Hunting

[Theflash1]

Honestly this game is amazing but the hunting system is atrocious, you can go to areas multiple times where it says an animal should be and it never show up but i can get over that. Lets talk about predator and herbivore bait; the fact that these are even in the game is so frusterating especially since they dont work and when they do you just wasted 20 minutes of your life for a 1 star chipmunk. Ive dumped hours into hunting in rdr2 and its the only time im playing the game and not enjoying myself

Edited November 9, 2018 by Theflash1

[DylBandit]

10 hours ago, Theflash1 said:

Honestly this game is amazing but the hunting system is atrocious, you can go to areas multiple times where it says an animal should be and it never show up but i can get over that. Lets talk about predator and herbivore bait; the fact that these are even in the game is so frusterating especially since they dont work and when they do you just wasted 20 minutes of your life for a 1 star chipmunk. Ive dumped hours into hunting in rdr2 and its the only time im playing the game and not enjoying myself

Hello @Theflash1

First and foremost, welcome to the forum!

This post was moved to Red Dead Redemption 2. Please make sure you post in the appropriate category. 

Kind thanks 😎

[Saltyballs]

On 11/9/2018 at 7:32 PM, Theflash1 said:

Honestly this game is amazing but the hunting system is atrocious, you can go to areas multiple times where it says an animal should be and it never show up but i can get over that. Lets talk about predator and herbivore bait; the fact that these are even in the game is so frusterating especially since they dont work and when they do you just wasted 20 minutes of your life for a 1 star chipmunk. Ive dumped hours into hunting in rdr2 and its the only time im playing the game and not enjoying myself

The bait's for the most part are useless but they do work; you just have to put some good distance between yourself and the bait. Try baiting somewhere near cliffs or hills where you can get a good vantage point from. Cover lotion also helps. 

One of the Legendary hunts actually gives you a perk (crafted at fence) that permanently increases the quality of pelts, I forget which one but just check the info at the fence. 

I'm not entirely sure how randomised the animal spawns are but there are certain spawn points you can manipulate over and over, and the direction of approach does seem to heavily influence how easy it is to do.  For example one of the best spawn points for Beavers is just south of Butcher Creek (near the leg beaver marker). If you approach from the east side of the river you'll likely scare the beavers off, forcing them into the river. However if you approach from the west on foot you can see three beavers just sitting there on the bank of the river, you can scan them and pick off the one you want without them ever moving. You can literally repeat this process over and over until you get a three star. 

Try and multi-task, need to travel from A to B for a mission? Well take the scenic route through some trees and scan for everything you can see. 

 

[X S]

You're not enjoying the game because of the hunting?  Look, there's a lot to be said about the patience needed to hunt in this game, but to claim the game is not enjoyable because of side quests is downright silly.

As for hunting, this game requires much more patience than the first game.  No, the bait isn't exactly useful, but there's some intent behind that.  The bait shouldn't be "serving up" the perfect kill every time; that'd be boring.  You need patience, and at times, a lot o f it.  The hunting challenges were not meant for "speed runs", if you know what I mean.

Edited November 11, 2018 by X S

[houseofcantor]

Bait is pretty useless but if you put it in an open area (and place a marker so you know where it's at) and sulk in the area with your scent covered you might get a result. I usually hunt by charging around on horsey and dismounting to follow whatever I scared out of the bushes. Also, study critters with binoculars. That'll tell you what can safely be sniped with the rifle which is way better than that stupid bow.

[CowBoii]

The bait sucks. Be a real man and just get in there and wrestle the damn animals to death! 

I really don't use the bait though. I haven't struggled too much without it either. The animals are plentiful when you are in the right areas for them. 

[MJROu812]

Bait does not work.....tried that, done that.....best way to hunt what your looking for is to stay mounted on your horse get in the area were the animal spawns and free roam it.

[Truth]

On 11/9/2018 at 1:32 PM, Theflash1 said:

since they dont work

14 hours ago, MJROu812 said:

Bait does not work....

15 hours ago, CowBoii said:

I haven't struggled too much without it either.

I spent HOURS hunting a Panther this weekend. I was finally starting to think I had to progress in the story to unlock it when it jumped me from behind.

Came back and spent several more hours trying to spot it. I gave in, dropped some bait, and hid behind a rock. Spotted him within 2 minutes...

The animals behave very realistically for the most part, so you have to treat them like you would IRL. You can just run into the woods and gun down everything you see. You have to be patient. Be selective on using the bait (no need for it when hunting deer) and stay quiet/walk slow.

 

[Kormath]

7 hours ago, Truth said:

I spent HOURS hunting a Panther this weekend. I was finally starting to think I had to progress in the story to unlock it when it jumped me from behind.

Came back and spent several more hours trying to spot it. I gave in, dropped some bait, and hid behind a rock. Spotted him within 2 minutes...

The animals behave very realistically for the most part, so you have to treat them like you would IRL. You can just run into the woods and gun down everything you see. You have to be patient. Be selective on using the bait (no need for it when hunting deer) and stay quiet/walk slow.

 

agreed, i've used bait many times successfully.  It attracts whatever type of animal (herbivore, etc.) is closest.  

That's what i love about this game, they made is realistic as possible, the hunting is awesome, I've spent hours and hours just hunting.  What i don't like about the hunting is the animals almost always return to a spot, their run away path is circular unless something else interferes, like a passing NPC on a horse that chases the animal down the road a ways.

@Theflash1 The marks on the map for the animals are just a general location, not an exact spot saying one will be there.  They roam, they get chased off by NPC's passing by on horses or in carriages, they get chased by other animals, etc.

[Truth]

2 minutes ago, Kormath said:

they made is realistic as possible

I can't believe the realism sometimes... I don't play hunting games, but I can't imagine they come close to this. Hell, I came across 2 wolves playing yesterday. Made for an easy hunt (both pristine too), but what other game would you encounter something like that in? Incredible.

I've spent more time hunting than playing story missions.

[KRooKeD KRoW]

I tried the bait once, but didn't wait long to see if it worked.  I may try it again sometime in the future, but usually take a more aggressive approach to hunting.  I usually just ride to the area the animal is in and ride around until I either spot their trail, or spook the animal itself, then follow the trail it creates (following the trail on foot so I can get close, though sometimes I just shoot from horseback and hope I get a clean kill).  Definitely scan the animals the first time you come across them.  After you do scan them, every time you come across their trail, the trail info will tell you what animal it is, and in the form of 3 dots next to the name that are filled based on quality (1 dot filled is poor quality, 2 dots good quality and 3 dots perfect) you find out if it's good enough quality animal to get a perfect pelt.

Edited November 12, 2018 by KRooKeD KRoW

[Truth]

Just now, KRooKeD KRoW said:

but usually take a more aggressive approach to hunting.

That'll work fine with many animals, but good luck doing that with a cougar, panther, badger, beaver, etc. The more difficult animals will take a lot more effort (usually).