Honest question Denny. You say you "consider" moon phase when you "decide" to hunt. I think it's safe to say you hunted far more than just about every member here. With that large a sample size, I'd assume you'd see some direct correlation between phases and movement. Again, assuming that correlation, I would expect you to avoid low percentage days, yet you seem to hunt whenever your free. So I'm curious as to the consideration you take in moon phase and how that impacts not when you hunt, but where and perhaps how.
Yes, I consider to be blessed that I live and work from home mainly these days, which allows me to hit the woods more often than most.
When I was your age, I didn't have that luxury. I was extremely busy in my profession and raising my boys. In fact, I missed out on several seasons because of my career and then when I decided to work within the state, I hunted mainly on the weekends, or when I could get home early, or took days off.
I have every intention of putting together my final report of my recent deer season that should clearly show patterns of the deer herd within the areas that I've hunted.
Lately, I've been busy with work and trying to get out by the end of the day for some coyote hunting, so I haven't had much time to work on that report, but I assure you that I'll get it done soon and share it with everybody.
With regards to the moon phases, I would say that the major prime times predicted on both the calendar that I use along with other considerations such as weather conditions/fronts, barometric pressures and so on, have proved that I have encountered more wildlife during those times than any other times I've hunted where I just felt the need and desire to be outdoors.
I like to hunt & fish both morning & evenings, however when I'm targeting a mature buck specifically, I'll refer to the 'Prime Time' calendar to help me determine when I should be chasing.
Usually when I'm out, I'll always keep in the back of mind of what I've read just previously from the resources that I use, which I'll try to stay very alert during those predicted times. It is of my experience that it does seem to be accurate or very close.
When I finish my final report, I'll compare it with the 'Prime Time' calendar that I use and see if there is an actual direct correlation. I suspect that there will be.
I hope that I answered your question alright for you and if not, perhaps when I get my report out, it will help clarify.
Thanks for asking!