Do herds die?

[John Deere]

Hey guys,
If I have a herd with 2 male (low genetics) and 5 females. When I shot the 2 males will that herd die because they can't produce new animals without the males?

[eagle74]

No, the ones you shot will be replaced by young animals at the start of a new year. Shooting males does not affect herd size. Be aware that shooting too many females in a group will cause that group to be smaller.

[6Taylor4]

Culling the young males gives the older males a chance to raise their star rating, so a 4 star should be watched for that change. If you search the discussions for this, it's been covered a lot.

[DC2Dixon]

Originally posted by 6Taylor4:

Culling the young males gives the older males a chance to raise their star rating, so a 4 star should be watched for that change. If you search the discussions for this, it's been covered a lot.

Why would you kill the young? If there not low fit, you have no idea really if they could be a 5 star. A 1 star adult could very well have far better genetics than a 2 star adult, it might just be a lot younger.

IMO unless a animal is low fit or obviously has weaker genetics, killing them young is a very bad idea. If a herd is all high fit, killing matures is by far the better option.

[6Taylor4]

Originally posted by DC2Dixon:

Originally posted by 6Taylor4:

Culling the young males gives the older males a chance to raise their star rating, so a 4 star should be watched for that change. If you search the discussions for this, it's been covered a lot.

Why would you kill the young? If there not low fit, you have no idea really if they could be a 5 star. A 1 star adult could very well have far better genetics than a 2 star adult, it might just be a lot younger.

IMO unless a animal is low fit or obviously has weaker genetics, killing them young is a very bad idea. If a herd is all high fit, killing matures is by far the better option.

Again, look for other discussions on this. I stand by my statement, and urge you to kill all young 1 star males, to improve the tier levels overall. Think of it as eliminating the competition for the higher star animals.

Don't take my word though, search around.

"IMO unless a animal is low fit or obviously has weaker genetics, killing them young is a very bad idea." This is pure speculation and impossible to resolve in-game, as you do not get any genetic info before you harvest.

[DC2Dixon]

Originally posted by 6Taylor4:

Originally posted by DC2Dixon:

Why would you kill the young? If there not low fit, you have no idea really if they could be a 5 star. A 1 star adult could very well have far better genetics than a 2 star adult, it might just be a lot younger.

IMO unless a animal is low fit or obviously has weaker genetics, killing them young is a very bad idea. If a herd is all high fit, killing matures is by far the better option.

Again, look for other discussions on this. I stand by my statement, and urge you to kill all young 1 star males, to improve the tier levels overall. Think of it as eliminating the competition for the higher star animals.

Don't take my word though, search around.

"IMO unless a animal is low fit or obviously has weaker genetics, killing them young is a very bad idea." This is pure speculation and impossible to resolve in-game, as you do not get any genetic info before you harvest.

First post I have ever seen saying that but wont argue.

[6Taylor4]

I searched "herd management" here and got over 270 hits....

[DC2Dixon]

Originally posted by 6Taylor4:

I searched "herd management" here and got over 270 hits....

Like many others, I check steam forums most days (for many games) I have been checking this forum daily since release and watch many videos on WOTH.

That is the first time I have ever heard anyone say you should kill all your young animals because it doesn't make sense unless they are low fit.

I will leave it at that as its never a discussion with you.

[6Taylor4]

Originally posted by DC2Dixon:

Originally posted by 6Taylor4:

I searched "herd management" here and got over 270 hits....

Like many others, I check steam forums most days (for many games) I have been checking this forum daily since release and watch many videos on WOTH.

That is the first time I have ever heard anyone say you should kill all your young animals because it doesn't make sense unless they are low fit.

I will leave it at that as its never a discussion with you.

Yeah, well if you leave, that ends the "discussion" possibility. So a few minutes of searching
found stuff like this, another "I've never seen anyone say that" exception...

Oct 22, 2023 @ 11:18am

herd management, how I do:
young: don't shoot anything!

adult/male
1-2 star: shot!
3-4 star: wait and watch!

mature/male
1-3 star: shot!
4 star: wait and watch close (5 star possible!)
5 star shot!!!

adult/mature/female
only shot, if there are too few males in the herd
===========
I add even the young 1* - shoot. But then you've left. So it ends.

[DC2Dixon]

Originally posted by heavensarewild:

First year of the game, I wouldn`t shoot a young, unless he came to the low fitness caller.

But now, if I see a single 4 Star Mature as the prime animal in a herd, them I`m going to kill every other male in that group, to make sure only the 4 Star remains.

I understand herd management is a regional thing, and not herd specific, but I figure if I can leave only 4 Stars alive, in any given habitat, then the chances of something 70%+ or higher spawning is going to be much greater.

Of course, you can always **** up, and shoot a 1 Star young, who is 90%+, but if you leave only 4 Stars alive, then it should balance itself out.

Should add - I never EVER shoot 2-3 Star Adults, you should always keep a closer eye on them

I can understand killing other animals if there is a 4-5 star mature in a herd but would never kill all young animals. For all we know, they are better genetics than the matures.

As for killing young to let the adults/matures grow, they will do that anyway. Killing young will have 0 effect on those genetics. Its only the respawn animals that it will affect, you could actually make them worse by doing so.

Unless a young animal comes to a low fit call, there is no way to know what his genetics might be. Even a uneven young/adult doesn't always mean bad genetics. I have shot 2* matures that are 90+ genetics. I think it depends on how long the life cycle of animals are to how big/small they might be at X age.

Maybe what you said is what was meant? Didn't care to ask

[DC2Dixon]

Originally posted by heavensarewild:

I`ve often killed young animals and found they`re a high fitness, always crushes me when I see something 90%+ in the harvest screen, but I always tell myself "It`s OK, you left that 4 Star alive, he`ll make sure another one comes along"

I tend to do it all quickly, and not over a period of days/weeks, for example - If I see a herd of Elk, with a single 4 Star Mature, and a load of other Matures of 1-3, I`ll use the low fitness caller to see what comes out of it, but if nothing does, then it`s onto plan B.

Then I`ll chase that herd in one session, and pretty much wipe them out, I figure that if there are other Matures that are in that herd, that are not coming in to the low fitness caller, then they`re going to be in the 50-70% range, and as long as I leave a single 4 Star in there, then it`s not going to matter as much, as he is still there to pass on his genetics.

Now, it could be, that I`m messing up, and the 3 Star Matures I`m shooting, are higher fitness than the 4 Star I`m leaving alive, but I figure that as long as I`m working on the "top end" and taking out almost everything else, then it`s going to work in my favour.

But I`ve shot some young animals with HORRIBLE antlers, the kind you`d beat to death with a golf club if they ever wandered into your garden, but found they have 80%+ fitness.

Once this game gets antlers and genetics right, from an appearance sense, this game is going to get more and more people playing, but there is room for the odd mistake.

Predators however, are a different subject altogether, but once we can see noticeable changes in them, through the binos, that`s going to be a game changer

I try not to let it bother me that much if its now and again, plenty more out there I say.

I tend to play full in game days and only rest at night. Can make ageing seem like such a long process. If I see a 4-5 but also some 2-3 matures in the same area, around the same age (colour) I will often take out the 2-3 as I know the 4-5 have far better genetics. I would only do that to old matures though, some 2 stars are great genetics while others are below 50 (work that out lol) I only kill matures unless something comes to a low fit call or you can clearly see they are weaker genetics (adult 1 star but tiny antlers) some adults are smaller than a average young but above 50%.

With most animals, unless they come to a low fit, there is simply no way to know how good there genetics are. As they get to the later stage of being a adult, it can become easier. Killing all young (if that is what was meant) just makes no sense for herd management. They have no affect on animals already in the reserve.

I do wish they would update some animals, you read the encyclopedia and it says old have X fur, I look and I am like ??? they all look the same Some animals are very obvious, others are impossible without the sense.

I agree, its the main reason I stopped playing ranger, there is just no way to tell with predators. Before the new caller was added for Alaska, you might have 8 wolves come in and not have a clue what sex or genetics they had. Hopefully at some point they go back and update many furs on these animals.

Even at 4K on a 65 inch TV, I cant tell the difference lol!

[Florian Meyer]

Originally posted by DC2Dixon:

Originally posted by heavensarewild:

I`ve often killed young animals and found they`re a high fitness, always crushes me when I see something 90%+ in the harvest screen, but I always tell myself "It`s OK, you left that 4 Star alive, he`ll make sure another one comes along"

I tend to do it all quickly, and not over a period of days/weeks, for example - If I see a herd of Elk, with a single 4 Star Mature, and a load of other Matures of 1-3, I`ll use the low fitness caller to see what comes out of it, but if nothing does, then it`s onto plan B.

Then I`ll chase that herd in one session, and pretty much wipe them out, I figure that if there are other Matures that are in that herd, that are not coming in to the low fitness caller, then they`re going to be in the 50-70% range, and as long as I leave a single 4 Star in there, then it`s not going to matter as much, as he is still there to pass on his genetics.

Now, it could be, that I`m messing up, and the 3 Star Matures I`m shooting, are higher fitness than the 4 Star I`m leaving alive, but I figure that as long as I`m working on the "top end" and taking out almost everything else, then it`s going to work in my favour.

But I`ve shot some young animals with HORRIBLE antlers, the kind you`d beat to death with a golf club if they ever wandered into your garden, but found they have 80%+ fitness.

Once this game gets antlers and genetics right, from an appearance sense, this game is going to get more and more people playing, but there is room for the odd mistake.

Predators however, are a different subject altogether, but once we can see noticeable changes in them, through the binos, that`s going to be a game changer

I try not to let it bother me that much if its now and again, plenty more out there I say.

I tend to play full in game days and only rest at night. Can make ageing seem like such a long process. If I see a 4-5 but also some 2-3 matures in the same area, around the same age (colour) I will often take out the 2-3 as I know the 4-5 have far better genetics. I would only do that to old matures though, some 2 stars are great genetics while others are below 50 (work that out lol) I only kill matures unless something comes to a low fit call or you can clearly see they are weaker genetics (adult 1 star but tiny antlers) some adults are smaller than a average young but above 50%.

With most animals, unless they come to a low fit, there is simply no way to know how good there genetics are. As they get to the later stage of being a adult, it can become easier. Killing all young (if that is what was meant) just makes no sense for herd management. They have no affect on animals already in the reserve.

I do wish they would update some animals, you read the encyclopedia and it says old have X fur, I look and I am like ??? they all look the same Some animals are very obvious, others are impossible without the sense.

I agree, its the main reason I stopped playing ranger, there is just no way to tell with predators. Before the new caller was added for Alaska, you might have 8 wolves come in and not have a clue what sex or genetics they had. Hopefully at some point they go back and update many furs on these animals.

Even at 4K on a 65 inch TV, I cant tell the difference lol!

I've also never heard that killing all young animals, unless you can identify them as weak animals with the caller, is supposed to have an advantage for the genetics. Each young animal with high genetics that is killed increases the likelihood that the average genetics of all herds in that habitat will become worse. If a 4 star only has 80% genetics and you kill the young and adults in this herd with perhaps over 90%, then no improvement in fitness can be achieved at all.

[eagle74]

I used to shoot a few young ones, but killing a young Sitka with 95% fitness cured me of that. If you shoot all the young ones, they will average out to the habitat average fitness. I don't see where that helps anything. And there is no mechanic in the game where that helps the current matures get better. AFAIK an animal is born with a set fitness level & it does not change over their lifetime.

That being said, we are free to play this game how we want as far as habitat mgmt is concerned. You can have plenty of fun just going out & "shooting stuff" or you can go hardcore habitat mgmt & only take out the low fit. Or you can play anywhere in between.
In all cases, you will get some 5* & hopefully have some fun.

[6Taylor4]

Reading is essential.