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From: wasserbu@ihlpl.att.com (Michael F Wasserburger)
Newsgroups: rec.hunting
Subject: Re: Solunar Tables....Do you believe in them?
Message-ID: <1991May21.071125.15368@doug.cae.wisc.edu>
Date: 21 May 91 12:11:25 GMT
References: <1991May16.074120.16769@doug.cae.wisc.edu> <1991May18.084514.28982@doug.cae.wisc.edu>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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Approved: hunting@osnome.che.wisc.edu
Originator: hunting@osnome.che.wisc.edu

> In article <1991May16.074120.16769@doug.cae.wisc.edu>,
> keith@clodii.columbiasc.NCR.COM writes:
> 
>      Do you pay attention to the Solunar Tables which are published in
>    many newspapers, almanacs, and hunting mags. before you go deer
>    hunting?  
> 

  Our deer season in IL is 3 days long, so phases of the moon
are not taken into consideration.  I also hunt the WI deer
season (which is 9 days long) and I don't pay attention to
phases of the moon then either.

  However, I've had good Elk hunting guides tell me to
plan Elk hunting dates around the correct moon phases.
First, Elk hunting seasons are generally a month or
several months in duration so planning can be done.
The theory is that elk do most of their feeding at
night.  If a full moon is out they can see well enough
to feed during the night and they get their butts back
into heavy cover as soon as the sun comes up.

  The key is to pick a time to hunt during a new moon
(no moon out means less light at night to feed by).
This way the probability of the elk staying out in the
meadows longer in the mornings to feed is higher, thus
the probability of seeing elk is higher.

  I have no experience to back this up, it's just what
one elk guide told me a few years ago and seems to make
sense.

Mike Wasserburger
att.com!ihlpl!wasserbu