Does the moon cycle affect spring grizzly hunting?

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21 February 2010, 10:10

EXPRESS

Does the moon cycle affect spring grizzly hunting?

I'm about to book a spring bear hunt in Kamchatka, and the first 5 days coincide with a full moon.
Has anyone ever noticed less bear activity when you have a full moon?

21 February 2010, 18:11

ncboman

Doan know about bear/moon relationship but I like the quarter moons for deer hunting.

Friend owns a bear hunting guide service here in NC and says bears move at any hour of the day seemingly without rhyme or reason. He has all the kills recorded so I'll ask him if he keeps records of moon phases.

Interesting.

21 February 2010, 19:18

ted thorn

Here in Missouri the moon phase doesn't seem to affect the Grizz population much.
There are just a fiew in our state though....St Louis area I think.

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22 February 2010, 04:05

ravenr

i know i would pay close attention to the moon if the hunt coincides with the bear rut or
breeding season.
imo the moon controls the estrus cycle of every mammal in the world.
on any rut hunt i would want the first night of the full moon to fall on the last day of my hunt.
that said i've never hunted griz...
but i have hunted and guided 11 or 12 other n.american species and have followed the moon phases and daytime activity levels for the past 15-20 yrs.

22 February 2010, 05:18

ncboman

quote:
on any rut hunt i would want the first night of the full moon to fall on the last day of my hunt.

might not agree or disagree with all you post without further exchange, but ... I'm curious.

What would be your choice of moon phase for the first day of a ten day Illinois/Ohio trophy whitetail rut hunt, given one or more good deer are known to be in the area and several stand sites already scouted and chosen?

22 February 2010, 09:15

ravenr

i have zero experience with eastern whitetail or stand hunting.
but over the yrs hunting western game a pattern has developed,to the extent that
the daylight activity of rutting mule deer,elk
western whitetail increase, up to and including
the day of the first night the moon is full
and then that same daylight activity drops of considerable after that.
i don't know if they "stay up and play" during
the night time hours,or what.
i also don't like a moon early in the month
say the first 7 days,in my experience the rut is split and "soft"