September 2017 moon phases

[TurkeyBowMaster]

Moon phase is not the same as moonrise and set, moon phase is how much sunlight the moon is reflecting, moonrise and set is what time of day that is visible. For example if there is a full moon but it rises at 6am and sets in the afternoon it will have little effect on nighttime activity and in some cases may even enhance daytime activity...

Like I said, just something to think about...

Full moons don't rise at 6am...ever. Full moons rise at 6 pm and are straight overhead at midnight. It is the straight overhead and underfoot that matters most. It's always better evening feeding when the moon is chasing the sun and is overhead in the evening when the elk naturally feed.

Rut is a little different. There is a reason northern deer hunters and September elk hunters know very little about moon phases...they practically start the season hunting the rut. In the soit h we hunt deer a full 3 months on feeding patterns and if you don't hunt primarily feed times you don't have much success.

If you ever see an abnormal amount of animals out and it is not because of an approaching storm or just after a storm it will always be because of the moon. Get a moon phase app and keep tabs on this and you will find it to be true.

 

[Hoot]

You and I are saying almost the exact thing, although I never correlated moonphase to rise/set. I didn't realize the full moon only ever rises in the evenings, but I have noticed more activity when the moon phase is such that it is out more during the day and less at dark...

 

[Hayguide]

I hunted with a full moon last fall first season Rifle, I'm not sure what was worse- the sustained 20MPH SW wind and 67 degree's at 10,000 feet at 2pm or the moon. Morning and nights were at 38-44. I was in SW Colorado. Elk activity was mostly night. I did catch a glimps of two bulls at daylite going into dark timber to bed- on a classic-a facing north slope. I was able to ambush them that same evening as they came out to feed at dusk and I killed a big bull by Colorado standards in an OTC area- 4.5 year old 6-5. So I would certainly rather not have warm temps, high wind and a full moon- but it wasn't a complete disaster for me. I just kept hunting hard and smart .You could say it was an easy excuse for the hunters who did not make a kill or see alot- but with elk hunting excuses are fairly easy to find- its just a tough task to kill a bull on public land in Colorado. I always have a a blast hunting anyway-so a unfilled tag is always a little disappointing, but the hunt should still fun no matter what the outcome is. You cant pick the condititions, its the same with fishing- better than work.