How Not to Hunt Bad

[kanderson55]

This is a guide on "How Not to Hunt Bad".

I'm writing this "guide" because of my recent experience with many new hunters who come into my or others' game and disrupt our play due to lack of knowledge.

I doubt that many new hunters bother to visit the forums except for the people who introduce themselves here. I would like to say that most of these people at least know a bit about how to play the game, but if not, this may (or may not) be the place to get some information.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Species, Tools, Guns, Ammo, and Shooting

Huntable Species
First, if you're not buying a membership from the start, the permanently free animals are whitetail deer, pheasants, and european rabbits. Also take time to check the free animal rotation which changes every Thursday here. If you buy a membership you will be allowed to hunt any species you want. You can find more information on memberships here.

Using Your Tools
You will be provided with binoculars, a bleat call, a camera, and the Hunter Mate. Binoculars are your basic spotting tool which will give you 8x magnification. The bleat call is the basic call to attract small deer of most species and any sex which can be found here. The camera is the tool that can be used to take "pictures" (screenshots) that will be uploaded to your gallery. The Hunter mate is the device that you will find in your hand as soon as you join a game. It is the most important tool in the game. You will use it to follow tracks you find on the ground and to identify calls from animals. It also has 2 free built in apps that you can activate by holding G. These apps are Break Through, a minigame where you use a ball to break through blocks, and the Camo Viewer which will tell you how well you are blended in with your surroundings, green being the best and gray being not at all.

Guns and Ammo
From the start you will have 2 free weapons. The first weapon is the .243 Bolt Action Rifle which is the basic gun you will use to hunt whitetails. The .243 can also be used to hunt a few other animals that may appear on the free animal rotation, of which you can find here. The second weapon is the 12 GA Single Shot Shotgun which through the use of multiple ammo types can kill any animal in the game except bison. You can find which shotgun ammo type to use for all animals here. If interested in buying a membership I would suggest investing in another weapon such as a rifle or bow that allows you to kill more species of animals, as you must use the correct weapon for a species or the kill will be disqualified.

Where to Shoot
When shooting an animal there are a couple places you should try to hit. The best place to do the most damage is from the side, on or near the shoulder. From the front, shooting straight down the middle of the chest may also get the same results. Headshots are not practical due to the small size of the brain of the animals, and although shooting from behind may get an intestine shot, which is usually fatal with smaller animals, you will be chasing the animal a while before it dies.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How to Approach a Multiplayer Game

First find a game on a map with the species that you're looking to hunt. The map that I would highly suggest for non-members is Logger's Point. Loggers point has 2/3 of the permanently free species, whitetail and pheasants.

Once you find a joinable game read the description. It's best to follow the rules of the host when playing.

When connected to the server try not to get into anyone's space. A good distance to keep is about 500 meters. This is usually far enough to avoid scaring someone's animals when shooting. If you do have to get near someone don't run. If you do it could scare their animals away. You may also want to crouch depending on how close you have to get.

If you really have no idea what you're doing, try to ask someone for help. If you find the right person they may allow you to come along with them.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Now you are officially somewhat better at the game by only reading!

If you see any information that isn't correct, or know anything that should be added leave a reply.

[thewindiw]

About the bleat call, able too use on all small deer, I get what your saying but some of the newer players may not under stand it doses NOT work for roe deer which are in theory small deer.

[Beano8U]

Nice guide, hopefully alot of new players will find there way here. I will certainly direct them here if I have any newbies join any of my future games.
Should also add, a bow is permitted for all species, if you are willing to purchase one. One of the best purchases any new player should consider for a starter kit
I recommend any of the compound bows, even though they can be tricky to master to start with. (A rangefinder will help too.)
Bows are also friendly for multiplayer games as they are very quiet and less likely to spook animals nearby that other players are hunting. Another tip in MP games, if you are near another player, maybe ask if it is ok to shoot first. It can be frustrating to have an animal spooked by another player's gunfire.
Happy hunting

[pastuh]

Great guide, but for totaly newbs i suggest::

Before hunt pick map and choose animals:
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=36090
Later check best camouflage for map / animal:
http://thehunter.wikia.com/?title=Cloth ... ack_Outfit
And ammo for gun:
http://thehunter.wikia.com/wiki/Permitted_Ammo
If you forgot how to shoot with bow, check this:
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=39777
Where to shoot:
http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.ph ... 00#p811224