Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
I know some hunters live and hunt by solunar tables. If so, my results may not fit your paradigm
Years ago when I got into hunting, I was looking for anything to help increase my success with hogs. I learned about the solunar tables and major and minor peak periods when animals were most apt to be "moving" based on the relative positions of the sun and moon (which is not the same thing as how much illumination is provided). Apparently, the solunar tables were developed in the early 20th century based on fishing results and tested and confirmed accordingly. Apparently, these periods correlated with tides and when fish tended to be feeding the most. Somewhere along the way, somebody decided it must also work for ALL terrestrial animals as well, regardless of species...which is rather bizarre given the lack of testing to validate the broad spectrum usage.
My initial testing years (2011?) ago was with just correlating with hogs showed up at my feeder. There was some inherent bias there. Even so, I often found hogs not present during solunar peaks despite there being corn on the ground and hogs showing up during off periods more frequently than during peak periods. This indicated to me that the theory might be flawed and I gave up on it.
The question came up again in 2019 when somebody pointed out that my videos contain the data necessary for re-examining this issue for hogs (times and dates, and I know the locations). At this point, I am doing exceptionally little hunting over a feeder and so I am out finding hogs on other people's properties. So the bias of using a feeder is largely gone.
For those of you who don't know, for any given day, there are usually two minor peak periods of 1 hour each and two major peak periods of 2 hours each. So basically, 1/4 of every day includes peak periods. In Vegas, those would be great odds, no?
I made 102 observations on hogs when I hunted them in 2019 from 76 nights of hunting where I saw hogs. That is out of 160-170 total nights of total of hunting (so I didn't see squat a lot of the nights). A hog "observation" was any uniquely identified time I saw (and usually went after) hogs. If I watched a single field during the course of 8 hours and went after hogs 3 different times, then that would be 3 observations. Of those observations, 16 were during solunar major periods, 8 were during minor solunar periods and 78 were during non-solunar periods. In other words, slightly less than 1/4 of the observations were during solunar periods and slightly more than 3/4 were during non-solunar periods. This seems to correlate well with the fact that solunar periods only comprise slightly less than 1/4 of the time and non-solular periods comprise just over 3/4 of the time. This indicates to me that solunar periods have no real bearing on hog hunting given that when I actually did see hogs, statistically the odds were no better than random chance that it would be during a solunar peak period.
So for 2020, I actually noted in my videos when I spotted hogs whether it was during a solunar major period, solunar minor period, or not during a peak at all. I had 253 observation events where I saw (and usually went after) hogs. Of those, 201 were during non-solunar periods, 37 during major periods and 18 during minor periods. So in 2020, not only did the solunar tables fail to predict increased hunting success (actually seeing hogs) during peak periods, these periods actually produced less results (only 20%) and off peak periods saw hogs at 80% (so, higher than expected).
Given that I did not see a higher than random chance expected number of hogs during the solunar peak periods that are supposed to be when the hogs are really moving and hence when hunting is supposed to be better, it is my contention that the solunar tables are not valid for predicting when hogs are apt to be moving. After I posted my 2019 results on a local hunting forum, I was informed by some solunar advocates that the solunar tables are good predictors of animal movement and that my results are flawed because I did not take into account all other factors such as weather, hunting pressure in the area, road noise, ranching activity, etc. etc. etc. and I was assured that all other things being equal, that solunar tables are good predictors for when animals will be moving, including hogs. I thought this was an amazing position to take because there is no way to control for all other factors and on any two nights, all other factors are never equal.
In looking at hog behavior, about the only times that hogs are NOT 'moving' is when they are bedded, wallowing, birthing, or injured. The rest of the time they are feeding, watering, mating, or on the way to feed, water, or mate. So it is my contention that using solunar tables to schedule hunts is not apt to actually be beneficial to hunting success. You are as likely and potentially more likely to find hogs during non peak times than during peak times. The only thing that is certain, however, is that if you don't go after hogs (such as because it isn't during a solunar peak), you definitely won't get any hogs. Never pass up an opportunity to hunt hogs because it isn't a solunar peak period.
Years ago when I got into hunting, I was looking for anything to help increase my success with hogs. I learned about the solunar tables and major and minor peak periods when animals were most apt to be "moving" based on the relative positions of the sun and moon (which is not the same thing as how much illumination is provided). Apparently, the solunar tables were developed in the early 20th century based on fishing results and tested and confirmed accordingly. Apparently, these periods correlated with tides and when fish tended to be feeding the most. Somewhere along the way, somebody decided it must also work for ALL terrestrial animals as well, regardless of species...which is rather bizarre given the lack of testing to validate the broad spectrum usage.
My initial testing years (2011?) ago was with just correlating with hogs showed up at my feeder. There was some inherent bias there. Even so, I often found hogs not present during solunar peaks despite there being corn on the ground and hogs showing up during off periods more frequently than during peak periods. This indicated to me that the theory might be flawed and I gave up on it.
The question came up again in 2019 when somebody pointed out that my videos contain the data necessary for re-examining this issue for hogs (times and dates, and I know the locations). At this point, I am doing exceptionally little hunting over a feeder and so I am out finding hogs on other people's properties. So the bias of using a feeder is largely gone.
For those of you who don't know, for any given day, there are usually two minor peak periods of 1 hour each and two major peak periods of 2 hours each. So basically, 1/4 of every day includes peak periods. In Vegas, those would be great odds, no?
I made 102 observations on hogs when I hunted them in 2019 from 76 nights of hunting where I saw hogs. That is out of 160-170 total nights of total of hunting (so I didn't see squat a lot of the nights). A hog "observation" was any uniquely identified time I saw (and usually went after) hogs. If I watched a single field during the course of 8 hours and went after hogs 3 different times, then that would be 3 observations. Of those observations, 16 were during solunar major periods, 8 were during minor solunar periods and 78 were during non-solunar periods. In other words, slightly less than 1/4 of the observations were during solunar periods and slightly more than 3/4 were during non-solunar periods. This seems to correlate well with the fact that solunar periods only comprise slightly less than 1/4 of the time and non-solular periods comprise just over 3/4 of the time. This indicates to me that solunar periods have no real bearing on hog hunting given that when I actually did see hogs, statistically the odds were no better than random chance that it would be during a solunar peak period.
So for 2020, I actually noted in my videos when I spotted hogs whether it was during a solunar major period, solunar minor period, or not during a peak at all. I had 253 observation events where I saw (and usually went after) hogs. Of those, 201 were during non-solunar periods, 37 during major periods and 18 during minor periods. So in 2020, not only did the solunar tables fail to predict increased hunting success (actually seeing hogs) during peak periods, these periods actually produced less results (only 20%) and off peak periods saw hogs at 80% (so, higher than expected).
Given that I did not see a higher than random chance expected number of hogs during the solunar peak periods that are supposed to be when the hogs are really moving and hence when hunting is supposed to be better, it is my contention that the solunar tables are not valid for predicting when hogs are apt to be moving. After I posted my 2019 results on a local hunting forum, I was informed by some solunar advocates that the solunar tables are good predictors of animal movement and that my results are flawed because I did not take into account all other factors such as weather, hunting pressure in the area, road noise, ranching activity, etc. etc. etc. and I was assured that all other things being equal, that solunar tables are good predictors for when animals will be moving, including hogs. I thought this was an amazing position to take because there is no way to control for all other factors and on any two nights, all other factors are never equal.
In looking at hog behavior, about the only times that hogs are NOT 'moving' is when they are bedded, wallowing, birthing, or injured. The rest of the time they are feeding, watering, mating, or on the way to feed, water, or mate. So it is my contention that using solunar tables to schedule hunts is not apt to actually be beneficial to hunting success. You are as likely and potentially more likely to find hogs during non peak times than during peak times. The only thing that is certain, however, is that if you don't go after hogs (such as because it isn't during a solunar peak), you definitely won't get any hogs. Never pass up an opportunity to hunt hogs because it isn't a solunar peak period.
