USING THE ALMANACK AS A FISHING AND HUNTING GUIDE

Although successful fishing is influenced primarily by the type of bait used and the location of the bait in the water, the time of day, month and year also is significant. Lunar position has been shown in some studies to be a contributing factor to fish and game activity, but the approach of weather systems (high-pressure systems typically preceded by low-pressure systems) is usually a more decisive factor in influencing fish to bite and animals to feed.

In addition to the moon and the weather, water temperature and other seasonal factors play a role in how fish respond to your bait. One of the best ways to measure those factors is to keep a journal of conditions and what is happening when during your outings. An almanack may be helpful in making you aware of what is going on in nature. This is especially true for hunting, since conditions in the fields or woods have a direct impact on creatures living there. For both fish and game, however, your personal observations, connected to your results in the woods or on the water, form the true baseline for future activities.

For an overview of cold fronts and the moon's influence on fish, game and livestock, order Poor Will's Almanack for 2011. See PRODUCTS above, or send $20.00 to Poor Will, P.O. Box 431, Yellow Springs, Ohio 45387.

THE BEST TIME OF DAY FOR HUNTING AND FISHING IN NOVEMBER

Fishing and hunting should be most successful if scheduled as the barometer is falling one to three days before the arrival of the weather systems that arrive near the following dates: November 2, 6, 11, 16, 20, 24 and 28.

Fish and hunt at midday when the moon is new. Fish and hunt in the afternoon and evening when the moon is in its first quarter. Be out at night when the moon is full and in its third quarter. Be in the woods or on the water in the morning when the moon is in its fourth quarter.

THE FISHNG AND HUNTING OUTLOOK FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER IN 2010

A weather system due around the 6th is expected to dominate outdoor activities this week. Preceded by cloudy conditions (and often by rain), this cold front brings Late Fall to the nation. The barometer is expected to be steady or falling during the days immediately before the November 6th front, favoring those times for hunting and fishing. After the front comes through, fish and game often lie low and feed less.

The collapse of the high canopy and much of the undergrowth through Middle Fall has made woodlots easier to scout now, and grouse and rabbits will be easier to spot along the ground. Most cottonwoods, walnuts box elders, sugar maples, buckeyes, elms, hickories and oaks have lost their leaves. Red and white mulberries, ginkgoes, and many sycamores hold out through the month, and a personal journal of when the leaves on your trees come down could contribute to success in the woods. Almost all the black walnuts, hickory nuts, acorns and Osage fruits have fallen, tempting squirrels to leave the high branches.

Although clearing and light frost are likely at the beginning of next week, the percentage of daily sunlight drops quickly through November, and the wind begins to pick up to its winter levels, causing an increased chop on the rivers and lakes. The northwest wind following the passage of a high-pressure system often disrupts activities in the field and garden, too.

The dark moon will lie overhead during the middle of the day, favoring daytime hunting for squirrels and rabbits, and for deer with a bow and arrow. Since the moon will be below the county near midnight, raccoons and opossums could be moving more at that time.

Rutting activity for deer should increase now throughout the week and peak during the modern gun deer season between November 13 and 28.

Rutting is thought to contribute to the great increase in the number of accidents involving cars and deer, and half of those incidents happen between 6:00 p.m. and midnight - almost all of them occur when weather conditions are mild and clear.

THE FISHING AND HUNTING OUTLOOK FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF NOVEMBER 2010

Throughout this second week of Late Fall, the canopy of leaves continues to shed, revealing the high branches as well as the skeleton of the undergrowth. Deer, squirrels, turkeys and crows should be easier to spot in the daytime, possums and raccoons at night.

The Sundog Moon will rise at midday this week and set in the evening, entering its second quarter at 11:39 p.m. on November 13. The moon’s position is relatively weak (compared to new and full moon), so its influence on the weather and on animal behavior is not expected to be great. Still, you might expect both fish and game to be more abundant when the moon moves over Gallatin County in the late afternoon. The second-best lunar location – beneath the county – during the early morning should also be favorable.

A cold front should arrive around November 11, and sun often follows this weather system. The 11th through the 13th are often some of the best days in the first half of the month for harvest, but wait until the weekend to look for fish or game when the barometer starts to level off and then begin to fall in advance of the November 16 weather system. In short, Sunday through Tuesday should be the best times to be looking for food. But dress for the weather: a dramatic increase in the number of freezing predawn temperatures starts with the November 11 system, the lows below 32 growing from a frequency average of 40 percent up to 70 percent across the Lower Midwest and East.

THE HUNTING AND FISHING OUTLOOK FOR THE THIRD WEEK OF NOVEMBER in 2010

This week’s full Sundog Moon (full on November 21 at 12:27 p.m.) will lie overhead in the middle of the night, contributing to the chances of success for finding and bagging raccoons, skunks and ‘possums. If you are waiting for deer in your stand, you may find that activity picks up as the moon passes below the United States about noon. Squirrels and groundhogs could also be most active then, and fish will be reaching the warmer shallows if the sun is shining.

Both nighttime and daytime fishing and hunting can be expected to improve as a cold front approaches with the full moon. Look for the barometer to be dropping Thursday through Saturday. While conditions should still be favorable on Sunday, the passage of high-pressure by November 22 should make both fish and game somewhat less interested in feeding and mating. Another cold front is due to arrive just before Thanksgiving, increasing animal movement at that time.

THE HUNTING AND FISHING GUIDE FOR THE FOURTH WEEK OF NOVEMBER 2010

As the Sundog Moon wanes this week, it will move overhead closer and closer to dawn, entering its final phase at 11:18 p.m. on November 28.

Fish and game should be more active with the moon overhead in the morning, especially as the barometer falls prior to the November 24, 28 and December 2 cold fronts. The increased rate of the arrival of weather systems toward the end of November ordinarily means more clouds and precipitation, but also may mean more animal activity.

Since lunar position will dominate the hours between 7:00 a.m. and noon throughout the period, plan to do most of your scouting, watching and waiting for fish and game from just before sunrise until the middle of the day throughout the week. The second-best time, when the moon is below the earth in the late evening, should be productive for those in search of opossums and raccoons.

The day’s length loses another ten minutes in the next seven days, once again increasing the length of the night and compressing the time available for working out of doors. By the end of November, the day is just 15 minutes shy of its shortest span, and sunset is within a couple of minutes of its earliest setting time of the year. On the 30th, the sun’s declination reaches 21 degrees 42 minutes, almost 90 percent of the way to winter solstice, and the night is just about a full hour longer than it was on October 31. Assaulted by the cold as well as by solar position, leaves of the honeysuckle fall quickly, revealing even more of the undergrowth and improving the chances for finding game.

HUNTING AND FISHING IN DECEMBER

Fish, game, livestock and people tend to feed more and are more active as the barometer is falling one to three days before the arrival of the weather systems that arrive near the following dates: December 2, 8, 15, 20, 25 and 29.
Fish and feed at midday when the moon is new. Fish and hunt in the afternoon and evening when the moon is in its first quarter. Be out at night when the moon is full and in its third quarter. Be in the woods or barn or on the water in the morning when the moon is in its fourth quarter.

THE HUNTING AND FISHING GUIDE FOR THE FIRST WEEK OF DECEMBER
The Sundog Moon becomes the new Orchid Moon at 12:36 p.m. on December 5, and new moon week means that lunar position will be overhead between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., making midday the best “moon time” for hunting and fishing.
If you are hunting with a bow or crossbow, noon may bag your buck or doe or turkey. Of course, if you are looking for nocturnal furbearers, the most productive moon time should be the period between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.
Since a cold front (the last major front of Late Fall) is expected to arrive between Friday and Sunday, watch the barometer (or the weather report) to time your outings before the lower temperatures strike your favorite woodlot. A second high-pressure system should arrive by December 8, making the middle of next week another good time to be looking for fish and game as the barometer falls prior to the arrival of that front.
If you are gardening instead of hunting or fishing, there will be no better lunar time for putting in bedding plant seeds than December 2 through 4 when the moon is in Scorpio and December 6 through 8 with the moon in Capricorn. If you’re not set up for gardening under lights, go and purchase as shop light, then hang it in the basement or attic close to a table or shelf. Plant the vegetable seeds you want to set out in March or the flower seeds you plan to set out in April or May close to the lights, keep the soil moist and warm, and enjoy the winter! But if you want to work outside, it’s not too late to put your garlic in the ground (choose the moon in Capricorn) for a June harvest.

THE HUNTING AND FISHING GUIDE FOR THE SECOND WEEK OF DECEMBER
The Orchid Moon waxes throughout the week ahead, entering its second quarter 8:59 a.m. on December 13. Coming up in the middle of the day and setting close to midnight, the moon will move overhead near dusk.
Lunar position should favor afternoon fishing and hunting all week. A cold front due in the middle of the week could slow animal activity through the weekend, but that activity should pick up again as the barometer drops in advance of the weather system due into Warsaw on or about the 15th. Rain or snow often precedes the December 15 cold front, adding a chilling but sometimes favorable conclusion to your outdoor expeditions.
Afternoon highs are usually in the 20s or 30s from the Lower Midwest to the East Coast (a 55 percent chance for temperatures so cold). The 10th and the 12th are the days this week with the best chance for warmth in the 50s (slightly better than a 30 percent chance for that), and severe weather with below-zero temperatures and highs only in the teens is rare. The cold Early Winter winds usually take down the last of the honeysuckle foliage, opening the woods completely for the next four to five months.
Hemmed in by bad weather or a bad knee, gardeners can be setting up trays for the seeding of bedding plants. Slow-growing flower seeds usually do well under the waxing moon of December. And it is not too late to order what you plan on planting during the dark moon of January’s first days.

THE HUNTING AND FISHING GUIDE FOR THE THIRD WEEK OF DECEMBER
The Sundog Moon waxes all week, becoming full on December 21 at 3:13 a.m. Rising in the afternoon and setting in the early morning, this moon lies above the Northern Hemisphere in the middle of the night.
Lunar position overhead well after dark favors hunters of opossums and raccoons, especially as the December 20 cold front approaches. The upcoming weekend should be relatively mild with a chance of precipitation, and conditions should be favorable for finding squirrels, rabbits and antlerless deer during the day, especially at the second-best lunar time (when the moon is below the United States) in the middle of the day.
Winter solstice occurs at 6:38 p.m. (EST) on December 21, and the days are the shortest of the year. Late sunrises near 8:00 a.m. mean that game is moving two to three hours later than in June, and early sunsets near 5:00 p.m. bring brisk temperatures and decreased visibility up to four hours earlier than in summer.
Winter days are the ideal time for landowners to plan habitat enhancement projects for spring. Wild creatures of all kinds need food throughout the year, and balanced plantings and feeding can contribute to an abundance of healthy animals.

THE HUNTING AND FISHING GUIDE FOR THE FOURTH WEEK OF DECEMBER
The Orchid Moon, turning full on December 21, wanes throughout the period, entering its last quarter on December 27 at 11:18 p.m. Rising late in the evening and setting late in the morning, the moon moves overhead before dawn, lingering in the far west after sunrise.
Lunar position suggests that the moon’s influence will be greatest before dawn but will continue significant until about 10:00 a.m. Opossums and raccoons may be more active than usual after midnight. The best daytime lunar time for finding all fish and game will occur as the moon moves below the county in the late afternoon.
High-pressure systems due on the 25th and the 28th are expected to enhance fishing and hunting before the cold arrives. Christmas Day is typically the brightest day of the week, bringing a 70 percent chance for sun. The 28th is the darkest day, with a 70 percent chance for clouds. Snow or sleet falls half the time on Christmas Eve and on the two days before New Year's Day. The 26th is typically the coldest day of the week and has almost a 40 percent chance for highs just in the teens or 20s.
Gardeners should order seeds, prepare soil, and set up growlights (or just plain shop lights) so that everything will be ready when the moon becomes darker after January 1 in anticipation for indoor planting on new moon day, January 4.