Calling at night during a full moon

Wabbit

Wabbit

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How does a full moon seem to affect your success when calling at night. I understand the necessity to keep in the shadows but what have you experienced in the response and characteristics of the coyotes? Does it differ if using NV/thermal vs lights? I've read some of the previous discussions on this issue and I'm interested to see if those ideas have changed since the earlier post
 
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A full bright moon absolutely kills it. For me it's not the gear, although 3rd gen NV looks really washed out. Thermal, no problem, it doesn't look any different at all, because it is not detecting light. I haven't used lights for many years, got NV about 2002 or so, but it was even worse trying to use lights.
I just have little to no success seeing or getting animals to respond, so I stay home. It's the fact that most animals I hunt just don't move or respond on a full bright moon. Even the coldest night of the year, maybe it's something I am doing or not doing, but it is rare to call anything on a bright moon around here.
 
Thanks for the reply, I've faced the same thing here, they may answer but they won't come in. Glad to know it's not just me...lol
 
I've had pretty good success during a full moon or mostly illuminated moon. "Every once in awhile". Its usually new places that no one ever hunts on or it's a place that has very little human activity of any kind. The regular places I hunt you can forget about anything showing. Like Wabbit says, they howl and never show. Or you have to wait a very long time. Sometimes they slip in quietly.
 
I've yet to have any success during a full moon.

However, I just read an interesting article in Predator Xtreme magazine about trying decoys on full moon nights. I might try it this year, just to see what transpires.

The last time I located coyotes at night they were howling like crazy in the woods, but I knew they wouldn't break cover into an open field. Lights are useless at night, so just head in with a shotgun during the day time.
 
I will hunt on full moon nights when the moon hasn't risen yet. Once the moon starts to rise I head home. Like MPH said...dark is definitely better.
 
Originally Posted By: cmlI will hunt on full moon nights when the moon hasn't risen yet. Once the moon starts to rise I head home.

On a new place the moon is a no go after I hunt it a couple times. After that its what cml says. Get out and get done before the moon rises. Mating season helps them ignore the moon as well....
 
I normally don't hunt Nights on least 10-days that the Moon is filling big and dumping-out smaller . you aren't getting any halfassed educated coyotes within 200+ yard range in any open field terrain .

For any night that is Half Moon or bigger . Unless I am set-up in a real dark, shaded shadow area and something behind me like brush or trees so I am not silhouetted/highlighted . I try always shooting in Sit position off the tall Bipod . With trying to put my back to some fence-line grass or brush a lot of times if I can . With the Moon getting close to Half and bigger, I will Call, spot and search standing-up or on my knee's . but soon as I spot anything out there I immediately go Sit Position .

( Not Full Moon open terrain conditions ) .
but for example, a big 1/2 Moon in short grass field terrain at Nighttime , If you are Silhouetted shape in ' human shape standing ' any Dog half educated will Bolt or keep a good distance from you .

but I personally hunt by this rule here --> . I have also checked this out for several years . If you are in a 'Sit Position' shooting . ' for coyotes visual ' There is something ingrained/instinctive in Coyote, and when they moving in and see a dark shadow silhouette that is small and not if much taller in height than the his visual eyesight .

They know people . A tall human shape shadow silhouette is like a fire alarm goes off in his brain . But Short height Shadow . It is just less threatening and even 'might' be turned into a competitive/opportunity scavenge-mode . The instinctive threat/flight alarm in his brain just wont trigger as fast, especially if Coyote not alone and there is more than one moving-in .
One target will move in Real Close until he gets a good 'Sniff' of you . You can get them in under 100 yard, and lot of times I have had them get in 50 yard range just sitting with keeping a Short in height shadow silhouette sitting and shooting at Nights .
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I don't waste a Full Moon . Take one of those Big Moon, full Moon Nights and hang target or piece of steel and just get some night trigger time and double check your POA and POI .
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Originally Posted By: msincA full bright moon absolutely kills it. For me it's not the gear, although 3rd gen NV looks really washed out. Thermal, no problem, it doesn't look any different at all, because it is not detecting light. I haven't used lights for many years, got NV about 2002 or so, but it was even worse trying to use lights.
I just have little to no success seeing or getting animals to respond, so I stay home. It's the fact that most animals I hunt just don't move or respond on a full bright moon. Even the coldest night of the year, maybe it's something I am doing or not doing, but it is rare to call anything on a bright moon around here.
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With good NV . It is overpowering bright in full moon conditions in open terrain area's and short grass fields are glaring like a snowy Summer day ... LOL

You can turn the Gain down on your NV, (if you have manual Gain ) ? , for making better image definition .
But for you pvs-14 . get a 30mm 720nm camera filter and screw it on the Obj. of your pvs14 . It will take that overpowering glare out and also it takes-out a lot of Bloom from nearby urban and farm lights .
Also putting a amber filter over the ocular on pvs14 help some to .
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So is success better at night with night vision compared to the day ? This is my first year of NV hunting and I am excited to see how it works out. The areas I use to hunt during the day and had good success have all but dried up. Nothing has changed other than the amount of people with electronic calls that are out after them during the day. They still howl at night and all the sign is still there they just don't show their face during the day.

Am I getting excited for nothing ?
 
Success is way better at night than in the day for me. You still have the challenges of calling them in because of what you say about others calling them with electronic calls quite often. That's where hand calling comes in. It's not the same sounds and pitches over and over. I'm not saying don't use an e-caller. Just add hand calling with it. You have more freedom to move at night as well. It also takes the edge off of them so they will come out into the open more. But thats all it takes for PID. They might howl at you, but they will clam up and ignore you as well. Use a motion decoy with your e-caller, they are cheap and it keeps their attention. Some movement to go with the sound.
 
Originally Posted By: yoteblasterSo is success better at night with night vision compared to the day ? This is my first year of NV hunting and I am excited to see how it works out. The areas I use to hunt during the day and had good success have all but dried up. Nothing has changed other than the amount of people with electronic calls that are out after them during the day. They still howl at night and all the sign is still there they just don't show their face during the day.

Am I getting excited for nothing ?

When its real dark, no moon, you can sit out in the middle of a field with no cover. Believe it or not when its dark like that a coyotes vision sucks big time! I always stand up and scan 360 with thermal when im ready to pack up and ive had coyotes heading in straight at me (within 50 yrds) with no clue, im able to sit back down in my caldwell deadshot chair pod, spin around and get the shot off before they even know what I am. Once I figured out how bad their sight is in pitch black conditions my success really kicked in gear.
 
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Up until this year, all my night hunting has been via moonlight and snow cover as this was the only legal option. Thermal is now allowed, so I will get a new perspective.

However, over the past 15+ years of night hunting, the brighter the moon, typically the fewer coyotes I kill. Also the Waxing moon has tended to be better than the waning moon. I believe this is the case because you are typically hunting earlier in the evening during a Waxing phase as the moon rises earlier. Don't get me wrong, I have killed a lot of coyotes early mornings just as the sun rises too, but doesn't it always seem like at the last stand just right before dark, you always call in a coyote. The coyotes seem to be very active at sundown and early evening as they are starting to move for the evening. When I can hunt all night with thermal, we will see if this pattern continues to hold true with more success earlier in the evening or if it is a moon/brightness issue.
 
We kill several animals every year from a truck with the moon as big as it gets. Sure we have had bad nights during a full moon but we have also had plenty of bad ones when there is no moon in sight. We have found that it’s easy for a night hunter to blame the moon “every” time they have a bad night during a full moon (us included) but when the new moon comes around and a bad night occurs, what’s to blame?
Sure we have had plenty of bad nights during a moon phase but the truth of the matter is, any “chance” to possibly be successful still beats no chance by saying “the heck with it, I’m staying home cause there’s a moon in the sky” where there is ZERO chance or opportunity for success. The bottom line is, If we keep hunting, we will eventually see something and that chance always beats the alternative......sitting on the couch.
The one fact remains, no one has ever proven how much the moon actually effects your success or lack there of so one has to simply ask themselves how much is mental and how much is hard science. The answer lies in how much YOU love to night hunt and if it’s worth enduring a few bad nights to eventually be successful. We hunt every chance we get cause it’s what we love to do and will take a bad night of hunting over the alternative any day.
Chris (Night Crew)
 
A person who never goes out in a full Moon to hunt is definitely a lazy twat . But no need for science or blaming , ( with naked eye ) If I can see better in a big & full Moon. ( I figure ) A Feral Dog hunting can see twice as good as I can in the same night conditions I am hunting in .
I just thinking . The trick is to be able to grow your skills to do better job of hiding when the Moon is reflecting more light on you .
And also being able to maybe take 'successful' shots on target at a longer Range, if the Dogs hold off coming-in and hang further out, because they can most definitely see farther on big Moon nights .
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Wow really? "Lazy Twat"? Classy! You mind telling everyone who you are referring to?
 
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I guess anyone who has a guilty conscience ??? , for not ever trying to go out in full Moon conditions for coyotes . but if it were me, I would not take internet sarcasm so seriously .

I used to go out all the time for years 'big & full Moons' but last few years I have been pretty selective on terrains that I want to put my energy into to hide when it's big Lunar light with clear sky's .
Big and Full Moons take a little more skill sometimes but fortunately I have a lot of low cloudy ceiling nights with big Moons shining here in the NW.
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Just thinking. Some "lazy twats" didn't pay attention in school when they were teaching punctuation. The trick is to work on your grammatical skills so you can get your point across without people thinking you flunked grade school.
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Just a few thoughts here.

(1) Some people have thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of acres available to them for calling, so taking a chance on being busted in the moonlight might not be a big deal. Others may have limited acreage available and don't want to give the coyotes any more advantage than absolutely necessary. Coyote density plays a part in this obviously.

(2) Some are using very bright lights and hunting from high platforms off their trucks. Those animals will be blinded to seeing them as they approach, so moon might not make much difference.

(3) Personally, we usually don't hunt the 3 days prior to the full moon, but once we get past half moon waxing, it becomes more difficult too find a good moon shade, but can be done. We use thermal and NV gear so we're not hidden from the coyotes by using lights.

Bottom line, hunt when you want and how you want, and if you have success more power to you and congratulations.
 
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