What is Solunar?
Solunar is a theory which states the relationship between the Sun and Moon and their influence on Fish and Wildlife's
movements and feeding times. This site's Forecasts are a combination of the Solunar Theory and a decade of Field Study
in the Arizona and Montana backcountry on Predator/Prey interactions.
Here's a short Article on the
Solunar Theory
Does this really work?▲
Yes, very well. It has been proven many times over by science and outfitters. I have found it particularlly
useful with hunting predators. Instead of falling asleep at the stand I know there is going to be action.
There are a few things to remember:
- Weather is the single most important factor that will determine the success of a hunt
or fishing trip. In areas where Weather is more stable, you will find this system very useful. This is especially true if the Fish or Wildlife pursued lives in a den
or cave.
-
If the area you are hunting or fishing has been hammered by everyone in town, even the next day
can be pretty unsuccessful, depending on your quarry.
- If there are not any fish or animals where you are going,
you won't catch or see any.
Remember to look for sign a week or more before you go, human and your quary. Find
a backup spot nearby too, so if you show up and there is fresh human sign and/or only old critter sign, you have a
another place which will prove successful. In my Arizona hunt areas, using this system and the weather, I
returned home 8 to 9 times out of 10 successful.
I'm Skeptical? Why is your system better?▲
It is important to note that data in Tables found on various websites should be
reverified periodically with US Naval Observatory available data as well as
compared against reputable solunar data providers. Inconsistences abound due to the
complex nature of the Astrophysics computations and overlooked associated anomalies
checking that are required to produce useful results.
Moon Overheads which do not occur for more than a day and times
off more than a couple minutes are indications of a fundamental issue for a given
position and should be suspect. Several programming languages themselves can be factors in
poor computational results, mainly caused by limited exponential number precision within the
programming language itself.
If you want consistent and useful results check, and check
usprimetimes too.
I was. I could not understand why when I was predator hunting there were times when the weather was good,
sign was present, made a quite, hidden approach, and nothing showed itself. Then a week or two later at
the same time, under what I thought were the same conditions, in the same place, I saw lots of predators.
That was back in 1997. I soon started to feel the Moon had something to do with it, so I started looking for answers.
I discovered the Solunar Theory and began testing and refining it. It got to the point where I would only hunt
two weeks a month for half a day or less and had a ninety percent or greater success rate. I told very few people at
the time for selfish reasons.
I decided to start building this system in early 2003 to provide a real time free location specific solunar system
for everyone who has an internet connection and a browser. It provides basic predications for
different times of the day for your specific area plus detailed graphs of the solunar influences as well as weather.
Ratings are based on daylight hours (dawn to dusk, eg. civil twilight).
Why is our system better? There are quite a few reasons: The system was researched and developed by sportsmen
in the field, on the ground, so to speak, over a five year detailed study period and several years of less formal study. Conditions ranged from -35F to 115F not
including
wind chill. The fixed site research area was selected and located in the heart of Montana's Helena National Forest, and was operating for
years before the final USPrimetimes system was designed. There are only a couple of places more remote where this could be done.
The Success Forecasts you see are not only based on Moon Overhead/Underfoot or the Solunar theory brought to light by John Knight,
but the many other Lunar/Solar combinations, distances, and positions that cause Fish and Wildlife to become active. So even though
a Moon Overhead/Underfoot is not occurring during a period where the Success Forecast is Very Good (or close) or better, go out
during that period. If the weather is not too bad, and the guy down the street didn't scare everything away, I promise you,
you will not be disappointed.
I read last week that a very popular Solunar site commented that Transit periods (eg. like MoonOverhead) can be
determined from the Moon Rise and Set times. I found that interesting since this method will be in the ball park half the time, Underfoot percentages are lower.
Transit periods are correctly determined by computing the
Angle to your Latitude/Longitude (Zip Code) with the Moon using Astrophysics. This Angle must be 180 degrees from your location to be Overhead for example.
The method to determine the Transit is a combination of Algorithm, Formulas, and Repetition.
You'll notice in the Development Credits page that aside from studying many books, I had to ask a Physics Professor some
questions while building this system. Just like setting up the perfect cast, details are important when it comes to Solunar Forecasting.
Other sites do not have the depth of understanding on these details alone. Not to mention the time in the field nor the experience
of living in the heart of the Helena National Forest, Montana for years, seven days a week.
This system is better because it is built by a sportsman from the ground up and from the field. To help other sportsman gain
a better understanding of the rhythms of nature. And of course, to see more Wildlife and Fish.
What do the Stars in the tables mean?▲
The Stars represent the overall influencing factors that affect the current day. These include but are not limited to Planet distances,
Phases, and the timing of events during the day. Very similar to the
30 Day Overall Success Forecast.
Do I have to adjust the times?▲
No, as long as you entered in the correct Zip Code or City and State you plan to be. The system does that
for you, including adjusting to Standard or Daylight Savings time.
So how do I factor in Weather, when is the Best Time?▲
Extreme Bass Lures used to have good article on how to factor in the Weather for Fish and Wildlife.
Seems they've gone under. We'll post a copy of it in the near future.
Many fabric dyes and brighteners have UV in them. Don't glow to Fish and Game in low light!▲
Most Fish and Game animals see UV Light very well, that's how they see at night.
If your clothes don't say No UV Dyes or Brighteners (they cost more and/or not as pretty looking),
or you did the laundry with soap that has brighteners in them, than you can bet you've 'got the glow'. You may want to put your clothes
under a UV light in a dark room. They will glow
light blue if UV is in them. The 'Glow' is not important on sunny days but it is extremely important at Dusk, Dawn, and Overcast days with
certain species including Deer and Predators.
Go to
Astko UV Control to remove the glow cheaply with U-V-Killer Spray.
Why do I keep getting same Zip Code when I enter another location?▲
This happens if your Cookies are Turned Off or your Privacy Setting is too high on your Browser.
To Turn on Cookies in Explorer, click the Tools Menu, then click the Internet Options (at the bottom of the menu).
Now click the Privacy Tab, and either click the Default button or lower the Privacy Setting to
Medium High. Finally, Click the Apply button,
then the Ok button, and you are ready to go.
What inputs disable the Weather Page?▲
Changing the Start Date or using Back Country Mode will disable Weather Forecasts. Back Country users should always study a Fronts map from
the
Weather Underground or the
National Weather Service
before going out.
Which ratings are more important, Overall Success Forecast or the Morning, Afternoon, and Dusk Success Forecast?▲
Short answer, Morning, Afternoon, and Dusk Success Forecast are more important. For even more detail click on the Barrel which represents the day to see the
details in half hour increments for a better idea of why and when. The Overall Success Forecast reflects the overall influence the Sun and Moon has on that day.
The Morning, Afternoon, and Dusk forecast periods are directly related to higher success and should be used as the definitive guide.
There are many times the Daily rating is Average but one of the periods is Good.
Charts that show medium to low average scores are actually getting into
the Fair to Poor range, unless weather conditions are very good such as a pre-front. If you have to go out with low Good or Average score, do it an hour and half
before a Moon Overhead or Moon Underfoot, with the Moon Overhead being the preferred time or the Day Detail Chart's highest score period.
Also, as a general rule, most MoonTransit periods (Moon Overhead or Moon Underfoot) can be productive, especially when they are within
an hour or so of a Sunrise or Sunset. Here is one example: It has been windy from 12am until 12 noon. The Forecast says the morning is the
best time. There is a MoonTransit at 6pm and the Sunset is at 6:30pm. If you were smart and skipped the morning, went out in a decent area at
5pm, you could expect good productive action. So remember, if the weather is bad when the Forecast Success is the best, later or earlier periods, including
Moonset and/or Moonrise periods (which can last an hour or more before and after they occur) can prove to be very productive as well.
If and when we find relatively good realtime weather information that is affordable, it will be incorporated into the Success Forecasts. Our research has included professional
weather gathering and monitoring for several years. Until then, use the weather resources we have provided, especially the 3 Hour Detail.
It says Moon is only 98% Illuminated but there is a Full Moon Today. Why the difference?▲
When someone enters a Zip Code or City, State the system does all the calculations and stores them in a database so
it only has to be done once per day, then anyone else who selects the same Zip or City, State just reads from
the database. This is done for server load and performance reasons as the formulas to obtain this data are quite
involved. Depending on the exact time the calculations
were performed, Moon Illuminated will reflect it's state at that time of day.
What is Moon Overhead and Moon Underfoot? Or MoonMinor?▲
Moon Overhead is when the Moon is over your position in the sky when its up (ie. the angle to yours is 180 degrees). Moon Underfoot, under your position when its down. Both
these are also called Major Moon Transits or just a Moon Transit. The Major refers to major feeding periods for Fish and Game. Minor Overhead and Minor Underfoot are minor feeding periods that generally occur approximately 6 1/2 and 11 1/2 to 12 hours
after a Moon Overhead. Minor periods are not as strong as nor last as long as Moon Overhead/Underfoot transits. Minor Overhead and Minor Underfoot are also referred
to as Moon Minor Transits or MoonMinor in the Detail Chart, as both can occur when the moon is up or down.
Are there any cool pictures of animals or your research hut?▲
Yes there are, some that are quite funny too. Though they are not posted since they may reveal research technologies, locations, or other information that are our Trade Secrets.
These may include remote research areas and technologies built and/or refined by us for research. Computers that store these pictures and information are not even connected to the internet.
What is with all the different Weather Forecasts, What are they?▲
The Weather Forecasts are gathered from, what I think, two of the most respected forecasters, NOAA and the
National Weather Service(NWS). A link for the
Weather Underground is used for current conditions.
The reason is to give you the best available information
and allow you to easily compare between them. Then make your own decision. As noted elsewhere, Weather is the
single most important factor in determining how you will do afield.
The first forecast you will see is the 6 Day Forecast, and is generally pretty accurate.
The second forecast or Zone Forecasts are detailed text of the
expected conditions for the week, important notices, and warnings.
You are shown counties in your selected area to choose from, you should select
the one which is closest to where you will be.
The third, 3 Hour Detail Weather Forecast is probably the most accurate Weather
Forecast you will see. If it is available for the area you plan on going to, I would recommend it as your guide
over all others, at least that is my experience. The Line Chart is useful for a quick idea, especially for wind,
but I find the text very useful for details, such as changing Wind Direction.
Will you add other Timezones in the future?▲
Because of other projects and user base limitations no new Timezones will be added at this time. Timezones
for Alaska, New Zealand, Africa, and a few others may be added in the future.
What do you store in your Cookies?▲
Cookies are used only for making sure you get the data (for the entered zip or City, State) you requested, and not someone elses,
and does not contain any personal or other tracking information. See our
Privacy policy for more information.
What is Solunar Computations Today?▲
The number reflects the total Solunar reports generated and stored for users. A Computation for
an active zip code is done once each day and then stored for other requests for the
same zip code. So if five users enter five different zip codes that have not been stored already the
count would increase by five. If four of the five enter a zip code previously entered that day, it would increase by one.
It does not reflect:
A) For each day in a thirty day forecast hundreds of computations are done.
B) For each thirty days, more days are computed in the background for anomaly checking and correction.
C) In many cases, more than one user uses the same zip code. For some zip codes there are ten or more users.
Is there Licensing?▲
There is Licensing available for Software or Hand Held devices on a per unit basis. For devices with
strong memory constraints, you could expect 32K to 200K additional memory requirements for code and data. The footprint is
dependant on many factors.
Is there an API?, Can I use your Data?▲
Use of our data requires written permission. There is a data service for a yearly fee which includes
support. Forty hours of development enhancements is included for data users requiring full U.S. coverage.
Data Available includes any combination of the below in XML, JSON, or JSONP (ie. callback) formats through a
HTTP or HTTPS interface:
Data Date, Zipcode, City, State, Full State Name, Month Name (abbreviated), Day Name, Time Zone, Latitude and Longitude (Degrees or Decimal),
Moon Overhead Time, Moon Overhead Period,
Moon Underfoot Time, Moon Underfoot Period, Moonrise, Moonset, Moon Illumination Percent,
Next Moon Date (New or Full), Moon Illumination Icon, First Minor Time, First Minor Period, Second Minor Time, Second Minor Period,
Sunrise, Sunset, First Light, Last Light, and USPrimetimes Best Time for Day.
Easy formatted Weather 3 Hour, 6 Day Forecast, County, and Currents data can also be included.
Yearly Fee structures are dependent on individual requirements and any exclusionary clauses, if any.
For more information contact me from the Contact page.
Something missing or have a question not answered here?▲
Please
contact me so we can add it.
