A couple newbie questions

[Hyazakyte]

Howdy folks, I'm kinda new to the game and had a couple questions....

Hunting in Timbergold I have noticed many elk carcasses lying about... do they attract grizzlies or wolves perhaps?
I also notice that you can collect them with your Huntermate, why is that? Do they add to your total Elk harvests or are they treated as rare finds?

Lastly, does practicing in Shooting Ranges increase your skill level with the particular weapon or are they simply used to familiarize yourself with the weapon sights IE: test your sights over various distances/range.

Thanx for any help,
I'm sure I will have more questions as I progress, but that's it for now!

[RickC]

The elk carcasses attract wolves. You get nothing for harvesting them.

Shooting at the range does not add to your skills.

[caledonianblues]

The wiki is your friend as it has answers to the majority of questions.

www.thehunterwiki.com

That's not to say you can't just ask here, but sometimes the wiki gets you the answer you need quicker.

[Radamus]

Welcome!
Something to try on the elk, set up a treestand near one and eventually wolves will come in to feed on it- That's funny to watch in itself, good place to practice with your bow shooting.

Weapons skills only increase by hits on an animal. Remember this, ALL shots even if on the same animal. So lets say you shoot something and it runs, unless you're focusing on single shot kills, keep shooting it! it gain points for hits. Here's a rule of thumb on weapons skills I think is worth knowing, with a new weapon, it's the same for all of us, bullets/arrows whatever will fly all over the place for a while. I find that a gun starts to get pretty decent when you hit lvl 5. Until that point you can make the perfect close range broadside shot but where it actually goes is a mystery. The best bet is to pick a weapon and just hunt the hell out of stuff just using it. And another tip just starting out, collect every track you comes across, spot every animal you see *make sure to hold on it until you get the popup box in the binos so you get credit for the spot* I wish I had been told this when I started because when you start hunting for scores or comps, that spotting/tracking is useful outside of just getting lucky. With good skills, you can make a lot of your own luck at times.

Lastly, have fun and play the game the way you find enjoyable~everyone has their view of what makes it fun.

[Hyazakyte]

The elk carcasses attract wolves. You get nothing for harvesting them.
Shooting at the range does not add to your skills.

Thank you!

The wiki is your friend as it has answers to the majority of questions.

I have studied and use the wiki frequently, before hunting any new species/range and during each hunt, just couldn't figure out where to find that info easily. Thanx!

Something to try on the elk, set up a treestand near one and eventually wolves will come in to feed on it- That's funny to watch in itself, good place to practice with your bow shooting.

I will definitely have to try that out!

Weapons skills only increase by hits on an animal. Remember this, ALL shots even if on the same animal. So lets say you shoot something and it runs, unless you're focusing on single shot kills, keep shooting it! it gain points for hits.

Awesome tip! This will is EXTREMELY helpful!

Here's a rule of thumb on weapons skills I think is worth knowing, with a new weapon, it's the same for all of us, bullets/arrows whatever will fly all over the place for a while. I find that a gun starts to get pretty decent when you hit lvl 5. Until that point you can make the perfect close range broadside shot but where it actually goes is a mystery. The best bet is to pick a weapon and just hunt the hell out of stuff just using it.

So I guess I should purchase that .300 or 7mm sooner than later, huh... this .243 is really limiting and not a big fan of shotguns

Thanks for all the info folks!

[Radamus]

If I had to suggest a good all around powerful rifle, I have to say the .30R O/U is a great gun! I'm a fan of so many though there's dozens of good choices. I'm a forever fan of the 7mm bullpup because it's light on the pack but if I have to pick a sentimental favorite it's the 30-06 lever action but the species list makes the .300 a must have for a new hunter as it's good for coyotes to bison and extremely capable.

[DYEUZ]

The elk carcasses attract wolves.

Could it be possible , for a EW staff to confirm this please ?
That the Elk carcasses in TgT actually attracts wolves ! I am sceptical about this .
Saw many many times , Wolves pass right next to the carcasses , without stopping at all .
If the carcasses would actually attract,wouldn't they stop at it ?

I am asking , because i think Elk carcasses are there for the Wolves, strictly when the Wolves have their '' feeding '' mode activated ( randomly ) and gives them the opportunity to find one and act as they are feeding . Exactly like the '' chasing '' mode . '' trotting '' , '' fleeing '' , ''roaming '' and so on .
Imo, it is not the carcasses that has that feature of attracting .They just lay there and do nothing more than be an easy meal .

A caller ,urine scent ,rattling ,attracts animals .

[Radamus]

I would tend to buy into what you are saying D, you are exactly right as for the behavior. The wolves will roam all around it, go chasing, have recess and play with one another and eventually one will go over and start tugging on the dead elk for a while and then leave again. I'd have to go with you on the technical aspect of their purpose. The supporting evidence would be, they do all of these things whether near an elk carcass or not.