The week of Thanksgiving is here and the much anticipated opening morning of buck firearm season kicked off on Monday November 20. Thousands of orange clad hunters hit the woods this week with high hopes of laying eyes on a nice buck. The rut is in and the weather forecast looks for perfect deer hunting conditions.The week of Thanksgiving is here and the much anticipated opening morning of buck firearm season kicked off on Monday November 20. Thousands of orange clad hunters hit the woods this week with high hopes of laying eyes on a nice buck. The rut is in and the weather forecast looks for perfect deer hunting conditions.
There will be plenty of hunting stories to tell and the subject may vary but it will all relate to deer hunting in one way or another. One topic that is often talked about is the moon phase. It is well known to hunters that during a full moon deer will move more during the nighttime hours and sometimes less during the daytime.
This can create some slow days in the stand but there is more to the moon than lighting up the night sky. Years’ worth of data has shown a correlation with the position and phase of the moon to when deer are more likely to be active. There are several moon guides and charts to look at which have major and minor move times.
The major feed times occur when the moon peaks overhead or when the moon is directly beneath a location on the earth’s surface. Major feed times are listed in 2 hour increments and minor feed times in a 1 hour increment. Whenever these feed times occur close to sunrise or sunset a prime scenario is set for deer hunters because the increased movement takes place during the best hours of the day to hunt.
With all of that said the first week of buck season looks great with a new moon taking place on Saturday November 18. This day is actually listed as a “season best” day on the best deer hunting times – deer hunting calendar for November 2017. Whether you believe in the moon guide or not the new moon is definitely better than a full moon as the night sky will remain dark. I’ve been looking at the moon guides and charts for the past couple of years and have noticed that I see deer during the major and minor times listed. Sometimes they take place during the middle part of the day when hunters take a lunch break. I still hunt whenever I get the chance but the moon guide can help when time is limited and you want to optimize your chances of being out there during the best hours.
Of course we’re talking about buck season where anything can happen at any time. You never know when your neighbor or another hunter may jump a buck that runs in your direction. The peak of the rut is also predicted to take place this week as well which always leads to unpredictable movement. It just takes one doe in heat to run by as a buck will likely be trailing. You just never know what’s going to happen during buck season especially during the first 3 days when the majority of hunters are in the woods. Weather always plays a factor during the first 3 days and this year’s forecast looks almost perfect.
As of now the snow showers in the mountains lightly dusted the ground on Sunday and temperatures are forecasted in the 20’s for the opening morning. The temperatures are predicted to be in the 40’s for the whole week with no precipitation which is ideal for deer hunting. I can’t wait!
The 2017 buck season is shaping up to be a good one. The moon and stars are lined up and the rut is at peak. Take those cool crisp temperatures without rain and it doesn’t get much better. Good luck to all of those venturing out next week. Be safe and enjoy your time in our West Virginia hills and hollows.
