Aligning a scope on a rifle for the first time or resetting the scope, if needed, is easily accomplished with usually one shot at approximately 25 yards. One can then refer to a ballistics chart for the particular bullet weight, manufacturer, etc. to determine how his bullet will perform (rise or fall of the bullet) at 100, 200 yards and beyond, and adjust the scope for the rise or fall of the bullet before actually shooting the rifle at the yardage he desires.
Some basic but necessary tools include a sturdy platform, such as a bench or table that cannot be easily moved or shaken, a shooting vise or sand bags that hold the rifle semi rigid and a fairly large target. A large piece of cardboard with a target attached or a bulls eye simply drawn on the cardboard will suffice for the large target. I personally use a fairly simple and sort of small sized & low cost shooter's vise (a Shooters Ridge Shooting Vise that can be purchased for near $40) that clamps the forearm and stock of the rifle securely, then tightly bungie strap the vise to a sturdy table.
Preferably, the first step in setting a newly installed scope to assure the first shot hits the target in a reasonable proximity to the bulls eye, is accomplished by boresighting the rifle. Boresighting, by any method used, is to only align the scope with the rifle bore in a somewhat general proximity.
Boresighting a bolt action rifle or an inline muzzleloader can be done by simply removing the bolt on a bolt action rifle or the breech plug on an inline muzzleloader so that the bore can be looked through to determine where to set the scope's crosshairs for the scope to be generally aligned to the rifle bore. An autoloader, a pump action rifle, a non inline muzzleloader or any other rifle that the bore cannot be directly looked through must be boresighted using one of the boresight devices available at sporting goods stores, online, etc.
When boresighting a rifle by simply looking down the bore, place the rifle with the bolt or breech plug removed in the shooting vise or sandbags. Then look down the bore and move the rifle until the bulls eye on a target (the same target and distance that will be used later will do) centers exactly. Then, without moving the rifle at all, adjust the scope until the crosshairs are exactly centered on the bulls eye. You can always double check this if there was a chance the rifle was moved during the process.
When boresighting a rifle using one of the boresight devices, it is probably best to follow the directions that came with the device because there are a number of ways these various devices work. One can choose to not spend the money on a boresight device and fire the rifle to check and adjust boresight instead. The target must be large and close to the shooter, within something like 5-10 yards. This process would generally be the same as the process described below.
Before continuing, something should be said about rifle barrel temperatures, muzzleloader barrel cleanness, bullets used and crosswinds. Any rifle barrel gains heat and moves around a little forward of the scope mounting area immediately after it has been fired and most any muzzleloader tends to slightly alter the point of bullet impact after the barrel has become fouled from a previous shot. Firing the rifle in fairly rapid succession while setting the scope or failing to swab a muzzleloader barrel between shots are both some very common mistakes people make. Mixing bullet weights, bullet designs, bullet manufacturers and powder charges also usually alter the point of impact. Fairly high crosswinds will have an effect too.
The best scope aligning job is attained on a rifle where the barrel is kept cold and clean (muzzleloaders) and the same bullets or powder charges used that will be used for hunting or just target practice. In fact when hunting, the very first shot is usually through a clean, cold barrel.
I get a little irritated by people who say a particular high powered rifle shoots groups of 1-2 inches at 100 yards, a .22 maybe but not most high powered rifles. Something is amiss if if their rifle shoots that inaccurate. Most modern rifles and most modern quality muzzleloaders are capable of a great deal better than that, and in fact many flat shooting rifles can even almost stack bullets when a little time and care is used. Shooting 3 shot groups in fairly rapid succession (without letting the barrel cool back to cold between shots), then setting the scope to the center of that group is not a really good way align a scope.
Here in the Deep South, most game animals are taken at ranges of 100 yards or less. Most modern high powered rifles (muzzleloaders included) will shoot well within the kill zone at ranges of out to 200 yards and less than 100 yards too when the scope is set using 25 yards. At approximately 25 yards, the initial fall of the bullet is over and the bullet climbs back to level with the barrel. The bullet then climbs to the top of its arch and then falls back to level with the barrel at somewhere around 150-200 yards. At least that's how every high powered rifle & muzzleloader I own shoots, so that's why we'll use 25 yards as a target distance to set the scope at.
To pinpoint the scope exactly, a great deal of care and prior preparation is necessary to avoid moving the rifle even the smallest amount at times and to exactly center the crosshairs on the bulls eye at others. The time spent doing this exactly will be well worth the effort in both a job well done and saved money in ammunition.
First, secure the rifle in the shooting vise or with sand bags with the crosshairs of the scope centered exactly on the bulls eye. Fire the rifle making absolutely certain not to pull it from the point of aim with the pulling of the trigger. Any movement should be as a result of rifle recoil and nothing else. Remember to let the barrel cool back to cold and swab the barrel on a muzzleloader any time another shot is necessary.
Now, place the rifle back in the exact same position with the scope again exactly centered on the bulls eye and very cautiously adjust the crosshair screws until the crosshairs exactly center the bullet hole. During this step, any movement at all of the rifle will necessitate redoing the above two steps.
Your scope is now set, but to be sure, you can fire a second shot at the bulls eye with the rifle again secured and the barrel cold and swabbed in the case of a muzzleloader. This shot should be very near the center of the bulls eye. If you do have a rifle that tends to shoot a little inaccurate, you can always shoot a 3 shot group and set the scope crosshairs to the center of that group. BUT be sure every one of those 3 shots is through a completely cold barrel and a swabbed barrel if the rifle is a muzzleloader, otherwise you're not really setting the scope as accurate as possible.
If you want the scope set for 300-500 yards or so, refer to an exact ballistics chart or at least to a close match (rifle and ammunition) and adjust the scope elevation crosshairs upwards the necessary amount according to the scope's per click change in elevation.
If you want, the rifle can be fired at those distances to be sure it is OK. Make sure it is a near calm day because even light wind can make a lot of difference at those distances.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Tree Stands Versus Blinds In The Deep South
Here in the Deep South, tree stands or high free standing “towers” are very popular modes of waiting on deer. These high devices are particularly suitable for high powered rifles because the shooter is shooting downward most of the time, which makes the bullet hit the ground in a relatively short distance if it does not find it's intended target. These high devices can also be dangerous for the hunter using them, and all to often result in an accident that severely injures the hunter. Accidents vary from a careless person climbing with a loaded gun to an unstable device falling with the hunter inside it or on the ladder climbing it. Slick steps and ladder rungs or climbing with heavy gloves can cause falls too.
On the other hand, blinds pose no such climbing dangers but can be dangerous if placed in a location where another hunter on the ground can shoot a high powered rifle toward one of them. Blinds with high powered rifles can be dangerous if the person in the blind is not very careful of any other person that might on the ground and within shooting range.
The need for concealment from game makes any device, whether it is elevated or not, clash with visibility of hunter safety vests and caps while the hunter is inside them because the safety vest and/or cap may not be visible to others. Taking hunter safety vests and caps visibility lightly can result in a very serious hunting accident!
Deer hunters who are disabled or feel that climbing is unsafe for them often use blinds. These blinds are either the manufactured type or “home made”. There are pros and cons for the use of each type.
I have found that a manufactured pop up blind is not very practical for deer because most of them are highly visible to deer as something that is unnatural. A blind that is made of brush or covered with something like burlap largely goes unnoticed by deer. On the other hand, turkeys pay no attention to pop up blinds. Therefore I use “homemade” blinds for deer hunting and pop up blinds for turkey hunting because of the necessary portability turkey hunting requires.
For portability while deer hunting, I built a trailer out of an old boat trailer that can be pulled with any of my ATVs. This trailer is a multi purpose trailer in that it can be converted to a 4ft x 6ft flatbed trailer for utility work or a blind complete with a swivel seat, small table, gear storage hooks, heater and leveling/stabilizing devices. I covered the sides and top of this blind with UV resistant tarp for wind/rain resistance and covered the tarp material on the sides with camo burlap for concealment purposes.
I also built a similarly set up blind for permanently placing in a choice location but with removable wheels and tongue so that it could be towed to the location with an ATV or moved if desired. The wheels and tongue are removed and the blind is chained and locked to a nearby tree to discourage any undesirable trespassers from stealing the blind. This blind has stands to elevate it some for seeing/shooting over weeds and to protect it's interior against potential floods. It also has bolt on steps and hand rails to gain safe access to it's elevated interior.
www.hastprotrucks.com
On the other hand, blinds pose no such climbing dangers but can be dangerous if placed in a location where another hunter on the ground can shoot a high powered rifle toward one of them. Blinds with high powered rifles can be dangerous if the person in the blind is not very careful of any other person that might on the ground and within shooting range.
The need for concealment from game makes any device, whether it is elevated or not, clash with visibility of hunter safety vests and caps while the hunter is inside them because the safety vest and/or cap may not be visible to others. Taking hunter safety vests and caps visibility lightly can result in a very serious hunting accident!
Deer hunters who are disabled or feel that climbing is unsafe for them often use blinds. These blinds are either the manufactured type or “home made”. There are pros and cons for the use of each type.
I have found that a manufactured pop up blind is not very practical for deer because most of them are highly visible to deer as something that is unnatural. A blind that is made of brush or covered with something like burlap largely goes unnoticed by deer. On the other hand, turkeys pay no attention to pop up blinds. Therefore I use “homemade” blinds for deer hunting and pop up blinds for turkey hunting because of the necessary portability turkey hunting requires.
For portability while deer hunting, I built a trailer out of an old boat trailer that can be pulled with any of my ATVs. This trailer is a multi purpose trailer in that it can be converted to a 4ft x 6ft flatbed trailer for utility work or a blind complete with a swivel seat, small table, gear storage hooks, heater and leveling/stabilizing devices. I covered the sides and top of this blind with UV resistant tarp for wind/rain resistance and covered the tarp material on the sides with camo burlap for concealment purposes.
I also built a similarly set up blind for permanently placing in a choice location but with removable wheels and tongue so that it could be towed to the location with an ATV or moved if desired. The wheels and tongue are removed and the blind is chained and locked to a nearby tree to discourage any undesirable trespassers from stealing the blind. This blind has stands to elevate it some for seeing/shooting over weeds and to protect it's interior against potential floods. It also has bolt on steps and hand rails to gain safe access to it's elevated interior.
www.hastprotrucks.com
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Hunting The Deep South
In the Deep South, there is a divers mixture of woodlands, bottom lands, swamps, mountains, hills, plains, fields and waterways. Where woods are abundant, there is a mixture of hardwoods and piney woods with planted pine and hardwood plantations mixed in.
Underbrush, weeds and vines flourish where there is adequate sunshine and moisture. Sometimes this growth forms an almost impenetrable barrier along roadways, fields and fences unless fence lines are cleaned and/or sprayed regularly. Weeds, underbrush and vines are very quick to take over clearings and fields, where they are allowed to go unchecked for a few years, and can become largely impenetrable as well.
Clearcuts or select cuts, where the timber companies and others either completely cut the woodlands down or only cut down the most mature trees, will shortly grow up in weeds and brush. Most of the time, clearcuts are sprayed to prevent this, which renders the land contained in the clearcut a place animals largely avoid for 1-2 years after spraying. When these clearcuts have been replanted and again are growing numerous species of grasses and weeds, game animals are again attracted to them both because of the browse they contain and the cover they afford.
The abundant waterways and flooded farmlands make duck hunting really good. In the years where there is plenty of fall rains, sloughs and other naturally occurring waterways along with flooded timber make duck hunting quite possible just about everywhere. Farmers sometimes flood their fields after their crops are harvested and offer paid duck hunting. Ever heard of Stuttgart, AR?
These things combined often makes hunting the Deep South a challenge, but it also can make hunting rewarding when done right. Deer, turkey, wild hogs, small game and furbearing animals are all abundant in the Deep South. Several species of migratory birds go and come through the Deep South by the millions yearly. Bear, alligators, elk and other game is making a comeback in areas where they were almost killed out, with hunting this game already possible in certain areas.
www.hastprotrucks.com
Friday, October 30, 2009
Fall Daytime Deer Movement - Hunting
Successful deer hunting is fully dependent on daytime deer movement.
Dogs will make deer move when they are bedded down, or locate/expose them if natural movement is very little and very slow. However, the use of dogs present a whole set of problems. Problems such as the Game & Fish dept. allowing dogs to be used in your area or not, catching your dogs before they leave your area during a chase, deer being chased by dogs are running (sometimes wildly) and year round lodging/feeding of the dogs.
Possibly the best location to be when using dogs is on a stand or in a blind in a good location where deer slipping away from the chase can be harvested. Slipping deer usually are not traveling very fast and may even stop frequently. Since their attention is on avoiding the chase, they are not as tuned in on looking for or in detecting a hunter by smell as they normally would be in high hunting pressure situations. Large mature bucks often fall into the category of a slipping deer.
Waiting in a stand or blind for natural deer movement (without the use of dogs) is only successful when the deer are moving from natural forces in the daytime. These forces include moon phase, weather, food availability, rutting periods, hunting pressure (or the lack of hunting pressure), etc.
Moon phase is probably the first thing to consider since it seems to activate/deactivate daytime deer movement the most, as well as control the time of day deer movement is best. Moon phase versus daytime deer movement is somewhat complicated since not every moon phase happens during the nighttime or during the daytime, but during both. Also, the moon does not follow the same path across the sky, it repeats only every 28 days, and has more influence when it is at it's highest point per region.
Altogether too many hunting/fishing moon phased based calenders simply do not work as they should, and they will tend to make hunters/anglers abandon the notion that moon phases does have a direct influence on game/fish activity versus the time of day this activity occurs. Deer hunting especially, is the best example of these generic type moon phase based hunting/fishing calenders not working well.
Although deer movement patterns can be likened to catfish biting, deer movement during the daytime according to moon phase is greatly more complicated than catfish. For instance, deer movement in more open woods or fields will be greater than in heavy cover during some phases, and during other moon phases, deer movement in heavy cover will be greater. A deer hunter cannot simply set up in only one spot and expect to have good results, he must have a stand in more open spaces and another in more heavy cover. A stand or blind location that incorporates both open spaces and heavy cover is hard to find, but very well may be the best all around location if one wants to set up only one primary stand or blind.
When the moon is at 3/4 to full moon phase during the nighttime (1st quarter to half moon and the moon at it's highest in the sky is the best), deer movement during the daytime will generally be best from around 9:00 am to around 3-4:00 pm and can be random and often throughout this period. Sometimes specific weather will alter these movement times or include very early and/or very late daytime movement. Various stages and various moonrise/set times of 3/4 to full moon at night will also cause very early or very late daytime movement too.
When the moon is at 3/4 to full moon during the daytime, deer daytime movement patterns change to from very early in the morning to approximately 10-11:00 am, and again in the afternoon from about 3:00 pm to dark. Various stages and various moonrise/set times of these moon phases during the daytime will determine the exact time deer movement occurs best. And again, specific weather can further alter these times.
Perhaps the daytime movement of deer is the very best for any given day in various stages of when the moon is from approximately 1/4 to new or approximately 1/4 to full. Of course daytime movement times vary widely depending on the moonrise/set times. Probably the very best all around daytime movement times versus moon phase occur when the moon is in it's first quarter to half moon and up only in the daytime with the moon at it's highest in the sky. The next best would occur when the moon is in it's first quarter to half moon and up only at night with the moon at it's highest in the sky. There again, exact daytime movement times are effected by the various moonrise/set times. Both full moon and new moon phases make for generally slow deer hunting.
Cloudy days/nights will effect all the moon phases, with increased deer movement anytime the moon is up on cloudy nights. While heavy rainfall during the daytime suppresses daytime movement, heavy rainfall during the night with little or no rain in the daytime the next day will tend to enhance daytime movement. Drizzling rain or on/off rain showers, especially long termed, tends to increase daytime deer movement.
Wind may or may not play a factor in deer movement depending on whether or not steady wind is a normal everyday occurrence in your particular area. In areas of the deep South for instance, wind plays a significant part in deer movement. In areas of the country like south Texas, where steady winds are normal, deer movement is not necessarily effected. On especially windy days in the deep south, one generally wants to be on stand during the morning before the wind gets high and again in the evening just as the wind sets. Positioning oneself to take advantage of the wind by staying downwind is very important everywhere.
Food availability directly effects where (location) any deer movement occurs. Setting up your stand or blind on the normally traveled trail(s) to and from food sources to bedding areas will result in greater chances at harvesting deer. Study your area before deer season to determine the location of available food sources during deer season versus available bedding areas near those food sources. Situate your stand or blind in a likely location somewhere in between.
Trophy buck hunting during periods of rut is a whole new ball game altogether. Bucks in rut do not necessarily follow normal patterns nor necessarily observe normal moon phases and weather. Hunting bucks in rut, especially trophy bucks, takes a whole new approach and mindset. While does normally follow feeding patterns according to available food and are still more subject to the various moon phases and weather, stand or blind location to have a greater chance at harvesting a trophy buck must be changed.
Instead of bucks in rut following trails does normally travel, they will often travel a route that intersects those doe trails. The trails the bucks travel will usually be in heavy cover and/or across the middle of open land or open woods where no cover is available. Bucks chasing does will expose themselves in open areas but will return to the security of heavy cover when not chasing a doe. Study your area to find the normal travel route of does, then find intersecting thick cover routes. A stand or blind situated to where this cover can be seen through as well as shot through will possibly give you a chance at a trophy of a lifetime.
It is smart to hunt bucks in rut at odd times to normal deer travel times. Trophy bucks often move when the does are bedded down. This is a good time to sneak from tree to tree in the woods, stopping at each tree for some time to look around for moving bucks and bucks chasing does. Oftentimes a buck will get a doe in heat up from her bed, where the chase is on and cover is not necessarily observed.
Another note worthy of being mentioned is, minor/major period deer movement can be approximately 3 hours apart between a minor period and the major period, and six hours apart between either major periods or minor periods. That is, when you begin to see deer movement at 8:00am you may see some type of deer movement again at around 11:00am, 2:00pm and around 5:00pm. Since these times are minor and major periods, deer movement may be more intense during some and less intense during others.
Not all days really have a major daytime period. Instead there may be a series of periods that could be considered as minor periods. Some days, hardly no deer movement in the daytime will occur. This can be all be attributed to several things including moon phase, moonrise/set times, weather conditions and hunting pressure.
Daytime deer movement by moon phases in the deep south can best be likened to catfish biting as mentioned earlier. Catfish bite the best at night when the nights are completely dark, that is, void of any moon showing, and bite the best in the daytime when there is no moon showing in the daytime. Although deer movement in the daytime does not exactly match catfish activity, daytime deer movement can be predicted in much the same way by paying attention to the different phases of the moon as well as time of day the moon rises and sets.
Year around, anytime a deer hunter is in the field or on the roads and see good deer movement during the daytime, he/she should take note of the moon phase, moon rise/set time, the time of day he/she sees this movement and the weather at the time of the observation. Then when deer season comes around, the deer hunter will be armed with the general knowledge of moon phase and weather factors versus daytime deer movement for the general area he/she lives in. With this knowledge, hunting pressure issues can be managed as well because that hunter can be on stand when the natural elements have the greatest influence. Oftentimes that hunter will find that other hunters are at camp when he is on stand!
Dogs will make deer move when they are bedded down, or locate/expose them if natural movement is very little and very slow. However, the use of dogs present a whole set of problems. Problems such as the Game & Fish dept. allowing dogs to be used in your area or not, catching your dogs before they leave your area during a chase, deer being chased by dogs are running (sometimes wildly) and year round lodging/feeding of the dogs.
Possibly the best location to be when using dogs is on a stand or in a blind in a good location where deer slipping away from the chase can be harvested. Slipping deer usually are not traveling very fast and may even stop frequently. Since their attention is on avoiding the chase, they are not as tuned in on looking for or in detecting a hunter by smell as they normally would be in high hunting pressure situations. Large mature bucks often fall into the category of a slipping deer.
Waiting in a stand or blind for natural deer movement (without the use of dogs) is only successful when the deer are moving from natural forces in the daytime. These forces include moon phase, weather, food availability, rutting periods, hunting pressure (or the lack of hunting pressure), etc.
Moon phase is probably the first thing to consider since it seems to activate/deactivate daytime deer movement the most, as well as control the time of day deer movement is best. Moon phase versus daytime deer movement is somewhat complicated since not every moon phase happens during the nighttime or during the daytime, but during both. Also, the moon does not follow the same path across the sky, it repeats only every 28 days, and has more influence when it is at it's highest point per region.
Altogether too many hunting/fishing moon phased based calenders simply do not work as they should, and they will tend to make hunters/anglers abandon the notion that moon phases does have a direct influence on game/fish activity versus the time of day this activity occurs. Deer hunting especially, is the best example of these generic type moon phase based hunting/fishing calenders not working well.
Although deer movement patterns can be likened to catfish biting, deer movement during the daytime according to moon phase is greatly more complicated than catfish. For instance, deer movement in more open woods or fields will be greater than in heavy cover during some phases, and during other moon phases, deer movement in heavy cover will be greater. A deer hunter cannot simply set up in only one spot and expect to have good results, he must have a stand in more open spaces and another in more heavy cover. A stand or blind location that incorporates both open spaces and heavy cover is hard to find, but very well may be the best all around location if one wants to set up only one primary stand or blind.
When the moon is at 3/4 to full moon phase during the nighttime (1st quarter to half moon and the moon at it's highest in the sky is the best), deer movement during the daytime will generally be best from around 9:00 am to around 3-4:00 pm and can be random and often throughout this period. Sometimes specific weather will alter these movement times or include very early and/or very late daytime movement. Various stages and various moonrise/set times of 3/4 to full moon at night will also cause very early or very late daytime movement too.
When the moon is at 3/4 to full moon during the daytime, deer daytime movement patterns change to from very early in the morning to approximately 10-11:00 am, and again in the afternoon from about 3:00 pm to dark. Various stages and various moonrise/set times of these moon phases during the daytime will determine the exact time deer movement occurs best. And again, specific weather can further alter these times.
Perhaps the daytime movement of deer is the very best for any given day in various stages of when the moon is from approximately 1/4 to new or approximately 1/4 to full. Of course daytime movement times vary widely depending on the moonrise/set times. Probably the very best all around daytime movement times versus moon phase occur when the moon is in it's first quarter to half moon and up only in the daytime with the moon at it's highest in the sky. The next best would occur when the moon is in it's first quarter to half moon and up only at night with the moon at it's highest in the sky. There again, exact daytime movement times are effected by the various moonrise/set times. Both full moon and new moon phases make for generally slow deer hunting.
Cloudy days/nights will effect all the moon phases, with increased deer movement anytime the moon is up on cloudy nights. While heavy rainfall during the daytime suppresses daytime movement, heavy rainfall during the night with little or no rain in the daytime the next day will tend to enhance daytime movement. Drizzling rain or on/off rain showers, especially long termed, tends to increase daytime deer movement.
Wind may or may not play a factor in deer movement depending on whether or not steady wind is a normal everyday occurrence in your particular area. In areas of the deep South for instance, wind plays a significant part in deer movement. In areas of the country like south Texas, where steady winds are normal, deer movement is not necessarily effected. On especially windy days in the deep south, one generally wants to be on stand during the morning before the wind gets high and again in the evening just as the wind sets. Positioning oneself to take advantage of the wind by staying downwind is very important everywhere.
Food availability directly effects where (location) any deer movement occurs. Setting up your stand or blind on the normally traveled trail(s) to and from food sources to bedding areas will result in greater chances at harvesting deer. Study your area before deer season to determine the location of available food sources during deer season versus available bedding areas near those food sources. Situate your stand or blind in a likely location somewhere in between.
Trophy buck hunting during periods of rut is a whole new ball game altogether. Bucks in rut do not necessarily follow normal patterns nor necessarily observe normal moon phases and weather. Hunting bucks in rut, especially trophy bucks, takes a whole new approach and mindset. While does normally follow feeding patterns according to available food and are still more subject to the various moon phases and weather, stand or blind location to have a greater chance at harvesting a trophy buck must be changed.
Instead of bucks in rut following trails does normally travel, they will often travel a route that intersects those doe trails. The trails the bucks travel will usually be in heavy cover and/or across the middle of open land or open woods where no cover is available. Bucks chasing does will expose themselves in open areas but will return to the security of heavy cover when not chasing a doe. Study your area to find the normal travel route of does, then find intersecting thick cover routes. A stand or blind situated to where this cover can be seen through as well as shot through will possibly give you a chance at a trophy of a lifetime.
It is smart to hunt bucks in rut at odd times to normal deer travel times. Trophy bucks often move when the does are bedded down. This is a good time to sneak from tree to tree in the woods, stopping at each tree for some time to look around for moving bucks and bucks chasing does. Oftentimes a buck will get a doe in heat up from her bed, where the chase is on and cover is not necessarily observed.
Another note worthy of being mentioned is, minor/major period deer movement can be approximately 3 hours apart between a minor period and the major period, and six hours apart between either major periods or minor periods. That is, when you begin to see deer movement at 8:00am you may see some type of deer movement again at around 11:00am, 2:00pm and around 5:00pm. Since these times are minor and major periods, deer movement may be more intense during some and less intense during others.
Not all days really have a major daytime period. Instead there may be a series of periods that could be considered as minor periods. Some days, hardly no deer movement in the daytime will occur. This can be all be attributed to several things including moon phase, moonrise/set times, weather conditions and hunting pressure.
Daytime deer movement by moon phases in the deep south can best be likened to catfish biting as mentioned earlier. Catfish bite the best at night when the nights are completely dark, that is, void of any moon showing, and bite the best in the daytime when there is no moon showing in the daytime. Although deer movement in the daytime does not exactly match catfish activity, daytime deer movement can be predicted in much the same way by paying attention to the different phases of the moon as well as time of day the moon rises and sets.
Year around, anytime a deer hunter is in the field or on the roads and see good deer movement during the daytime, he/she should take note of the moon phase, moon rise/set time, the time of day he/she sees this movement and the weather at the time of the observation. Then when deer season comes around, the deer hunter will be armed with the general knowledge of moon phase and weather factors versus daytime deer movement for the general area he/she lives in. With this knowledge, hunting pressure issues can be managed as well because that hunter can be on stand when the natural elements have the greatest influence. Oftentimes that hunter will find that other hunters are at camp when he is on stand!
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