Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Weather and Wildlife a useful tool or just another toy?
Weather and Wildlife was developed for people who hunt and fish so they can more accurately predict game and fish feeding activity. The program is based on science not speculation. Game specific solar profiles and feeding tendencies are combined with long proven lunar influences with the results expressed in straight-forward charts and graphics.
2. What is the Web Service that is included with Weather and Wildlife?
Our web service is code that is part of the Weather and Wildlife program that allows you to access information in our database via the internet. This is how we provide Weather and Wildlife with new latitude and longitude when you enter your zip code. It is also how we provide the program with your local weather forecasts. Another and equally important use of the web service is for providing free upgrades or updates to the program. When new features are added to Weather and Wildlife, they are automatically downloaded to your program free as part of your subscription to the web service.
3. If I don’t renew my subscription to the Weather and Wildlife Web Service, can I continue to use the
program?
Yes. Once you have installed Weather and Wildlife, you can use the program for viewing the best times to hunt and fish indefinitely. However, you will no longer continue to receive the program updates.
4. Do the sun and moon really affect wildlife activity?
The short answer is yes. The sun’s energy has signaled the start of daily activity since the beginning of time. For many animals dawn is the start of the daily activity pattern but for others dawn is the end of the daily cycle. Understanding which animals fall into each group is only a small part of applying the sun's influences to the ratings in the program. Likewise there are many lunar influences that have an impact on wildlife. Observing tides can demonstrate the most visible lunar effect on our planet. Many of the lunar effects that affect tides also have been shown to similarly influence wildlife feeding activity times.
5. How does Weather and Wildlife predict wildlife activity?
The program utilizes a set of algorithms to combine the solar and lunar influences plus the natural daily tendencies of various types of game animals and then assigns a point value to allow the results to be charted. The charts allow comparison between various days of the month as well as between each of the hours of each day.
6. How accurate are the charts and graphics in Weather and Wildlife?
The information that the charts are based on is calculated to the minute in your exact location. That location is the geographic center of your zip code. The ratings that are generated from these calculations and algorithms have proven to be reliable. However it must be said that no program can guarantee that you will always observe wildlife at the exact times shown. The program might show the peak of daily activity is 9:00AM but if the animals are active somewhere other than where you can observe them you might not believe that this was the “best time”.
7. When are the best times to hunt and fish?
Generally it’s best to go when the ratings for that day of the month or time of the day are higher. Game animals will usually travel from bedding areas to feeding areas and water each and every day. If you’re in a good place and you can spend the entire day there, the chances are good that you will observe game. However most of us don’t spend the entire day in the field or on the water, so Weather and Wildlife makes it easier to focus on the days and hours that have the greatest potential for seeing game.
8. Why is there a different graph for General Game Animals, Upland Game Birds and Fish?
Animals have different habits and tendencies. Some are nocturnal and others are diurnal. Some are herbivores; some are carnivores while still others are omnivores and can be both. While all animals experience the same solar and lunar forces, many respond differently to these forces. For example; deer are primarily nocturnal but are also active during the transition between day and night and as a result their solar profile and best time ratings reflects these natural tendencies. Upland game birds are generally not active until after sunrise and usually end their period of activity by going to roost before sunset and as a result, their solar profile and ratings differ from deer. Weather and Wildlife uses separate solar profiles for these different types of game and fish.
9. Are the times shown in the program accurate for my location?
All times shown anywhere in the program are local for your zip code and should be accurate to within one minute or less. In most cases the times will match the times shown by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration exactly.
10. When I use Weather and Wildlife to plan hunting or fishing trips to other locations will I need to make
adjustments to the times shown in the program?
No. When you change the zip code to view the best times to hunt and fish for another location, all times shown in Weather and Wildlife are for that new location and will reflect any adjustments for daylight savings time.
11. What is “High Moon” and “Perigee”?
“High Moon” is the day that the moon is at its most direct angle over your location. “Perigee” is the point in the lunar orbit where the moon is nearest to the earth thus exerting its greatest influence. Both of these influences as well as many others are reflected in Weather and Wildlife ratings.
12. What is “Lunar Transit” and “Declination” and how do they affect wildlife activity?
“Lunar Transit” is the point each day where the moon crosses the observers meridian (a line running from true north to south). The time of Lunar Transit is often called “Moon Overhead” with “Moon Underfoot” following by 12 hours and 25 minutes. Declination is the advancing and retreating as the moon goes from “High Moon” to “Low Moon”. For everyone in the northern hemisphere the moon is in positive declination when it is north of the equator and in negative declination when it is south of the equator. Transit and declination are two of the most important influences in the best time of the day ratings.
13. How does Weather and Wildlife differ from “Solunar Tables”?
Weather and Wildlife differs from most solunar tables in many ways. Our program uses game specific solar profiles to provide accurate ratings for different types of game and fish. We also calculate the times for lunar and solar events for your exact location. Most solunar tables will tell you that the times are based on the center of each time zone and you have to manually adjust if you live east or west of this imaginary line. Most so called solunar tables are only based on lunar transit and as a result they do not reflect the sun's significant influence.
14. Can weather change the ratings shown in the program?
Yes, most definitely. Weather and Wildlife ratings are based on fair weather. Deteriorating or bad weather can negatively influence wildlife activity for part of a day or for several days regardless of the indicated ratings. However, hunting or fishing in advance or immediately after bad weather can be productive as a result of increased wildlife activity during these periods.
15. From where does the program’s current and forecast weather information originate?
All weather data is obtained from the National Weather Service (NWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) The NWS has over 2,100 weather reporting stations in the US. By entering your zip code, Weather and Wildlife automatically selects the nearest reporting station for displaying your weather data.
