With prime time this fall is going to be under a full moon what will be your strategy?
This will be my first year hunting elk during the full moon phase. Not sure what to expect.
Looking for some strategy or tips this September.
Thanks

Hunt at night! Seriously though, while it’s not ideal....hunt as normal. Do not forget to be out hunting in the middle of the day! Often, they’ll get up move about, get a drink or whatever. Be there waiting for them! memtb

Uh yeah.
They don’t exactly go indoors at day.
They live in the outdoors most likely bedded during the day.
Still hunt

Sleep in and hunt middle of the day to dark.

Great question here. So glad not to see a "what about this caliber" thread. It will be full moon opening day this year for us. I haven't had good luck with full moon unless the weather is bad. Interesting to hear what other people say. I don't have the answer, but I do like the hunt at night idea. I mean, not like load the gun and shoot them at night, but find them and wait until legal shooting hours. A good spotting scope or binos would be really helpful for giant meadows.

Yep

Elk can see in near pitch dark. I don't think the moon makes much difference. They know the sun's not shining and they do the same things.

About them moving around in the daytime - I once got a spike with my bow at 2pm right out in the sagebrush feeding. There were 2 of them.

3 years ago during rifle season we had the super moon. At 7am on opening day we saw a 6x6 and 7x7 just getting up from bedding. On Sunday at 8am I saw 2 5x5s in the same place get out of their beds and feed. Of course we had cow tags. Year before took a 5x5 that was with 2 other bulls at 2:30 pm and it was quite warm. Last year took 2 5x5s at 11:30am and another 5x5 at 8:30am the next day. Couple other hunters back in there took both of their bulls about half hour before sunset.
Moral of the story, hunt all day, forget the moon phase. If you want to know exact timing of the moon use this : https://www.sunrisesunset.com/predefined.asp

If you see a herd in the open right at dark, be there before shooting light the next morning. Most likely they'll still be there. I haven't noticed that the moon will change that any.

Sneak into the bedding area a couple hours before daylight and wait for them to join you.

Reckon you should expect a full Moon.

Moon be damned....

I'm hunting all day regardless on all hunts. Let what you are seeing and not seeing dictate how and when you hunt times of day....

Middle of the day at water/wallows can be really good regardless of the moon. Cows are hot when they are and the day is hottest at mid/late day regardless of moon. Let everyone else eat and nap at camp. Cannot tell you how many things I've killed/glassed in middle of day....

You just wouldn’t make it where I grew up! Night was the best hunting, cooler and less people in the woods! memtb

Fact brother, I've killed lots between 10-2, that 185" Montana buck last year was 1 pm... Lots of blacktails, in that time too...

Cervids move according to their feeding needs.

I think the moon effects them some. However, I think weather and temperature affects daytime movmement much more than the moon. If it is cool and cloudy, they will keep going until later in the morning and start up earlier in the evening. If it is hot and sunny, they will bed up quickly and stay put until late. Just my 2 cents from 20 years of chasing the wonderful beasts.

Thanks guys! I appreciate the responses.

One of my partners has a theory, totally unproven at this point. He thinks that when the moon is bright in the morning, the elk can't tell the difference between night and day so they keep feeding later.

Middle of the day is a great time to glass for them bedded down. I don't look for bodies, I look for the rack glass low and slow. Moving slowly is the key, glass and glass again before moving. Find one in the bed and plan your stalk.

A university friend monitored elk activity with GPS collars equipped with motion sensors. Sadly unpublished. They were more active on nights with a bright moon and more active during those same daylight hours as well.

Given our limited opportunity, I hunt when the season's open.

While I have been a hunter most of my life, I have been a serious elk hunter since 1998. Certainly not as experienced as some. My two cents worth is to hunt from before daylight until after dark the whole season or your vacation, whichever comes first. I do believe deer and elk feed more at night when there is a bright moon but that may be just anecdotal theory. The one thing predictable about elk hunting is that it is as unpredictable as the weather.