I am often asked questions by sportsmen across the country about things which affect hunting and fishing, about new equipment, trends and techniques and whether these things are legit or not. One of the questions I am asked often is concerning moon phase charts, if they are valid and if they are, how to use the information which they provide. I have to say that the moon phase charts are valid and they provide the sportsman with a wealth of useful information. Solar charts, which make reference to the sun, are of great importance also. When combined they are known as solunar charts.
The sun and moon influence almost every aspect of our lives. The sun gives life to all things, but too much of it will bring death and destruction. We have seen the effects of this first hand several times over the years here when we have had a drought during the summer. The moon has such an effect on the things in our world that the tides on all of the earth'’ oceans and seas respond to its gravitational pull. Law enforcement officials everywhere dread the full moon occurring on a weekend as this will invariably be the busiest weekend of the month. With this as a basis, it is logical to assume that the moon and sun have a dramatic effect on the wildlife and their movements. Knowing how and when the wildlife will be is the real beauty and usefulness of the solunar charts. The terminology of the charts is somewhat confusing and here I will try to help you have a better understanding of them.
The sun has basically three major periods of influence: Dawn, high noon, and dusk. Dawn, of course, makes reference to ending of darkness and the lightening of a new day, which brings the sunrise. High noon means when the sun is directly overhead, regardless of where you are on the planet. Dusk means the transition period from light to darkness where the setting of the sun occurs. Under normal circumstances, most game animals and fish go on a feeding binge and a time of movement during the low light ties of dawn and dusk. They most often do this again when the sun is directly overhead.
The moon has its major influence when it is directly overhead and directly under foot along with having a dramatic effect when it is in its different phases. A full moon will cause almost all deer activity to shift to nighttime except for a peak movement period during the middle of the day. The new moon has such an amazing effect on the fish that most of the record class fish have been caught during the six-day period known as the new moon. The times in between the full moon and the new moon have less dramatic effects on the animals but they still have an influence.
The solunar charts take each of these different sun and moon effects into account, when they will occur and combined, how much they may influence the movement of the animals and fish. The combined calculated effects are incorporated into the solunar chart as major feeding time, minor feeding time, peak activity, sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset.
The major and minor feeding times are calculated for a.m. and p.m. to show when there will be an influence of these heavenly bodies on the wildlife, which should cause them to be active. Most of the time, the activity periods last for about two hours, but there are times of major influence, which will last of a longer period. Peak activity indicates the calculated time when the moon and the sun will have the greatest effect and the wildlife will respond the most. This is based on the three sun times in conjunction with the positioning of the moon directly overhead and directly underfoot. Here is the best scenario for peak movement: Dawn during a new moon with the moon directly overhead. Another one is high noon with a full moon directly overhead.
These are the times when magical things happen in the woods or on the water, like seeing the biggest buck you have ever seen or experiencing the hottest fishing action of your lifetime. This is why these solunar charts are so vitally important to the sportsman and the reason that we must keep an eye on them on a continual basis if we want to be consistently successful in our outdoor adventures. 
There are a few things that will alter these magical times and we must consider them as well. An approaching storm front can and may override the moon and sun’s influence as well as hunting pressure, but other than these two factors, the peak times are predictable. Hunter's Specialties Pro Staffer Alex Rutledge, who is featured on the PrimeTime Bucks video series and one of the best seminar speakers in the country, and I were on our way back from Kansas during a full moon in September this past year. I told Alex that there would be deer on their feet between noon and 1 p.m. Driving across Oklahoma, we spotted a good whitetail buck that had just left a nearby watering hole and was headed towards the second growth on the opposite side of the interstate. We both saw the buck about the same time and then I looked at the clock. It was 12:58 p.m. What was incredible was the fact that we had discussed the probability of seeing a buck during that time and then seeing one in unfamiliar country. So, can you accurately predict animal movement using solunar charts? Absolutely! And will they help you be a more successful hunter or fisherman? Absolutely. Our greatest tool in hunting and fishing is our mind. By learning how the wildlife react to the influences of the sun and the moon, we will be better prepared to be at the right place at the right time.
