Hunter's Moon 2026: Meaning and Dates

Origin of the name

The first full moon after the Harvest Moon, when fields were cleared and game was easy to spot and fatten for winter.

Also called the Blood Moon or Sanguine Moon in some traditions, from the hunt rather than from eclipses. It shares the Harvest Moon habit of rising soon after sunset for several nights.

Viewing tips

In years when the Harvest Moon falls in October, the Hunter's Moon shifts to November.

Lore and folklore

With the fields cleared after harvest, game was easy to spot by the light of October's moon, and the season of laying in meat for winter began. The Blood Moon and Sanguine Moon names come from that hunt, not from eclipses. In Britain the same moon was sometimes the Dying Grass Moon.

Trivia

• The Hunter's Moon is always the full moon after the Harvest Moon, so it moves to November when the Harvest Moon is in October.
• It shares the Harvest Moon's early-rising trick for several evenings.
• In some years the Hunter's Moon is a supermoon, appearing especially large as it rises.