Monday, November 06, 2006
Hunting The Full Moon
Many people swear that hunting the full moon is very productive, but I’ve seen times when deer move well and I’ve also seen more times when any animal movement comes right at the end of shooting time.
Hunters must still play the wind, and a couple of people who set out in the fields to look for big bucks saw them ... a long ways away. The rut is still going strong, and the bucks are in hot pursuit of the does.
Few of these really big bucks are coming near the hunting coops. The does lead them on a merry chase through the fields, and is seems that most of the animals going to the open-field stands that are baited, are smaller bucks and does.
One day soon, the bucks will start roaming farther each day in search of unbred does, and that often puts them close to hunting coops and tree stands. As I wrote last week, walking boldly out onto a limb, I feel Nov. 14 is a great time for taking a buck.
Frankly, as more does are bred and bucks range farther and start checking out the younger does that will soon come into estrus, the chance of seeing a nice buck will increase.
I believe there were more bucks seen tonight than last night, and if the weather holds, I suspect more will be seen tomorrow night. Our buck to doe ratio is almost one to one, and I believe we actually have more bucks than does at this time.
This means the competition for breeding rights is keen between evenly matched bucks. Once the lion’s share of does have been bred, hunters will see more bucks as they move around.
Some of the bucks will visit bait sites, and hunters must be ready because when bucks comes to bait, they are coming to an estrus doe that is feeding there. That buck may walk right through the area, and never slow down as he runs the hot doe off.
The chase can be long or short, and I’ve seen does bring a buck full circle on many occasions, and lead him past a bait site. Sometimes the buck is within bow range, and other times there is no opportunity for a clean shot.
Hunting the rut, and the full moon, is a tricky endeavor. I’ve seen many times when this combination works for the hunter, and on other occasions, the deer move too late for a shot.
But this is why we hunt every day. If we wait to hunt just when we feel the best days are upon us, we rob ourselves of the total enjoyment of a bow hunt in bad times and good. The bottom line is that we increase our chance of success the more we hunt, and being afield certainly beats watching game shows on television.—The Whitetail Wizard