From Kansas to Virginia and north to Canada, 95 percent of the adult does will come into estrous and be bred from roughly November 5-20, regardless of moon phase, or weather for that matter. Biologists will tell you it’s been that way for years in the Northern two-thirds of the country, and will continue to be that way forever. So take off anytime from Halloween though Thanksgiving, and you’ll hunt rutting deer. And anytime you hunt rutting deer you are going to have a good time, with the potential to shoot a good buck.
But I do believe that some days and weeks are better than others to take your bowhunting vacation according to when the various phases of the “rutting moon” occur each November. I base this on two things. One, my 30 years of hunting and observing does and bucks as they seek, chase and breed each November. And two, my keen interest in all things lunar, and how the four phases might affect deer movement. I read all the moon research I can get my hands, and then compare that data to my field notes.
A great study on the moon and its effects on whitetail movement was conducted by researchers at North Carolina State University, and highlighted at the prestigious Southeast Deer Study Group back in 2012. The researchers tracked GPS-collared deer throughout the four lunar phases, and analyzed text messages sent from those collars to determine when the does and bucks moved the most–and the least. I cross-referenced the study’s findings with my field notes, and found some similarities and common ground. We’ll use that to make some predictions on how and when the deer will move around and rut this November.
November 1: New Moon
The NC State study confirmed one constant we already know: Whitetails are crepuscular, which means they are active mostly at dawn and dusk, regardless of moon phase. “That fact did not change,” says researcher Marcus Lashley, who headed the study. “But the intensity of movement in each period when the deer decided to move did change.”
In some moon phases the deer were noticeably more active at dawn than they were at dusk. The new moon is example of that. “We saw a large peak of movement at daylight during this phase, and below average movement the rest of the day and night,” Lashley notes.
In any given year the first week of November, when bucks rub and scrape as they troll for the first receptive does, is one of the best times to bowhunt for a big deer. Hundreds of giant bucks are arrowed this week across North America.
If you take off this week, you ought to hunt all day every day, because you never know. But remember the new science that says with the moon new and dark and waxing crescent, bucks will be most active at daylight. Get on stand extra early and hunt the mornings extra hard.
November 9: First-Quarter Moon
The NC State study found that during the first-quarter moon, deer move less on average throughout the day than in all the other phases. Researcher Lashley goes so far as to say, “that would be a good seven days to work.” Looking back to my notes, I wouldn’t go that far. Many huge bucks are killed every year during the peak-rut window of November 9-14, regardless of moon phase or weather.
That said, I defer to the science this year. On and around November 10 every season, the major lockdown hits in many areas, particularly in the Midwest, as mature bucks hole up in covers and tend and breed does. Couple that the data that says the overall deer activity will diminish during the first-quarter moon of November 9 and it’s setting up to be a tough week.
Iowa big-buck hunter Mark Drury, a moon fanatic like me, concurs. “Look for the lockdown in mid-November to be fairly tough, but once bucks start to free up around the 15th, and with the full moon coming on, I think the buck movement will be quite good at all times of the day.”
November 15: Full Moon
For the last several years Drury and I have texted back and forth from tree stands across America, talking a lot about the November moon and what we’re seeing. Turns out we’re both working on a theory—mature bucks move great during the day in and around a full moon that hangs high in late October and anytime in November. Of course this flies in the face of what many of you have read and believe–that deer are most active at night during a big moon, and therefore move less in daylight. But I believe we’re on to something, because the more I hunt during the rutting moon across the U.S. and Canada, the more bucks I seem to see wandering around the woods, or chasing does. Mark agrees. We are not scientists so we can’t give you any hard data to that end, we just know we like hunting the full moon more and more.
Marcus Lashley is a scientist, and his findings on the full moon in the NC State study back us up, at least somewhat. “A common misconception is that deer can see better at night (and hence move all over the place) because it’s brighter. But according to our data they actually move less on average at night during a full moon and more during the middle of the day, and also earlier in the evenings,” he says.
I believe things are setting up to be red-hot during the moon that waxes full on November 15. Most of the old bucks will be coming out of lockdown around November 15, and as they go back on the prowl for more does, some of them will move long and hard from around 11:00 a.m. until dark each day. Mark Drury loves hunting November 16-20, and he predicts this will be a great time to kill a big buck this fall, maybe the best time of the 2024 rut. I concur and plan to get on stand by 9:00 a.m. and hunt till dark.
November 22: Last-Quarter Moon
Late November is tough and unpredictable any season. The breeding is winding down, and bucks most everywhere have been pressured by bowmen and gun hunters for two months. Simple math says that there are fewer bucks in the woods because a good number of them were harvested earlier in the season.
But there is hope this year. According to the NC State researchers, from a moon perspective, the deer movement should be best from November 22 until the end of the month. “If you are going to hunt the last hour of the day anytime this season, you should do it on the last quarter because that was the most extreme deer movement we saw during the whole study.”
Try this. Set an afternoon stand near a secluded, thick-cover funnel that leads out to a crop field where you know some does are feeding. A skittish, weary buck is still ready and willing to breed any last doe that will give him a chance. You might just stick one yet as he sneaks out to check the girls in the last wisps of light.
