Keen for a new challenge, Hunters? Ready to work together with the rest of COTW community? Then we have some great news since the Medium March Hunt Community Challenge, our new in-game event, is now live!

From March 27th to April 10th, you're invited to contribute to our cooperative task: hunting medium size animals from classes 4, 5, and 6. By participating in this group objective, you'll be rewarded with 3 exclusive cosmetic items[callofthewild.thehunter.com].

Even if the general goal is achieved before April 10th, you'll still have a chance to join the event until the timer expires and snag the rewards. The cosmetics will be autimatically awarded to all eligible accounts after the goal is reached.

You also aren't required to have a full Apex Connect account to contribute to the Medium March Hunt and get the rewards.

Looking to level up the challenge? Give our new semi-automatic rifles from the Rapid Hunt Rifle Pack a whirl.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3447720/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild__Rapid_Hunt_Rifle_Pack/

Good luck and happy hunting!

The Rapid Hunt Rifle Pack is out now and includes three tough-built and reliable semi-automatic rifles aptly named for their rapid firing power.

With powerful recoil management and gas-operated long-stroke piston action, every shot will feel just as effective as the last.

The PERRY has .308 ammunition and is built for medium to big game hunting, covering classes 4-8.

Designed for quick action and hip fire and built with great attention to detail, you’ll get extremely smooth action, allowing you to land fast follow-up shots.

The HANSSON has .30-06 ammunition and is another great fit for medium to big game, also covering classes 4-8.

With the force of 7.62x39mm rounds and the precision hunters crave, this is a timeless choice. It’s easy to use and rocks a brand new ammo type.

The QUIST REAPER is great for small to medium game, covering classes 2-6.

You can find the Rapid Hunt Rifle Pack across all platforms for $4.99

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3447720/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild__Rapid_Hunt_Rifle_Pack/

In addition to the new Rifle Pack, today you’ll also get a new patch with bug fixes. Check out the full Patch Notes [callofthewild.thehunter.com]for more details.

Looking for Tahr? You’ll start to see them out on Te Awaroa[callofthewild.thehunter.com]! With that, the Chamois will also get a population reset.

You might notice something new on your menu screen. The first Community Challenge starts in 2 days and offers exclusive cosmetics for everyone who participates.

We’ll have to work together to unlock the rewards, so prepare by making sure you’re geared up for medium-sized game.

Don’t forget that we’re hosting a launch stream with Vivi and Tommy at 16:30 CET, 8:30AM PST on Twitch[www.twitch.tv] and YouTube. We’ll be focusing on the new weapon pack from the perspective of a lead animator. We hope to see you there!

A new DLC is coming up next week that includes three reliable semi-automatic rifles known for their rapid firing power.

With powerful recoil management and gas-operated long-stroke piston action, every shot will feel just as effective as the last. 
The Perry has .308 ammunition and is built for medium to big game hunting, covering classes 4-8.

Designed for quick action and hip fire and built with great attention to detail, you’ll get extremely smooth action, allowing you to land fast follow-up shots. 
The Hansson has .30-06 ammunition and is another great fit for medium to big game, also covering classes 4-8.

With the force of 7.62x39mm rounds and the precision hunters crave, this is a timeless choice. It’s easy to use and rocks a brand new ammo type. 
The Quist Reaper is great for small to medium game, covering classes 2-6.

The Rapid Hunt Rifle Pack comes out on March 25th across all platforms for $4.99. Until then, keep an eye on our social channels for more sneak peeks! 


Alongside the new rifle pack on March 25th, you’ll also get a new patch with bug fixes. The full patch notes will be available the day before the update kicks in.

Looking for Himalayan Tahr? You’ll start to see them out on Te Awaroa! With that, the Chamois will also get a population reset.

At the end of March, we’re excited to unveil our first Community Challenge. These are in-game challenges that everyone works together to achieve. More information to come, just keep an eye on our social channels!

We'll see you out in the wild, Hunters!

Howdy Hunters,

We have a very small hotfix for you today.

Patch Notes:

• Various backend fixes.
  
• We've replaced one of the paintings featured in the central building in Salzwiesen Park

//theHunter Team

We're hosting a poll right now where you can choose which animal, from a short list, gets extra fur variations next year. This poll is ONLY being done on our official Discord, so you'll need to join to participate. When you're there, head over to # cotw-polls to vote and choose the @ Polls role to get notified for future polls.

You have 72 hours to vote![avlche.com]

How many variations will you be adding?
It will be decided during production. However, we have a goal of maintaining a consistent distribution of rarity so depending on the chosen animal, the number might vary.

How many species will get extra fur variations?
At the moment, we plan to add extra fur variations only for the top-voted animal.

When can I see the new variations being added to the game?
If you followed our Community Weapon Pack updates, you probably already know that adding new content to the game takes time. We currently aim at the second half of 2025 for the new variations to arrive.

Do you plan to organize more polls like this in the future?
Yes. We often post these kinds of polls on our Official Discord. In fact, you should keep an eye on our official channels again next week!

Greetings Hunters!

A new hotfix has been released to resolve some of the bugs that have arisen since the launch of the Winter Update. Let's take a look at the details!

• Some players have been having problems with their game progress not being saved. If your game is on a PC, sometimes, Windows Security might stop you from reaching the Documents folder (that's where your save files are). So you need to allow (or whitelist) your apps to access it. Plus, using Norton Anti-Virus may wrongly block parts of your save data thinking they are harmful. So, try to check your computer's security settings to make sure they are not stopping the game from saving your progress. For more help, visit our support page.
  
• It's been pointed out by a few players that a picture of Florian Jansen, who is the key contact for Salzwiesen Park, can't be found in the Codex. This is done on purpose. Florian values his privacy, and didn’t want his picture publicly available.

• Decoys and callers associated with birds found in Salzwiesen Park which can also be found in other locations should now be available if the player only purchases Salzwiesen Park.

• Upland birds such as Pheasants and Grouses should be more reactive to the threatening presence of players and dogs. They should also be better at trying to fly away when there’s no nearby available cover.
  
• Waterfowl should be less wary again, and land more frequently.

• The “Flush” command should now always display on the dog wheel when it is available for use.
  
• Birds should be less wary of being pointed at by the dog.

• When replacing existing trophies in a Trophy Lodge, the swapped trophies should appear normally again.

• The game should no longer momentarily freeze or stutter when you shoot at a target on the shooting range with a shotgun loaded with birdshot.

• Ground birds should react appropriately when flushed by a host.
  
• Waterfowl should appear normally in Multiplayer games again.
  
• The Clay Thrower should now be working well in Multiplayer.

• The placement of the new Hunting Pressure Tooltip should now be away from other information boxes to prevent overlap.
  
• PlayStation and Xbox users should now see the correct description for the German Shorthaired Pointer.
  
• We've fixed an issue where the error message displayed after aborting the purchase of a dog package from the Expert Hunting Dog menu couldn’t be closed without closing the entire menu.

Also check out the updated known issues list.

Howdy hunters,

Today you can enjoy a compact hunting experience in Salzwiesen Park, find and flush waterfowl with the German Shorthaired Pointer, and take your shooting skills to new levels with the Hunters’ Choice: Bolt-Action Rifle Pack – all available now.

Save 11% on all three DLCs with the Winter Hunting Bundle -

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/47553/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild__Winter_Hunting_Bundle/

Also available today is the Winter Update, introducing all-new Hunter Challenges, two new Great Ones, and much more!

Explore the salt marsh habitat and hunt a wide range of waterfowl and small game. Plus, sharpen your shooting skills solo or compete against friends at the Clay Shooting Range–our new gameplay feature–unique to Salzwiesen Park.

Salzwiesen Park is home to 15 different animal species, including 2 brand-new waterfowl.

• Greylag Goose
  
• Tundra Bean Goose
  
• Ring-Necked Pheasant
  
• Black Grouse
  
• European Rabbit
  
• Common Raccoon
  
• Raccoon Dog
  
• Red Fox
  
• Goldeneye
  
• Eurasian Teal
  
• Mallard
  
• Eurasian Wigeon
  
• Tufted Duck
  
• Gadwall ← New
  
• Ferruginous Duck ← New

We also have not forgotten about a new caller for the Gadwall and new decoys for the Gadwall and Ferruginous duck. This DLC also includes the versatile new GOPI 10 GRAND shotgun that shares all 3 types of ammo with the Strandberg 10SA.

• 10 GA Plastic Birdshot Class 1-2
  
• 10 GA Plastic Buckshot Class 4-7
  
• 10 GA Plastic Slug Class 6-9

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3244810/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild__Salzwiesen_Park/

Meet your newest hunting companion! Designed to point you in the right direction of your desired prey, it will–on your command–leap and bound its way towards all but the largest of predators, making them much easier to target.

Owners of multiple dog breeds can also use the new Expert Dog feature, which comes with this Winter Update. This new feature will allow you to customize your expert hunting dog by enhancing one dog with the skills of two. For example, by combining the skills of a Pointer and a Retriever, you can train your dog to skillfully flush out birds and efficiently retrieve them after you’ve taken your shot. Pretty neat! This lovely companion comes with 6 different fur color variations.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3244800/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild__German_Shorthaired_Pointer/

Brought to life by you, our incredible community, this new pack includes three bolt-action rifles suited for engaging a variety of different-sized species.

• Vallgarda .375 - Uses .375 Polymer-Tip or Soft-Point rounds, for Classes 7-9, and mounts standard rifle scopes.
  
• Johansson .450 - Uses .450 Polymer-Tip and Soft-Point rounds, for Classes 4-7, and mounts standard rifle scopes.
  
• Fors Elite .300 - Uses 7.62x35mm Polymer-Tip and Soft-Point rounds, for Classes 3-6, mounts standard rifle scopes.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3244820/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild__Hunters_Choice_BoltAction_Rifle_Pack/

5 New Multi Mounts for the Trophy Lodge.

• Partners in Crime: Created by 2 Red Foxes.
  
• Flying Pheast: Created with a Red Fox and a Ring-Necked Pheasant.
  
• Landlubber Lineup: Created from a Black Grouse, Ring-necked Pheasant, Graylag Goose, and a Tundra Bean Goose.
  
• The Three Ducketeers: Created with a Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, and a Ferruginous Duck.
  
• Duck out: Requires all 7 ducks: Eurasian Teal, Eurasian Wigeon, Ferruginous Duck, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Mallard, and a Tufted Duck.

Hunt Club Beta has been upgraded to Challenges

• Players can now select Daily and Weekly challenges to pursue from a selection of various options.
  
• The options will include both hunting and photography challenges.

Two new Great Ones have entered the wilderness.

• Red Fox - 9 variations.
  
• Ring-necked Pheasant - 8 variations.

ANIMALS

• Red Foxes received a few improvements in this patch. Their animations were completely overhauled, and behaviors got slightly adjusted (their populations in the existing reserves have been reset).
  
• European Rabbits have been remastered (their populations in the existing reserves have been reset).
  
• Cinnamon Teals have been remastered.
  
• Flight and landing characteristics for birds have been updated for a more realistic hunting experience.
  
• Birds should more consistently land near decoys now.
  
• Waterfowl should have more realistic reactions to different situations.
  
• Upland Birds should more consistently try to hide, and birds flushing should now have a chance to flee in any direction.
  
• The Grounded Check on Upland Birds should be more accurate when the birds are close to the ground or landing, but not yet on the ground.
  
• Black Grouse, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, Cinnamon Teal, and Red Fox audio have been improved.
  
• We’ve added minor improvements to animations and X-ray models for multiple older species.
  
• Furs on Axis Deer, Blackbucks, Fallow Deer, and Reindeer got improved.

DOG

• The Dog’s Command Wheel has been completely redone with nested menus that allow for the Pointer and Expert Hunting Dog commands to be fully integrated into the UI.
  
• We’ve improved the Dog’s animations so it looks more at their owner.
  
• We’ve upgraded the Dog status UI to pulse when the Dog’s status changes if the player hasn't given a command.
  
• It is now easier to see the Dog’s outline when it’s hidden behind various obstacles.

UI

• When accessing the storage menu, the following changes have been made to improve navigation.
  
• Only the weapons category will be open by default.
  
• Only one category of items (e.g. weapons, sights, etc.) can be opened at a time.
  
• Opening a category will close any other open categories.
  
• A new tooltip feature has been added for hunting pressure. Now, when you hover your cursor over the hunting pressure area on the map, a tooltip will appear showing the current level of hunting pressure, and explaining the effects.

GAMEPLAY

• We’ve fixed an issue with birdshot rounds only showing a single trajectory trace on the X-ray screen.
  
• An issue where players would make less noise if they started aiming while sprinting than they would aiming while walking got fixed.

EQUIPMENT

• The default reticle on the Goshawk Redeye 2-4x20 Handgun Scope has been reverted to the original one.
  
• The sight picture with the Ascent 1-4X24 Scope on the F.L. Sporter rifle has been adjusted to be more similar to other rifles with that scope.
  
• We’ve improved various shotgun animations.
  
• An issue where several scope preview images were flipped horizontally in the storage menu was addressed.
  
• We’ve fixed an issue that could cause Picatinny rails to show up on weapons when they weren’t supposed to.
  
• We’ve fixed an issue that could cause duck callers not to work under certain conditions.

ANIMALS

• The Need Zone markers on the map will now persist even after one of the animals linked to the Need Zone is killed, as long as there are still other known living animals associated with that same Need Zone.
  
• Aggressive animals should no longer get stuck while attacking nearby players.
  
• Waterfowl should be a bit less vocal while flying.
  
• Animals should not get stuck next to rivers as often - this was pretty common in Cuatro Colinas.
  
• The neck of the Puma no longer shrinks when performing the “smelling” animation.
  
• An issue where Grey Wolves would react oddly when shot while drinking was fixed.
  
• We’ve fixed some issues with the female Nilgai.
  
• Resolved a problem where animals could get trapped if they couldn't find a path to escape while fleeing.
  
• Some visual issues with the wings on Greylag Geese were fixed.
  
• Killing Waterfowl creates significantly less hunting pressure than before.
  
• We’ve fixed a model issue with the male Banteng.
  
• An issue where the Tiger’s face didn’t consistently show the correct wrinkle textures was fixed.
  
• Certain animals will no longer move incorrectly when standing up after being spooked.

DOG

• An issue where a Retriever Dog could not find harvests that were shot after it was sent to retrieve them was fixed.
  
• Petting your Dog in Trophy Lodges should look a bit better.
  
• We’ve fixed an issue where Retrieving cost more Focus than intended.
  
• Dogs will no longer spawn too far away from tower outposts in Emerald Coast Australia.
  
• We’ve fixed an issue where Dogs would not follow the player when they used a boat.
  
• Resolved several animation problems observed when a player was seen interacting with their Dog in Multiplayer.
  
• An issue where the Dog’s status bar would flicker while using binoculars was addressed.
  
• Jackrabbits should now look more accurate when being carried by the Retriever.
  
• The Dog will now be more attentive when predators are nearby, even if told to lay down.
  
• Dogs will no longer pant excessively after retrieving a harvest.
  
• Resolved a problem where the Dog command wheel would become unresponsive after switching hunting reserves if the player was located in an outpost when leaving the previous reserve.
  
• Dogs will now have fewer problems with navigating around rocks on newer reserves.
  
• The Dog will now show appropriate reverence for the Ban Gufa landmark on Sundarpatan, and wait patiently for the player outside the cave.
  
• We’ve fixed an issue with the animations for the female Bloodhound.

MISSIONS

• We’ve fixed an issue where there was no audio associated with cleaning up trash during the “Beauty of Nature” mission on Emerald Coast Australia.
  
• The animal in the last mission on Cuatro Colinas will no longer become unresponsive to the player.

SYSTEM

• The EGS version of the game will no longer get stuck on a black screen while being run from outside the EGS launcher.
  
• Resolved a problem where discovering numerous Need Zones on a map could result in a significant drop in FPS.

MULTIPLAYER

• We’ve fixed an issue with animation synchronization for animals in Multiplayer.
  
• Changed numerous connection error messages to be more accurate.
  
• We’ve addressed an issue that could occasionally cause the game to freeze during a host migration.

WORLD

• We’ve fixed some miscellaneous item placement issues in Sundarpatan Nepal and Emerald Coast Australia.
  
• Resolved a problem in the generation of navigation paths where movable objects were creating unnecessary obstacles.
  
• We’ve fixed a floating trash bin on Mississippi Acres Reserve and added some additional item placement improvements.
  
• An issue that could cause the player to be teleported to an unsafe location after running into the water from a particular dock on Revontuli Coast was fixed.

UI

• Players who unlink their APEX Connect accounts should be prompted to restore them again when relaunching the game in the next 24 hours.
  
• We’ve fixed an issue with eye reflections not showing up on the harvest screen.
  
• Resolved a problem where the main menu options for Multiplayer and the DLC Store wouldn't update accurately following a change in network connection status.
  
• We’ve fixed some landmark titles in the codex that were inconsistently capitalized.

Happy hunting!

Having issues? Check our known issues list[callofthewild.thehunter.com] and reach out to our Support Team[support.thehunter.com].

Enjoying theHunter: Call of the Wild? Leave us a review!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/518790/theHunter_Call_of_the_Wild/

Hunters,

We’re entering the holiday season and find ourselves reminiscing on the almost eight years of developing theHunter: Call of the Wild. As we celebrate how far we’ve come and the exciting things on the horizon, we hope you’ll consider supporting us in this year's Steam Labor of Love award.
Let’s take a look at the last year!

We released two new hunting locations: The new Salzwiesen Park (for birds and other small game) and Sundarpatan Nepal Hunting Reserve (for those that would rather be hunted)
Following last year’s addition of the Retriever, the kennel got a little bit bigger with a new loyal friend - the German Shorthaired Pointer. And with 3 dogs on the roster, you can now combine 2 dog traits with the Expert Dog Feature.

The weapons have gotten lots of attention with customizable crosshairs and the addition of the High Caliber Weapon Pack, Odin being a popular choice. We also asked you to collaborate with us on the development of the newly released Hunters’ Choice: Bolt Action Pack, a pack close to our heart because we created it based on popularity polls from the community and took you through some of the development process on the way to launch.
And the future?

We stand today on the cusp of some thrilling updates for the future. Next year, as revealed in the Winter Preview Show, we'll be releasing two big reserves along with many other updates and content drops.
We’re grateful for the incredible community we’ve built and can’t wait to continue this journey with you.

// theHunter: Call of the Wild Team

Hi! My name is Björn Vallgårda Öjlert and I’ve recently returned to work as a Principal Game Designer on theHunter: Call of the Wild. I have a long history of working with the franchise starting as a Game Designer on theHunter: Classic all the way back in 2010. I was also part of the team responsible for the initial release of theHunter: Call of the Wild in 2017.

As a game designer, my work primarily involves defining and tweaking the gameplay. For example, how weapons, ballistics, and damage work or how animals go about their daily need zone schedule. For the Salzwiesen Park my main contributions revolved around the clay shooting range and some improvements to the bird hunting gameplay.


Salzwiesen Park is a more specialized experience compared to our previous maps with the main theme revolving around hunting birds and small game using shotguns. It’s smaller in size compared to the regular reserves and can be viewed as a sort of experiment where we’ve tried to really get into a specific type of hunting and make that as enjoyable as possible.

Of course, we could not make this happen without filling the park with a vast array of bird species including two brand new ducks - Gadwall Duck and Ferruginous Duck, and adding a powerful 10 GA U/O shotgun.


Designing the clay shooting range for Salzwiesen Park was an interesting experience as I also designed the original clay shooting range for theHunter: Classic. Even though I had a basic understanding of clay shooting from field trips to a local range back in the Classic days, considerable time has passed since then. As a result, I had to begin this process with extensive research.

That’s when I came across clay shooting ranges that combine multiple modes such as Skeet & Trap and this became the basis for my new CotW design. Essentially, my aim was to create something that clearly improves upon theHunter Classic’s format. What better approach to accomplish this than by introducing a range with new types of clay shooting never seen before in theHunter?

The Salzwiesen Park clay shooting range can be found near the main lodge, which is also where you start your adventure on this map. Similar to previous CotW ranges, it is very much a sandbox type of experience that gives players a lot of freedom to use it any way they want. It’s a combination of a Skeet and Trap range, with all the platforms and trap machines that go along with that.

Skeet platforms are orange and Trap platforms are blue. To use the range, simply walk up to any of these platforms and press the button indicated on the screen to launch a target. Hits and misses are scored and can be viewed directly on the screen while on a platform.

At the back of each trap lane, there is a score reset button and you can also access a weapon cache there if you want to try out different weapons. This is also where you find one of the most interesting features of the range; a control tower that allows you to switch between several trap configurations.

Here you’ll find all the typical Trap and Skeet modes, including Single Trap, Double Trap, Single Skeet, and Double Skeet. But I also threw in some unconventional random modes to spice things up, including a “sporting” mode where targets can be launched from any machine on the range for maximum confusion and chaos.

The range can be enjoyed alone or with friends. There are no set rules so you’ll have to agree on that among yourselves. Follow real-life rules if you know them, or make up your own. I hope you’ll have as much fun on this range as we did when making it!


We've made several adjustments and improvements to the bird hunting experience based on community feedback. The most notable changes will be observed in the movements and behaviors of birds while taking off and landing. Beyond these visible changes, we've also subtly tweaked the birds' senses.

Sparked your interest? Great because, the latter is one of the things that I worked on, so let me elaborate. Essentially, all duck species now lack a sense of smell, but we've slightly heightened their other senses to balance this. This alteration mirrors real life, where ducks have a very poor sense of smell. Furthermore, in response to direct community feedback, I've reduced the distance at which ducks 'auto-spook' when flying near players. This change should make bird hunting less frustrating, particularly in situations where birds fly in close proximity to your hiding spot.

That’s it for me! I hope you will enjoy what Salzwiesen Park has to offer.

Happy hunting and clay shooting!