, if you feel more confident hunting during a specific moon phase then get out there! The more confident you are, the harder you will hunt, and the more likely you will be to harvest your deer!

What Does Affect Deer Movement?

All of the studies agreed on one thing, deer are crepuscular and move the most in the hours around sunrise and sunset. There are many other factors to consider that do affect deer movement. A few of these factors are the season of the year, temperature, weather, and hunting pressure.

My advice to you is, to get out and hunt as long and often as you can while focusing on the hours around sunrise and sunset. This way you are concentrating on the hours that deer are the most active and over time, you will figure out the best times to hunt in your specific area!

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