red dead redemption 2 hunting interactive map

The most powerful tool you have to find animals is your Eagle Eye ability. If you’ve studied the animal, you’ll even be able to tell what you’re (not) looking at.

This means you’re looking at an animal (whether or not you can see it is a different question). As you scan the landscape, watch for the “study” prompt to appear in the bottom right of your screen.

You can also trick your binoculars into pointing out animals you can’t quite see.

They’re a good way to study an animal without getting too close - you just have to have a good line of sight on it, and have to keep it centered in view for a few seconds.

Binoculars let you spot animals even if you can’t exactly see them. There may or may not be a squirrel in this image. Arthur will also draw a picture of animals on his (your) map when he encounters them, and you can use those as general starting points for a hunt.

That may sound overly simple, but it’s a good way to start any hunt and, we’ve found, it’s as (or more) effective than some of the other ways to find animals. The easiest way to find animals is to just ride your horse or walk around, and look for them. The problem is how they all seem to disappear when you’re after something specific. There are 178 kinds to discover, in fact (though this number includes males and females of some species), so you’re almost always near something. Red Dead Redemption 2’s America is full of animals. Not understanding the nuances of the hunting mechanic can make it a frustrating, low-yield endeavor, so it’s worth some time to talk about it. We’re going to break everything down in much more detail below, but you already know the basics of hunting: Shoot an animal until it stops running away.

Hunting basics - finding, studying and tracking animals We’ll wrap it up with a case study of hunting to earn the Master Hunter Challenge 2. This guide will walk through hunting starting with the basics, then moving on to animal quality and using the right weapon, and then we’ll talk about what to do with animals once you’ve killed them. There’s a lot of nuance, and many things to keep track of, if you want to be an efficient hunter. Like a lot of Red Dead Redemption 2, though, hunting is only briefly explained in the game. And you’ll need to do a lot of hunting to complete the Master Hunter Challenges (obviously). You’ll use the meat you gather to keep your cores full and your camp fed, and to craft some stat-buffing talismans. Hunting is a lot more than just a way to pass the time in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Red dead redemption 2 hunting interactive map