Solunar Tables? Does anyone here go by them?

[massbigbore442001]

Hello All:

Yesterday I went out with the muzzleloader for whitetail deer in So. Worcester County Massachusetts. I took three days of vacation time to give myself until New Years Eve to hunt up to 4:56 PM when I have to legally quit and it will be another year under my belt. So far this year has been deerless.

I am doing a little experiment. I am following the Solunar tables for the week and see if that helps out in any way. According to the tables I went to my spot at 9:15 AM . Yeah. I know it is late but I had things to do in the AM and I wanted to see how this thing works.

Well. Sure enough I jumped one on my way into my stand. I figure that I needed to go a half hour or more earlier. I will check my trail cameras to see if this can be corroborated. So for yesterday the prime time was 930 to 1130 and then a short window of 230 to 330 in the afternoon. That afternoon the winds were variable and went to the other side of the swamp. I did not see anything.

Today the tables indicate that the best time is 1030 to 1230. It is supposed to be rather windy so I'll hunt off the ground rather than in a treestand. I'll let everyone know what happens.

 

[deermanok]

I'm not a true believer myself. I recently read an article about how a university study found that a number of deer they had GPS collars on seemed to disprove those tables. Deer do move around with some predictability, dawn and dusk for sure but not always linked to moon phases.
On the other hand, some hunters and fishermen swear by those predicted times. I think it's a crap shoot myself. But, whatever works, I guess.

 

[jims]

I am not a believer in them.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Also not a follower of the solunar table. The #1 best working secret for successful deer hunting has always been, "Be In The Woods As Much As Possible".
The more you go the more deer you'll see.

 

[retrieverman]

I don’t hunt solely by the solunar chart, but I do use it as a “guide”. If I had only killed one big buck by using the chart, I could chalk it up to blind luck, but the fact that I’ve killed 5 makes it a lot hard to deny the legitimacy.
2012

2014

2015

2019

2020

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Might be your lucky hunting beard, @retrieverman. I primarily shoot does and they are as predictable as a clock. Maybe bucks are more idk, "in tune with the moon"?

 

[retrieverman]

Also not a follower of the solunar table. The #1 best working secret for successful deer hunting has always been, "Be In The Woods As Much As Possible".
The more you go the more deer you'll see.

I agree with you, but in my case, my land is over 500 miles from where I live. I plan my trips up to hunt by the solunar chart, and it’s worked for me.

 

[retrieverman]

Might be your lucky hunting beard, @retrieverman. I primarily shoot does and they are as predictable as a clock. Maybe bucks are more idk, "in tune with the moon"?

Cancer got my Dad in 2014, and though I’m not superstitious, I’ve been wearing one of his old camo hunting shirts on pretty much every hunt since then. I had that particular shirt on when I killed my 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020 bucks. Solunar chart or lucky shirt, which is more believable?!?
To be on the safe side, I will continue to wear the shirt AND use the solunar chart.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

If it works, do not mess with it.

 

[MrTom]

I will use the tables to some extent for deer, more for fishing. Basically I don't like hunting on a full moon and love a new moon for hunting. On a new moon I shoot more deer very early or very late in the day with few seen during the day. A full moon I see and have more opportunities to shoot deer mid-day unless it is a day during a weather event like rain or snow. Then the weather can shuffle things up a bit. That's where the barometer comes into play.

I'm big on following the barometer for deer. They can sense weather changes days before we can and will react or change their patterns equally far in advance of changing weather. I use an on-line NOAA chart that shows daily barometric changes recorded at our airport hourly. I use the same for fishing.

 

[michiganmuzzy]

I believe most if not all smartfones now have barometric pressure sensors. You can get your local readings and track it directly where ever you are.

 

[toytruck]

I hunt a particular area depending on the wind an deer pattern I have witnessed. Eight deer were taken this season, so seems to be working!

 

[michiganmuzzy]

Wind is a big factor in where i will hunt

 

[Saxtonyoung]

I've taken a lot of deer including some nice bucks and contribute that to spending a lot of time in the woods. Kind of like being a good shot , the more you practice the " luckier" you get. I too like to play the wind and the older I get I'm less apt to stay out in cold weather but I will say one of my nicest bucks came on a super windy day and if it wasn't the last day of the season I would have cancelled my hunt.

 

[snapbang]

I'm big on following the barometer for deer.

I hunt when I can but try hard to be in the woods on a changing barometer.

 

[sam-arkie]

I believe the tables are a good guide, but they can be over ridden by weather, hunting pressure and other factors. I think the best time to go hunting or fishing is whenever you can, but if I have to plan ahead on a time to go, I try and line the times with when the solunar tables say is best. I especially like use the tables best days feature when trying to pick the best dates for a hunting or fishing trip that is months in the future. I have a very good friend that has been one of the top pro bass fishermen for 40+ years and he swears by the solunar/lunar tables, for fishing and hunting.

 

[JimA]

I pay no attention to the tables at all. I hunt when I'm able to. I watch the wind to figure what area to hunt but figure I can't get anything staying at home looking out the window!

 

[Denis]

Never, my life’s lesson on hunting you never know when you meet the game your hunting. In the camp it never happens. In the woods chances are much better. I’ve shot some nice critters on the low days

 

[retrieverman]

Here’s a slightly off topic question...do you just deer hunt in general or do you pick out a particular buck and hunt him?!?

I ask the question because deer will move every day and at all hours of the day, but if you’re only hunting “mature” bucks, they are more predictable by the solunar chart. It’s still not a 100% science, but then again, neither is the roni vaccine the govt has spent billions on.

 

[Denis]

i always hunt for the big one, but we have a short season, so when we hit the end technically anything 6 points over is invited to the freezer. I would say most of my big boys between 10 am and 2 pm. Can’t always be to choosy And try the next year, my wife made a comment about my hunts , i tend to forget that a good majority of my deer are over 200 lbs the biggest 257 gutted. So when i get a smaller one i should just smile.When you think about one in 10 hunters will get a deer. I’m often criticized going out in any situation in rain, snow, storm you name it and that’s when the magic happens .