Any tips how to consistently find foxes and lynxes in Hemmeldal?

[Mich-666]

Apart from those two missions (and elusive silver present) in Holiday quest I have everything else completed but I really struggle to find any fox or lynx in there.

Foxes are a bit easier, they at least come to your call (I have predator caller) - and I already shot two (sadly, under 30m so it didn't count) but lynxes are big enigma to me, it seems like they are barely any (so far I have only seen one in the map and it was by chance when I spooked him near the upper lake).

Tracking both foxes and lynxes seems to be a waste of time (can take two or more hours to find fresh tracks) and with my luck they always spook when getting near them even when sneaking. Foxes do come to towers occasionally so I guess it can be matter of chance but I have never seen any lynx do that, in fact, they never react to my calls.

So anyone has some tips for hunting those two species in consistent manner or any areas on the map where I should look around?

[Jack Schitt]

I'm not able to be too helpful with Lynx because I too have never seen one and I've never tried hunting them.

I can help with Fox on Hemmeldal. I consistently harvest them from this stand:
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2851691853

They usually come from 4 O'clock or directly in front of the stand facing East across the road in the forest. A little squeak from the predator "jackrabbit" caller usually has one in sight within 5 minutes real time. If I don't see or hear a call from one within 20 minutes I'll restart the game session to get a new spawn.

[krzychuzokecia]

The only sure way to get lynx is to have an electronic caller. They are roaming western parts of the map (in between the Orm's Sten and Grimulfr's Sten), but are very spooky, and often don't call that much themselves (although if you're close enough you can hear their meows that Huntermate won't pick up). Put an e-caller somewhere in that area and wait - you should see a lynx in 10-15 minutes.

If you can't afford an electronic caller, my advice would be to get to the peak nearby Grimulfr's Sten - it provides an amazing view of the area, so in theory you should see any lynx around. The problem is they are rather small animals, and blend into the terrain well.

[Aethuviel]

Before I had the e-caller, I would use the scent - the predator caller is nearly useless on them. (The latter maybe calls cats in at <100 meters, the scent at <150m, the e-caller is reliable at <200m).

And while you can shoot lynx while on the ground, a treestand or other stand is of immense help. Scent eliminator. Walk until you hear a call (anywhere in the western mountains), then scent spray (if you're within 150 meters), and sit absolutely still. In my experience, it takes about 5 real life minutes for them to reach you. They're extremely silent, and move slowly.

[**********]

I don't usually use a scent eliminator for Lynx, especially if using a tree stand. As long as you are not in their SW quadrant you should be good. From observation with Arctic foxes, scent spooks at around 30-40m or so if you're upwind of them. As Aethuviel says getting a call to locate one is the best start. If I'm using a tree stand I'll put it around ~150m or so away from their location and put the caller 10-15m away from the stand with a good view of the approach from the known marked Lynx location. They seem to travel around 10m per game minute on the approach to the caller, so I allow that plus a few extra game minutes for good measure. As with Bobcats don't always expect a straight line approach from the last known location to the caller. If I think it's overdue or spooked for some reason I'll switch the caller off and wait. Sometimes you get a call nearby confirming that it was coming in and it's real close. The worst thing is switching the caller off and getting up and moving only to spook it.

If you spook the animal you can track it back to where it went. Like Roe deer they only flee around 150m, so you can follow the tracks at a slow crouch-walk, then a crawl. You could re-set the caller back up after a time and try again. I have no idea at the cooling down time for a spooked Lynx though so that is a guessing game. Coyotes is around 6 game minutes, so it will likely be longer than that. If you're patient and wait and you hear another call then it should be good to try again.

You can hunt them from the ground, it does work if you have a vantage point like a rise or a rock with good view of a clear approach path. It's certainly harder as ideal vantage points are harder to find, as there's often something that blocks the view or gets in the way. The predator caller also works but as said only within 100m so you will likely be crawling around, and they approach that caller at a trot, so they're more likely to be spooked if you're not careful. They approach the predator caller spot and stop there. With an e-caller they approach and if they get too close, certainly <5m and spot the caller they will spook and run, sometimes wildly around, although the wild circular fleeing action may be a bug that occasionally occurs and doesn't just apply to Lynx.

A big problem with ground approaches is usually moose. I joke that they are the guardian angels of the Lynx, as I've had them appear nearby at the worst times while the Lynx is coming in, and been charged and injured. Moose don't always appear but it will annoy you when they do. Bears can also be a similar problem. I think Hoocairs said that bears will spook Lynx if they are between you and the lynx coming in, which makes sense. Ptarmigans can also spook them, if your vantage point is in a ptarmie perching zone and one comes in and spots you and goes all flappy bird spooked towards the Lynx it will likely spook it. I wondered if flapping ptarmies spook animals, and having seen it happen, yes they can if they are spooked and ptarmies fly wildly around, so that's a spooked flapping bundle of chaos just waiting to happen.

[MAGs☢uilleᵗʷᶦᵗᶜʰ]

If you don't have a tent to the north, spawn on the west base and go up towards the exclamation point (the stone). When you get to the level of the lake in the middle of the map, you will be at the right level to start finding Lynx.

By taking the EAST base, you will start to find some as you go past after the lake to direct you to the exclamation point.

Simply walk by staying in the recesses of the map to visually cover yourself as much as possible until you have a shout and from there, calculate the distance on your map from the detection zone. If it's more than 200m away, get closer to 50m while crouching and use a spray to hide your scent (there may be another one nearby) and place your electronic call on an advantageous area for the visual, it could clearly avoid waiting too long (they are slow).

Caller Jackrabbit can sometimes help you make him scream while walking but it's risky. You could scare him away if he doesn't make a sound by bringing him back to you. On the other hand, if you see that he is less than 100m away, you can cut off your electronic caller and use it to make him run to you instead of walking (if you have to do a short distance shot). It will slow down and stop close to you and after that it will run away if you don't shoot shortly before it stops.

For the fox, the western base is the best area. You often have some at the hunting tower right next to it and going up to the north keeping the border on your pad or keeping the base behind your back (mirador two too). Once he screamed, call him and back off 40m bringing him back to you and shift more to the left or to the right while staying in lying , he won't see you or smell you (no spray needed IF you have time to back). The mechanical decoy can be useful for missions or to see if a second does not come. It is supposed to have some also south of the map but the terrain is not easy

[**********]

Here's a perfect illustration of a Lynx approach that wasn't direct. The bottom track is a male Lynx that took a curved track approaching the caller over 160m or so. He was <10m from the caller when shot from a patch of elevated ground ~25m away

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2901592288

The top trail is also a male Lynx who just went direct over mostly flat ground. I was tracking back all the tracks to source point of the top animal when the bottom one called, so switched my attention and left the first in the field before completing collecting all the tracks of animal 1. I collect all tracks I can for any Lynx or Bobcats I shoot before harvesting the animal since neither are overly common, especially Lynx.

[Deconstructed]

Lynx, mainly West side of map and North/South on the Western 2/3 rds of the map. Low and slow while moving. If you are walking/running they'll be gone before you know they were there. Fox mainly the East 1/3 of map. Tree stand, e-caller, lots of patience for Lynx.

[Jack Schitt]

Tip / Note about predators and the e-caller I've observed:
The animal attracted will only come to around 15m of the caller, stop for a few seconds staring at the caller, then take off running (spook). Shoot them _before_ they get that close to the caller. Bobcats and Puma always stop and stalk/stare for a few seconds several times before they stop close to the e-caller and spook. I assume Lynx do the same thing.

[Mich-666]

Thanks for all the tips, I actually managed to harvest one fox today although she was a small one, so need to find another with higher score (possibly male too). Yesterday I also managed to lure black melanistic fox, going from mentioned treestand spot to northern tower, didn't even know those were still in the game (sadly, it got away as it was too fast and I never had the luck to catch it in favorable terrain after that (in fact, completely lost the track of it in high reed lining around those three northeastern lakes and when she suddenly ran directly towards me, my .357 was in need to reload. Anyway, I will try again today to check off the mission as there seems to be plenty of foxes around that area and now I'm fairly positive I can catch one.

Lynxes are a different matter though, guess I will need to buy the e-caller afterall (even having different weapon priorities). I managed to track one the day before yesterday (and was tracking it almost 2(!) hours) but when lying in prone waiting for shoot it actually came from behind me, encircling me around and spooked. Funny thing is I found another one just five minutes later on by walking around and hearing warning call - might be acturally preferable way of doing it rather than sneaking around for hours. But yeah, they call very rarely. Still, it was also a female so back to hunting them again. Feels like the hardest animal in the game actually. Even ptarmigans, while small are pretty easy to get in the northwestern part of the map.

By the way, what camo are you using in this reserve? I would try Sneaky 3D Winter Forest which could work on foxes but lynxes are usually walking in open areas where this wouldn't get useful much.

[Deconstructed]

3D for me, I just try and stick to the trees as much as possible. + scent elim. When targeting lynx I also generally carry a tent (too much to carry otherwise). If i come across a lynx I make sure I am over 100m away, drop tent, get tree stand and e-caller. Setup and wait.

[**********]

Originally posted by Mich-666:

Lynxes are a different matter though, guess I will need to buy the e-caller afterall (even having different weapon priorities). I managed to track one the day before yesterday (and was tracking it almost 2(!) hours) but when lying in prone waiting for shoot it actually came from behind me, encircling me around and spooked. Funny thing is I found another one just five minutes later on by walking around and hearing warning call - might be acturally preferable way of doing it rather than sneaking around for hours. But yeah, they call very rarely. Still, it was also a female so back to hunting them again. Feels like the hardest animal in the game actually. Even ptarmigans, while small are pretty easy to get in the northwestern part of the map.

By the way, what camo are you using in this reserve? I would try Sneaky 3D Winter Forest which could work on foxes but lynxes are usually walking in open areas where this wouldn't get useful much.

If you can't afford the e-caller then buy some Lynx scent. It's cheap for 50 uses and should bag you a few. Males pay very well, 100+ gm$ is common. Females pay very little so aren't really worth the effort unless the mission payout is worth it. Once scent is down you have 20 game minutes for it to do it's stuff. The drawback of scent is that you can't switch it off, if for any reason you need to.

I don't use any special camo for Hemmeldal, just a mix of B&C/English which is good for Moose, Roe and Reindeer, and I use on nearly all maps, as it's good for all deer and has some cover for rabbits. I have half an Arctic kit for Whiterime, and recently acquired most of a 3D Tropical for Piccabeen. As far as Lynx go just make sure you're not walking around near them, keep the wind in your face, and stay prone when they come in. You could walk around if there is a hill between you and the Lynx, as long as you don't spook anything that flees in their direction. I'll usually normal walk to within 150-160m of their last known call location, then drop to a crouch while I do the setup. This works for responding to calls. If you're going off purely tracks then it's best to track until you get a solid call, then work from there.

[Jack Schitt]

Originally posted by Mich-666:

Lynxes are a different matter though, guess I will need to buy the e-caller afterall (even having different weapon priorities).

If you don't want to buy the e-caller and want to get a Lynx I'll be happy to set one of my callers up for you to use where you want it and host a game for you to get it so you don't have to buy it. You can keep your budget plans that way. Send me a friend request if you'd like to do that so we can connect.

The e-caller is 50/50 worth having / not really worth having. The reason it's worth having is it's truly the best way to attract the animals it attracts. It's nearly impossible to track and sneak up on bobcat, puma, lynx, and wolves. It's not really worth it because the rewards for harvesting those animals takes a while to recover the expense of the e-caller and usb stick. I have several e-callers because I like hunting bobcat and puma and I don't want to keep moving the callers around or carrying them all the time. I set them up and leave them there and buy a new one when I want to have one for another spot.

Camo isn't going to make enough of a difference for you to be worth killing your budget plans on either. I've done that to myself a few times until I finally learned camo doesn't really give that much of an advantage. The difference is barely noticeable. The best camo to wear is B&C because it has scent and sound reduction qualities which works on all animals and the camo effect works absolutely everywhere on deer species.

[Aethuviel]

Does it really have scent reduction for all? I know the wiki isn't "official", but it says B&C only has scent+sound+sight reduction for deer species.

The wiki page says the only outfits that have scent reduction for all species, are the traditional arctic, arctic fox, outback and Van Helsing.

I don't get why they did this, if it's true. Why should other animals be able to smell you still, but not deer?

[Jack Schitt]

I shared what I did above because that's my experience. I have the best luck harvesting animals on all maps wearing B&C. I don't know for sure because I have no way to look in to what the game code is doing but from what I experience it *seems* like the sound and scent reduction B&C has works on all animals. Is it true, is that coded into the game for that outfit?
I have no idea. But that's what I've experienced.

Right. It doesn't make any sense that it would only work on one animal species. The 'deer species' include all the animals in the game that have antlers which is just about all of them.
Except maybe goats and cows (water buffalo, banteng)? I don't know what goats are categorized as. Goats. LOL

Getting the Tropical 3D forest outfit for Piccabeen was 100% a waste of funds. It's made no difference at all for me.

[Mich-666]

Funny thing, I finally got the lynx completely unexpectedly in the eastern half of the map[i.imgur.com] while tracking a fox :D

Here: https://i.imgur.com/AlVIXEe.jpg

I picked two tracks and then noticed a silhouette in the distance, so I got luckied.

Now I only need that male 20+ fox which proved to be the biggest challenge in the end. I harvested a bunch of them but either always being low score or from less than 30m (it actually is pretty hard in forest terrain to create long enough distance to shoot them from afar, even though I always call and then back off to find the best elevated position in the right distance. With 100m predator caller they are actually coming pretty fast to set everything right.

Sneaky Winter 3D are expensive but I think I still may have some Face paint to use against them. Those elusive foxes have really very good eyesight and hearing too.