I'm sorry - I'm really confused about Need Zones and animal Pressure Zones

[jpinard]

I realize some of you have taken the time to try and explain a bit of this, but I think I don't understand how these work together. For instance, are you supposed to not shoot lots of animals in Need Zones? or are you supposed to not shoot too many animals in Pressure Zones, or just be careful of how many you shoot in Need Zones?

I really need to make some money so I'd like to shoot whatever I come across, but don't want to gimp my map too badly if I overhunt, and there's just not enough information in the game about how much pressure you can put in the purple areas once they get going (how many kills and if they keep track of separate species, or if the pressure increases due to ANY kills no matter if it's the same species).

[Vampire]

https://steamcommunity.com/app/518790/discussions/0/2530372519557363281/

Read Post #1.....

I was wondering how many times you are going to ask this question - I see here also, which dc2dixon has answered for you, again -

https://steamcommunity.com/app/518790/discussions/0/2530372519560814148/#c2530372519570737644

In any case - To get a string of kills and not 'clear' any need zones, if you stumble across a big herd at a need zone, kill 2 or so with a bow or handgun (quieter - less scare distance), then slowly follow where the rest ran off too at a crouch/fast crouch. (Plenty of footprints to follow)
After maybe around 10 secs they will stop and mill around then return to the need zone. Pop another one and rinse and repeat. You will follow them across the map stringing together a path of 1-2 killzones stacked and making lots of money and XP.
I do this now and then to the huge 20+ herds on Hirsch. After taking out the two stag red deer at the first shoot, popped 1 doe after another for a string of 15 across the map. Completely cleared the rest of my map of hunting pressure in one orderly string :)
Yes you have an area of high pressure, but the rest of the entire map is clear, so move to a clear area and repeat with all the animals that have shown up because its completely clear!

But generally I only kill 2-3 animals in a general area then move on to another completely clear area, and work my way around the maps like that.

Species doesn't matter for hunting pressure - kill is a kill.

[Striker]

A hunting pressure zone appears where the animal was at when you shot it. Doesn't matter if it ran off and you killed it elsewhere or if it ran off and died 200m away. The zone appears where it was at when you 1st shot it. A pinkish area appears on your map which grows brighter with each successive kill in that same area (up to 3 animals, after that it just stays really bright).

A need zone is where an animal eats, rests or drinks. If you kill 3 or more animals in a need zone then the need zone will go away and you'll need to find another. There is one other thing you should know. Let's say you are hunting ducks. Ducks don't seem to care about hunting pressure so you can keep killing them from the same blind as long as they keep coming. Now let's put a Blacktail deer need zone 50m from your duck blind. You kill 3 ducks and the deer need zone will go away. In short, need zones can go away if you kill 3 or more animals in the area...regardless of the species. You turn that area purple for any reason and you loose the zone.

Hunting pressure can be reduced by killing animals in another region of your map. Region being defined as (for example: Balmont, Willipeg, Roon etc...). It takes about 13 kills to relieve the oldest hunting pressure in an area. One spot. If you killed more than 1 animal per spot you will have to kill even more animals to make the pressure in that spot go away completely.

Hunting pressure is non-discriminatory. It increases by the number of kills made in an area regardless of species.

Here's a tip: Let's say you killed 2 animals while standing in the same spot (or nearabouts). Many times the rest of the herd will run off only to return and set up shop just at the edge of the hunting pressured zone you just created. My map often looks like pink...space..pink..space. Not unlike a connect the dots thing. It's a little easier to move a little then call instead of trying to call more animals back into a hunting pressure zone I just created.

[jpinard]

Whoa - OK those are some beautiful explanations and it totally makes sense now. Thank you so much!

[Hidden Gunman]

Basically, 'need zones' are specific locations where animals go to do something, like eat, drink or rest.

Hunting pressure is what happens when you kill animals.

If you kill too many animals in an area, they move away somewhere else, and take time to come back. The need zones in that area then fade away, and appear somewhere else.