Full moon and archery elk

[huntnnw]

never ever payed attention to the moon...going to be in the woods if I am not working...The elk rut same time frame no matter the moon or temps..those calves have to be dropped at specific time in the spring

Wrong... The weather can have a huge factor...

errrrrrrrr...wrong..try again

[huntnnw]

With all deer and elk..they have a small window to drop their calves/fawns....born to early they could freeze and die and born to late and they wont be big enough to survive winter. 

[TommyH]

Photo period. Hunt hard. Let the elk tell you how aggresive to be, if the herd bull is screaming, scream back. Most times i get a cow intrested and the bull tries to herd her away from me, be ready!!

[JLS]

never ever payed attention to the moon...going to be in the woods if I am not working...The elk rut same time frame no matter the moon or temps..those calves have to be dropped at specific time in the spring

Wrong... The weather can have a huge factor...

errrrrrrrr...wrong..try again

I think too often people confuse observable rut activity with the rut itself.  Time and again you hear someone say "we need some cold weather to get the rut going".  Actually, it's already going, but if it's really hot and dry the rut activity is taking place in the hours of darkness when it's cooler. 

Huntnnw is right, all rut activity is triggered by photoperiod.  There is nothing magical about it.  Some days you will find very vocal elk, some times you won't.  Some times you don't hear the elk because they are no longer there and have moved on to another location.

Just because you can't bugle a bull in on a string from 400 yards doesn't mean the rut isn't on.

[billdo5]

It just means that they arent rutting that hard...

[JLS]

It just means that they arent rutting that hard...

Or, it could mean he just got tuned on 10 minutes ago.  Or, there are other cows nearby.  Or, he's been chasing other cows all night long.  Or, he hears you but can't see anything to visually confirm the elk that should be there.  Or, they're just being elk.

[billdo5]

Why dont you just keep on throwing theories out there

[Elknut1]

  Full Moon Myths!
         Photo-period ism [length of daytime light hitting the retna of the eye] controls pretty much everything in an elks life not the moon. The length of day triggers all the hormone releases which in fact control the rut. These hormone releases trigger bulls to rub off velvet, trigger the cows cycle [which there are three main ones but can be as many as 4. The first happening around the 25th of Aug. then around the 15th of Sept. 3rd around Oct 10th & 4th around first week of Nov. which is final one. Elk will then start the building of fat for the winter. So the peak for breeding cows happens mid Sept through first week of Oct. A cow is hot for a period up to 12 hours [has been known to last up to 16 hours] but if she isn't bred in that time frame will have to wait 21 days for the next window. IMPORTANT STATEMENT, not all cows come into heat at the same time. The older cows, aprox 7-8yrs & older generally come into an estrus cycle first followed by the younger cows. If a cow was born as a fourth cycle cow her first cycle [as a 2 yr old] could be up to 9 weeks later than a lead cow but will regulate back as a 3 yr old. So  don't be confused about full moon myths. All the moon does is let the animals go nocturnal. Hot weather can slow down the search for cows and bugling during day light hours. The heat can lead elk towards being lethargic just as it does us! Cows cannot control when their estrus cycle will start, in other words they cannot choose it happening only after night fall! Full Moon times during peak rut times is magic! Locating elk at night during this phase or an hour or so before light is at the top of our list!

  ElkNut1

[pd]

  Full Moon Myths!
         Photo-period ism [length of daytime light hitting the retna of the eye] controls pretty much everything in an elks life not the moon. The length of day triggers all the hormone releases which in fact control the rut. These hormone releases trigger bulls to rub off velvet, trigger the cows cycle [which there are three main ones but can be as many as 4. The first happening around the 25th of Aug. then around the 15th of Sept. 3rd around Oct 10th & 4th around first week of Nov. which is final one. Elk will then start the building of fat for the winter. So the peak for breeding cows happens mid Sept through first week of Oct. A cow is hot for a period up to 12 hours [has been known to last up to 16 hours] but if she isn't bred in that time frame will have to wait 21 days for the next window. IMPORTANT STATEMENT, not all cows come into heat at the same time. The older cows, aprox 7-8yrs & older generally come into an estrus cycle first followed by the younger cows. If a cow was born as a fourth cycle cow her first cycle [as a 2 yr old] could be up to 9 weeks later than a lead cow but will regulate back as a 3 yr old. So  don't be confused about full moon myths. All the moon does is let the animals go nocturnal. Hot weather can slow down the search for cows and bugling during day light hours. The heat can lead elk towards being lethargic just as it does us! Cows cannot control when their estrus cycle will start, in other words they cannot choose it happening only after night fall! Full Moon times during peak rut times is magic! Locating elk at night during this phase or an hour or so before light is at the top of our list!
  ElkNut1

Paul, as usual, you are very generous.  Thanks!

[et1702]

  Full Moon Myths!
         Photo-period ism [length of daytime light hitting the retna of the eye] controls pretty much everything in an elks life not the moon. The length of day triggers all the hormone releases which in fact control the rut. These hormone releases trigger bulls to rub off velvet, trigger the cows cycle [which there are three main ones but can be as many as 4. The first happening around the 25th of Aug. then around the 15th of Sept. 3rd around Oct 10th & 4th around first week of Nov. which is final one. Elk will then start the building of fat for the winter. So the peak for breeding cows happens mid Sept through first week of Oct. A cow is hot for a period up to 12 hours [has been known to last up to 16 hours] but if she isn't bred in that time frame will have to wait 21 days for the next window. IMPORTANT STATEMENT, not all cows come into heat at the same time. The older cows, aprox 7-8yrs & older generally come into an estrus cycle first followed by the younger cows. If a cow was born as a fourth cycle cow her first cycle [as a 2 yr old] could be up to 9 weeks later than a lead cow but will regulate back as a 3 yr old. So  don't be confused about full moon myths. All the moon does is let the animals go nocturnal. Hot weather can slow down the search for cows and bugling during day light hours. The heat can lead elk towards being lethargic just as it does us! Cows cannot control when their estrus cycle will start, in other words they cannot choose it happening only after night fall! Full Moon times during peak rut times is magic! Locating elk at night during this phase or an hour or so before light is at the top of our list!

  ElkNut1

Perfectly explained Paul.  Plus, I like both full moon during peak rut, or dark moon during peak.  I think both are magic times in the elk woods!

Take care,

ET

[Westsidebowhunter]

if they dont seem to be moving around during the day but you know they are there get out in the middle of the night in an area you know and bugle get a response back out and then slow hunt the timber they are in but cows start to cycle when there is even number of daylight hours and dark hours every year so thats when the rut is doesnt matter the weather just give or take a couple days from that date and it will be on.

[coachcw]

on full moons i've done well from 10.00am to 12.00pm , bulls get there cows settled in and will wonder a bit . good time to act like a estrus cow to pull the herd bull in .