Hunting in Red Dead Redemption 2: Choosing Weapons and Finding Perfect Pelts

Hunting is one of the key components of Red Dead Redemption 2. As players explore the world, they encounter animals to hunt for their meat, pelts, bones, items to upgrade Arthur's satchel, and other useful materials. Read about the nuances and secrets of this fascinating activity and its connection to many other objectives in the guide!

The hunting mechanics in Red Dead Redemption 2 are deeper than in most thematic projects. Be prepared to hunt constantly and have the appropriate skill and equipment.

Here's a list of the main benefits of hunting:

Start by planning your hunt — decide which animal you're going after, what you need the carcass for, how far from the camp your target is, what weapon you'll use to kill it, and whether you'll skin the carcass on the spot or carry it back to camp.

Before hunting, Arthur needs to get a good night's sleep and eat to restore the «eagle eye» and «dead eye» abilities. During the hunt, first track and follow the animal's trail, and don't get distracted by other targets.

Once you spot your prey from a distance, make sure you approach from downwind, otherwise, the animal will smell you and flee. Use the «eagle eye» ability and your binoculars to study the animal and determine its quality.

Remember, the game takes into account the number and frequency of hits on the animal — shooting a rabbit with a shotgun will «blast» it to pieces, leaving the player without any loot. Conversely, only a shotgun blast can stop a massive animal, like an alligator.

While hunting in Red Dead Redemption 2, it's important to consider the size of the animal. The game world is so detailed that each animal has its own habitat. We suggest looking at the animal habitat maps, the parts they give, and our translation in a separate guide.

The parts of an animal that a player receives after hunting depend on two factors, the connection between which is not always obvious to players, and now we'll clarify it.

Each animal in Red Dead Redemption 2 has its own quality level, which, according to the developers' logic, reflects its age and physiological condition. Logically, a healthy deer in its prime will yield a better pelt than a thin, sickly one — and this is exactly what the quality parameter indicates. An animal can have from 1 to 3 quality stars.

You can determine the quality by standing in close proximity and focusing on the desired animal (hold L2/LT), or catch it in your binoculars and study it.

Hold R1/RB to study the animal, once the circle-cursor fills, press the button again to display the information about the animal.

The way you kill the animal also affects the hunting trophies collected. For example, the carcass of a wolf riddled with holes after being shot with a shotgun will yield less meat, and its pelt will be of low value, compared to a clean headshot.

Accordingly, to get a perfect pelt — choose an animal with three stars and correctly select the weapon for hunting.

Right after skinning, the pelt of the killed animal can be placed on Arthur's horse. Pelts can be stored in the camp, but remember, if you get killed on the way, the pelts will no longer be on the horse after resurrection, so be careful, especially if you are carrying the pelt of a legendary animal. Additionally, pelts can be given to the butcher in the camp so that he can make upgrades for Arthur's bag and other items. Pelts can also be sold — but this is not the best way to profit from hunting.

The quality of a kill depends on two factors — where you hit the animal, and what weapon was used.

In most games, a headshot means an instant kill — this system is widely used in Red Dead Redemption 2, but has its limits during hunting. The damage you inflict on an animal depends on the body part hit by the arrow, knife, or bullet.

There are three categories of damage:

For most animals, these body parts are the brain and heart, but they are often small or protected by thick bone, so impeccable aiming skills are required. When Arthur's «dead eye» ability reaches rank 4 (which happens during the Fleeting Joy quest in Chapter 5), vital organs will be highlighted in red if the character is near the target.

This information is valuable as it allows for one-shot kills — which will be necessary when hunting powerful and elusive beasts.

Also, remember the factor of penetration — an arrow or bullet can only hit an organ if it penetrates the skull or heart. For example, shooting a bison's brain from the front may not penetrate its thick bone. Shooting from the side or behind increases the chances of penetration.

To increase the chances of penetration, specialized weapons, such as rifles with scopes, or ammunition, such as high-velocity bullets, should be used.

When Arthur's «dead eye» ability reaches rank 5 (which happens during the «Goodbye, Dear Friend» quest in Chapter 6), critical organs will start to be highlighted in red if the character is near the target.

An animal wounded in this way may run away, but often not far — it will limp and, eventually, fall. Fatal and critical injuries count as clean kills when executed with the correct weapon.

In conclusion, an animal of superior quality combined with a clean kill equals the best outcome in hunting both in quantity (more items can be taken) and quality (every item is in excellent condition). Conversely, the worse the kill, the fewer items and money you get.

Depending on the size of your current prey, certain types of weapons and ammunition are better suited, while others are worse. See the table for details:

As you can see, there is at least one optimal weapon type for each size category we discussed earlier.

Carcasses of small, moderate, and medium-sized animals can be butchered, lifted, lowered, placed on or taken off a horse. Carcasses of massive animals can only be skinned, and their carcasses cannot be transported.

After hunting, the player can load their horse with pelts and carcasses within the following limits:

Remember, all small parts of animals are stored directly in your bag.

In addition to the regular animals that inhabit the world of Red Dead Redemption 2, the game also features many unique specimens known as legendary animals, which we have already written about previously.