Moon phase calendar for deer hunting

Moon phase times for this month and next, for planning your deer hunts. The moon is one factor in the Whitetail Forecast daily deer movement score, alongside temperature change, wind and time of season. Weather usually matters more, so use the moon as a tiebreaker, not a reason to skip a good weather day.

Moon phase times this month and next

New, first quarter, full and last quarter moon dates, Eastern time.

October 2026

November 2026

30-day moon calendar

1. SunOct 25🌔Waxing Gibbous100%
2. MonOct 26🌕Full Moon99%
3. TueOct 27🌕Full Moon97%
4. WedOct 28🌖Waning Gibbous92%
5. ThuOct 29🌖Waning Gibbous85%
6. FriOct 30🌖Waning Gibbous77%
7. SatOct 31🌖Waning Gibbous67%
8. SunNov 1🌖Waning Gibbous57%
9. MonNov 2🌗Last Quarter46%
10. TueNov 3🌗Last Quarter36%
11. WedNov 4🌘Waning Crescent26%
12. ThuNov 5🌘Waning Crescent17%
13. FriNov 6🌘Waning Crescent10%
14. SatNov 7🌘Waning Crescent5%
15. SunNov 8🌘Waning Crescent1%
16. MonNov 9🌘Waning Crescent0%
17. TueNov 10🌑New Moon1%
18. WedNov 11🌒Waxing Crescent4%
19. ThuNov 12🌒Waxing Crescent10%
20. FriNov 13🌒Waxing Crescent17%
21. SatNov 14🌒Waxing Crescent25%
22. SunNov 15🌒Waxing Crescent35%
23. MonNov 16🌒Waxing Crescent46%
24. TueNov 17🌓First Quarter56%
25. WedNov 18🌓First Quarter67%
26. ThuNov 19🌔Waxing Gibbous76%
27. FriNov 20🌔Waxing Gibbous85%
28. SatNov 21🌔Waxing Gibbous91%
29. SunNov 22🌔Waxing Gibbous96%
30. MonNov 23🌔Waxing Gibbous99%

How to use the moon in your hunt plan

Pick your days on weather first: a cold front, a calm, cool morning or a big temperature drop. When two days look alike, the moon can be a tiebreaker. The daily score already folds the moon in, so you don’t need to do the math yourself.

FAQ

Does the moon phase affect deer movement?

Maybe a little. Research on whitetails and the moon is mixed: some studies find small shifts in when deer move, others find none worth planning around. Temperature swings, wind, fronts and the rut usually matter more. That is why the moon is a small part of our score and never the main driver.

What are deer feeding times today?

No calendar can tell you when deer will feed. Solunar tables and feeding-time charts are built mostly from moon position. In Whitetail Forecast the moon is one factor in the daily score, not a promise of when deer feed. For today, enter your ZIP to see the score and legal hunting hours, and plan around first and last light, when daylight deer movement is most common.

How does Whitetail Forecast use the moon?

We work out the moon phase and how much of it is lit for each day, and that adds or subtracts a few points in the 0 to 100 daily score. Weather and time of season carry most of the weight. The score is a planning guide, not a promise you'll see deer.

Where do the moon phase dates come from?

The new, first quarter, full and last quarter dates are worked out with astronomy-engine, a free, open-source astronomy library that calculates where the moon and sun are. We checked its 2026 dates against the U.S. Naval Observatory's published moon phases, and they agree to within a few minutes. Dates are shown in Eastern time. The 30-day calendar below uses the simpler lunar-cycle math behind our daily score, so a phase name there can shift by a day.

Deer season dates by state