Animals are impossible to catch up

[Silberfuchs]

Hi there!

I am everything but a veteran in this game, however I think something is wrong with Red Deer and Fallow Deer in particular.

Whenever I follow them, they are constantly trotting or running, and if I see that they slow down from running to trotting I slow down, too, yet they somehow detect me always from like 100-200m away. If I sneak they will just move away (because I can't sneak as fast as they trot), and if I walk or sprint they hear me from miles away. Sometimes even while sneaking. It's ridiculous.

And before it comes up: no, I did not use the ATV at that session. My assumption is that animals have some kind of "fear" multiplier, which affects their movement speed and detection ranges, and that the multipliers for the Fallow and Red Deer somehow are bugged and way too high. But that's just a shot into the blue, yet it's how it feels. Shooting an animal of a herd and then following it to shoot some more is pointless. I do encounter them sometimes eating or resting, but as soon as they move they are stuck in "travelling", and remain that way until the end of time. I didn't know deer was so much into globetrotting!

If this is meant to be that way, please tell me how to catch up with them and kill them (or, even better, get up so close that I could lick it, as this seems to be the distance required for the picture mission to count).

If this is a bug, when can I expect a patch to fix it?

[Zig-Zag-Man]

what about the wind direction, if its blowin g wrong they might be able to get your scent coming to them

[Silberfuchs]

Originally posted by Zig-Zag-Man:

what about the wind direction, if its blowin g wrong they might be able to get your scent coming to them

Nope, I am obviously aware of that mechanic. I have problems with EVERY Fallow and Red deer, never midn which direction I follow them, they all behave the same: once startled, they turn to Speedy Gonzalez with spider senses.

[Silberfuchs]

Originally posted by TheNotoriousSpud:

Check the wind direction, stay crouched or prone as you move towards them and you can all so use callers to bring them to you.

I have only started playing recently, but I am aware of the mechanics. I have no problems with Roe Deer for example. But as I said:

- I didn't drive the ATV
- I am not standing in the wind
- They NEVER enter "walking", it's always either "trotting" or "running". I can't sneak and keep up with an ever trotting animal at the same time
- As soon as I close in 100-200m, the first warning calls come up, and a few tracks later, despite having been crouched and not having been in the wind, they are "running" again. If I keep crouching all the time, even without pressing shift, I will get the following tracks:

- trotting
- trotting
- trotting
- Just now
- trotting
- trotting
- Just now
- trotting
- trotting
- Very fresh
- trotting
- trotting
- Fresh
- trotting
- trotting
...

[Silberfuchs]

The roe deer caller works like a charm. The antler rattler never worked for me. Not a single time.

[Gomoto]

I dont follow the tracks. I (crouch) walk until I stumble over some unaware prey.

[RamMack]

Originally posted by Joker86GER:

The roe deer caller works like a charm. The antler rattler never worked for me. Not a single time.

The Antler Rattler is designed for Fallow deer only. I have had good luck with it.

[Silky Rough]

The best approach until you get better callers and work out their patterns is to identify the needs spots and the times they are there and be there long before they are. You need to come in quietly, survey for the best lay and remain quiet. It can be a test of patience. If it's for a photo you need to have an area you can creep around in. Generally speaking, the fallow deer won't move much if you stay aware. The danger is when there are does, because if anyone of them spook they'll go. I shot 3 fallow bucks at ranges less than 50m last night just east of the starting outpost, south of the shooting range. I used the rattle to bring them. Waited till they settled and then closed the range down for the shot.

I can't sneak and keep up with an ever trotting animal at the same time

The temptation is to run to catch up but this just makes it worse. They will walk and they do it most of the time. If you're finding tracks starting at trot/run it means you're moving in to the area too fast or too careless to begin with. Don't ever run around. Do your hunt in spurts. Find a good vantage point, survey, wait, listen and look well ahead before moving off. Look for your next "parking spot" and do the same again.

When I find tracks I always track at normal pace until I find "very fresh". That in my view is the trigger to start looking ahead more cautiously, identifying an area to look over the direction they went and start using callers/crouching. It's a good time to consider going wide and positioning yourself to get upwind of their path once you've worked out where they are going. In other words, get them walking into you. You can be there waiting, silent and ready.

If you find "just now" *and* trotting the animal was much closer than you think and you need to really slow down and start looking hard. They are often there, in the scrub, dead still. (eg: I had an instance last night on a big red buck during a night shoot that passed me within 20m after being called in. I found where he turned and bolted almost right next to me. Never heard or saw him.)

If you find "run" after "trot" then you spooked them when they were already in a nervous state. The best thing now is go back to wait it out or break off because the alarmed state becomes almost perpetual. You need to give them time to settle. Sometimes the best way is to go 90 degrees to them, take a wide berth and again, position yourself where you think they'll be.

I'm sorry this is a bit long but it is a practice thing and it does get easier. I 100% agree the photo criteria, particularly the range, is silly and for a shooting game I don't even know why those missions are in it.

Oh, one last tip, the camera on full zoom is much better for watching an area for movement. Don't need to hold it and it's the same range as the binos.

[Gomoto]

some need areas i find plenty of animals at the noted time, but more often waiting the whole time around the need zone is fruitless. walking around without noise i usually meet my prey faster.

[Silky Rough]

Originally posted by Gomoto:

some need areas i find plenty of animals at the noted time, but more often waiting the whole time around the need zone is fruitless. walking around without noise i usually meet my prey faster.

Generally speaking, if the animals don't show at a zone at all, you may have spooked them coming into the zone. Hunt pressure has an effect too. Rest your spots.

I prefer to find and follow too but some missions have very small hunt areas and the only way to get them inside the zone is let them come to you.

[Roosterfish]

I am having the opposite happen. Several times over the past few days I have had to stand up and walk around my hunting areas to run off all the does and cows. It gets the blood pumping a bit to run off the moose cows.

[RamMack]

Originally posted by skipperwilliam:

I am having the opposite happen. Several times over the past few days I have had to stand up and walk around my hunting areas to run off all the does and cows. It gets the blood pumping a bit to run off the moose cows.

I have even shot the ground underneath the Moose cows and does. They still just come back in a bit.

[tiltaaa]

not just you, i have the same problem, with every animal. I think the game still thihnks im on my atv!!!

[TimmyTooTimes]

I had the same experience at first. It feels buggy, but red and fallow deer are especially sensitive. You say you understood the mechanics, but you obviously had not yet realized the finer points at the time of this post.

With that said: there is a current bug where animals leave strange tracks and just teleport across the map at light speed in like 10 yard increments until they no-clip through a mountain or in to a lake or something, the trail just stops with the last track bugged and pointing in the wrong direction from the way the animal actually went and the animal is never seen again. Its great fun! Especially when it happens to something you have been tracking for 2 hours real time to finish a mission that you have been on for a week...

[❄️The Last Frontier 😊]

I had a moose like this the other day the tracks were always OLD never VERY OLD or FRESH they were always old and I ran the entire trail and the tracks never changed at all. The tracks finally up and just vanished and I have my headlight on as it had gotten dark and being I have all the advanced skills the tracks were pretty close together up until they just vanished without a sight.

For a while she was running even though I had been harvesting other animals during this same period and this one slipped through the harvest net. So she was still wandering further away so no reason she should have even been running being she was near by at all and then she did finally start to just walk or trot with an occasion spot of run but after 30-45 minutes tracking her she just vanished!

[Monke]

Also as a new player you inherently make "more" noise until you unlock some of the appropriate Stalker skills which reduce this. I've played with newer players and I can hear them (players) over 100 meters away just when they are moving position while prone in a bush!
It is harder to do what you're doing at this early level than later on... :)
Fallow have good all round senses but both species like to herd. In these cases the does will always probe in your direction before the bucks meaning he has a screen, as mentioned.
Use paths, roads and rock surfaces (fast-crawl over rocks) where ever possible.
Never sprint if possible.
Only walk through areas you've "glassed" at least a bit first. Otherwise crouch-walk or fast-crouch-walk.
Crawl/crouch-walk/walk around bushes and surfaces that make a lot of noise. Bushes (etc) will still hide you in a line-of-sight sense.
Glass ahead and try to anticipate your target's destination using the map. If there are any open areas take extra time glassing ahead - maintain or find height to increase your view range, where you can.
Once you get the appropriate caller, call immediately after shooting and at regular intervals as you follow.
You're doing the right thing with the tracks but the animal can double back, stop in cover or flank-you at any time and the tracks won't tell you that 'til it's too late! Then they're runnin' agin! ;)
Tracking can be a right royal pain in the piece - my approach is not to shoot until I'm sure I'm going to hit it as I want. That's not always achieveable, though. 0:) Quick follow up shots can be a big help to a fluffed shot - a fluffed shot means it won't reach it's potential trophy/xp yield anyway, so save yourself some tracking and spray a few after it! ;)