Warm Temps/Full Moon = Nocturnal Deer?

I hunted SE Minnesota this past weekend and was surprised by the lack of deer activity. I only had a few days to hunt so I was in the woods well before light all the way until dark. The last few years I have been having great luck hunting the ridge tops and intercepting bucks on the prawl looking for does. This year, I only saw a few does and a bunch of fawns running around the high country.

Do you think that the warm temps and full moon shut down the daytime rut activity?

I didn’t see a horn until I set up right in a brushy ravine near some picked corn. The deer were bedding down in the brush all day and wouldn’t start moving until just before dark. They would spend all night in the corn and if you were set up well before light you could see a couple deer in the first few minutes of legal shooting time.

While it wasn’t like the last couple years for me with bruiser bucks running stupid every which way, I finally did intercept a nice young buck on the last day I could hunt. It’s not my biggest deer, but it is my first classic ten point and he will sure be delicious. Those younger cornfed deer, especially those that aren’t stressed from the rut, sure are delicious.

Thank God I had the fourwheeler to haul him out. Those hills are steep.

Thank God I had the fourwheeler to haul him out. Those hills are steep.

One more pic.

One more pic.

I do think the full moon plays a part in daytime deer activity and the warmer temps probably limit their daytime movement. The weekend before last was warm and the moon was not full but very bright and I noticed less deer movement during the day. I think part of the reason I didn’t see as many deer as I normally do that particular weekend before Halloween was because there was so much standing corn in the area. Last year on that particular weekend close to 90% of the corn in Iowa had been harvested. This year the crop report stated that over 60% of the crop was still in the fields on that weekend. The high propane and natural gas prices made farmers keep the crop in the field longer this year so the farmers spend less on drying the corn down. With all that standing corn the deer have that much more cover. I walked to the end of the bluff that I hunt and glassed a large standing corn field in the bottom and saw several deer in the corn. Hopefully this corn has now been picked as I am planning on heading up there again this coming weekend. I am anticipating arrowing something this weekend. I did have a friend get a really nice P&Y 8 pointer near Bellevue just the other day. He rattled him in at 1:20pm so at least that buck was moving in the middle of the day.

Eyehunter

I do think the full moon plays a part in daytime deer activity and the warmer temps probably limit their daytime movement. The weekend before last was warm and the moon was not full but very bright and I noticed less deer movement during the day. I think part of the reason I didn’t see as many deer as I normally do that particular weekend before Halloween was because there was so much standing corn in the area. Last year on that particular weekend close to 90% of the corn in Iowa had been harvested. This year the crop report stated that over 60% of the crop was still in the fields on that weekend. The high propane and natural gas prices made farmers keep the crop in the field longer this year so the farmers spend less on drying the corn down. With all that standing corn the deer have that much more cover. I walked to the end of the bluff that I hunt and glassed a large standing corn field in the bottom and saw several deer in the corn. Hopefully this corn has now been picked as I am planning on heading up there again this coming weekend. I am anticipating arrowing something this weekend. I did have a friend get a really nice P&Y 8 pointer near Bellevue just the other day. He rattled him in at 1:20pm so at least that buck was moving in the middle of the day.

Eyehunter

I do think that the full moon and warmer temps are moving the deer nocturnal..I have been seeing deer, mainly yearlings this past week during light hours…dusk and dawn has slowed down to almost a stop for the deer moving…when i check the camera the deer are there but in the darkness of the night…one could also think hunting pressure will make them nocturnal but as i am the only one hunting the section of land where my land is, there is not much hunting pressure..I know eairlier in the year ive been seeing 10 times as many deer moving in past sun rise and before sunset..just my thoughts…

I do think that the full moon and warmer temps are moving the deer nocturnal..I have been seeing deer, mainly yearlings this past week during light hours…dusk and dawn has slowed down to almost a stop for the deer moving…when i check the camera the deer are there but in the darkness of the night…one could also think hunting pressure will make them nocturnal but as i am the only one hunting the section of land where my land is, there is not much hunting pressure..I know eairlier in the year ive been seeing 10 times as many deer moving in past sun rise and before sunset..just my thoughts…

I believe its the fact that their is still a lot of corn standing and the warm temps.

I believe its the fact that their is still a lot of corn standing and the warm temps.

Cant tell u how happy Id be for a buck like that!! Good job

Cant tell u how happy Id be for a buck like that!! Good job

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Cant tell u how happy Id be for a buck like that!! Good job

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Oh don’t get me wrong, I am happy with every deer. I was real excited when I finally saw this buck. He was my first perfect typical 10 pt which is why I took him instead of taking a doe, which I was getting ready to do with my time in the woods running out. The challenge in taking this deer actually made the moment more sweet. I guess I have been spoiled the last three years with really nice bucks and I was surprised by the lack of deer I saw. I was especially suprised considering that I hunt in an area with so many deer that one is allowed to shoot up to five a year if they choose.

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Cant tell u how happy Id be for a buck like that!! Good job

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Oh don’t get me wrong, I am happy with every deer. I was real excited when I finally saw this buck. He was my first perfect typical 10 pt which is why I took him instead of taking a doe, which I was getting ready to do with my time in the woods running out. The challenge in taking this deer actually made the moment more sweet. I guess I have been spoiled the last three years with really nice bucks and I was surprised by the lack of deer I saw. I was especially suprised considering that I hunt in an area with so many deer that one is allowed to shoot up to five a year if they choose.

I like those pictures! They are different!!

Nice Buck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I like those pictures! They are different!!

Nice Buck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great Buck!!

Totally agree with you about the full moon and the warm temps. Sat. did not see much until after 5 pm. Sunday did not even hear any shots until after 5:15. I think that some were even liberal with there 1/2 hour after sunset interpretation. I heard more shots after 5:40 than I had heard total between 2-5 pm. With the rising moon there was still lots of light, but I always go by the clock! From everyone I have spoke with, the deer were hanging very tight all weekend. Hopefully this upcoming weather maker gets them moving for this coming weekend.

Great Buck!!

Totally agree with you about the full moon and the warm temps. Sat. did not see much until after 5 pm. Sunday did not even hear any shots until after 5:15. I think that some were even liberal with there 1/2 hour after sunset interpretation. I heard more shots after 5:40 than I had heard total between 2-5 pm. With the rising moon there was still lots of light, but I always go by the clock! From everyone I have spoke with, the deer were hanging very tight all weekend. Hopefully this upcoming weather maker gets them moving for this coming weekend.

Ditto. Thats what I am counting on…

big g

Ditto. Thats what I am counting on…

big g

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I like those pictures! They are different!!

Nice Buck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thanks. I was hunting by myself so you have to get creative with the picture taking. I had to set my camera on the four wheeler and use the timer to take the picture with me in it. Everybody has seen a million deer photos, so I usually try to mix it up a little. I figure you can’t hang every deer you get on the wall so you might as well memorialize them on film.

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I like those pictures! They are different!!

Nice Buck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Thanks. I was hunting by myself so you have to get creative with the picture taking. I had to set my camera on the four wheeler and use the timer to take the picture with me in it. Everybody has seen a million deer photos, so I usually try to mix it up a little. I figure you can’t hang every deer you get on the wall so you might as well memorialize them on film.

Here is another photo of the same deer, not a very good picture, but definitely different than the average deer pic.

Here is another photo of the same deer, not a very good picture, but definitely different than the average deer pic.

My favorite from last year’s deer…

My favorite from last year’s deer…

Another good one from last year. This one made the Star Tribune.

Another good one from last year. This one made the Star Tribune.

I have a buddy that i call hillbilly Dave call me at 4 in the morning two days ago. He lives up in n.e. iowa and cellphones me anytime he sees something diffrent or a brusier buck or whatever early in the wee morning because hes delivering papers in the rural areas around his house, i might get a call at 3 or 7 in the morning. He called me and said he couldn’t see the full moon and the deer were running everywhere, more than normal because it was so foggy, he said you could hardly see your hand in front of your face it was so foggy. The lack of night time light seems to move the deer more thats why i hunt the dark of the moon in the rut which is in about 2 weeks. Ive seen much more movement during the day in the dark of the moon let alone at night.