Sol Lunar Tables: The Sun, the Moon, and the Truth

I’ve never been a big believer in Sol Lunar tables, mostly because I don’t know any deer that get them. Even if they did, I’m pretty sure they’d have trouble reading them. I know I do.

They loose me somewhere in the four variables, which are:
[1] The rising and setting of the sun.
[2] The rising and setting of the moon.
[3] The times when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot. Although I, personally, have never found a moon under my foot.
[4] And the phase of the moon, which is, like, how intense its influence is.

That’s more balls than I can keep in the air at one time.

If that’s not enough—and it clearly is—you have the fact that different Sol Lunar tables don’t even agree with each other. Solunarforecast.com rated yesterday, November 24, as a three-star day with a major activity period between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Huntfishsport.com rated the same date as a one-star day with a major activity period between 12:38 p.m. and 3:38 p.m.

In fairness, this may have to do with the fact that huntfishsport.com is convinced that my geographic coordinates are Longitude: -93.592529296875; Latitude: 46.359249819838. That puts me near Brainerd, Minnesota—specifically, on the north shore of Mille Lacs Lake (literally “Thousands Lakes Lake”). That’s only 1,246 miles away, and there are only 40 fewer minutes of daylight there. So maybe I’m splitting hairs.

I would dismiss the Sol Lunar tables altogether except for the fact that some guys who are way better hunters than I am swear by the charts. Although, come to think of it, I know just as many guys who are way better hunters than I am who swear they’re a crock. I do know that arguing about Sol Lunar tables is sort of like arguing about politics. And I know how many times I’ve heard a liberal tell a conservative, “Gosh, I never looked at it that way before. You might be onto something there.” Or vice versa. Zero.

In my secret heart, I’m starting to believe that game animals—deer in particular—have a system both simpler and much less explicable than the Sol Lunar tables: If I’m in the woods, they don’t move. The rest of the time, they run around like crazy.