Tree/Stand Hunting

[Sparky862]

Which is your prefered method and why? Tree Stand or Tripod?

Also, how do you go about setting up and finding locations for setup or do you hust setup randomly and hope for the best?

[huebnerrl]

I prefer the tripod. Gives you 360 degree view. I look for water crossings where I have seen animals traversing. Also like to go to spots where there is a buildable stand and throw up my tripod. Save the cash and a lot of them are actually in decent spots.

[Sparky862]

Originally posted by huebnerrl:

I prefer the tripod. Gives you 360 degree view. I look for water crossings where I have seen animals traversing. Also like to go to spots where there is a buildable stand and throw up my tripod. Save the cash and a lot of them are actually in decent spots.

But do you set it up at certain times or places for example Need Zones?

Or do you just pick a spot you deem fit, set up and call them in?

[Brogie]

i like to carry a tripod stand in my inv. i pop it down beyond 150m of spotted target

[eagle74]

The tree stands kept giving me trouble with the "beavers" taking them down, so I don't use them. Not worth the hassle. Still have the 3 free ones in my locker.

I set up tents & tripods (or a waterfowl blind) in areas with already discovered need zones. Then, I hunt them when the animals are supposed to be there. I would not recommend just randomly setting them up unless you just want to scout the area.

But, most of the time (~75%), I like to hunt on foot.

[McSqurl Nugget]

neither, i'm a stalker, sitting on your ass waiting for big game animals isn't hunting, it's just shooting.

Only time i'll use anything to hunt in is for geese, but i usually get more geese shooting the flocks flying over head lately than i do wasting time sitting in a blind.

[huebnerrl]

Originally posted by Sparky862:

Originally posted by huebnerrl:

I prefer the tripod. Gives you 360 degree view. I look for water crossings where I have seen animals traversing. Also like to go to spots where there is a buildable stand and throw up my tripod. Save the cash and a lot of them are actually in decent spots.

But do you set it up at certain times or places for example Need Zones?

Or do you just pick a spot you deem fit, set up and call them in?

Both. I especially like using the tripod when I am trying to complete missions.

[Throttle Kitty]

Originally posted by McSqurl Nugget:

neither, i'm a stalker, sitting on your ass waiting for big game animals isn't hunting, it's just shooting.

Only time i'll use anything to hunt in is for geese, but i usually get more geese shooting the flocks flying over head lately than i do wasting time sitting in a blind.

Sitting in a stand all day is literally what real hunting is. Do you know what hunting is... ? Stalking is what's "not real hunting", if anything is.

It's also much easier. Stalking with a bow is the easiest easy mode in this game.... So I'm not really sure what your point even is.

[Mr L]

I prefer the Tripod. You can set it up almost anywhere. I try different distances on need zones to see what works best. I also place them where I think a good area is. I leave them up and return to my Tripods at all different times. I move them if it doesn't work out

[McSqurl Nugget]

Originally posted by Throttle Kitty:

Originally posted by McSqurl Nugget:

neither, i'm a stalker, sitting on your ass waiting for big game animals isn't hunting, it's just shooting.

Only time i'll use anything to hunt in is for geese, but i usually get more geese shooting the flocks flying over head lately than i do wasting time sitting in a blind.

Sitting in a stand all day is literally what real hunting is. Do you know what hunting is... ? Stalking is what's "not real hunting", if anything is.

It's also much easier. Stalking with a bow is the easiest easy mode in this game.... So I'm not really sure what your point even is.

Definition of hunting -
to chase or search for (game or other wild animals) for the purpose of catching or killing. to pursue with force, hostility, etc., in order to capture (often followed by down).

So where does sitting on your ass waiting in a stand become hunting? That's just shooting.

[Sparky862]

Originally posted by Mr L:

I prefer the Tripod. You can set it up almost anywhere. I try different distances on need zones to see what works best. I also place them where I think a good area is. I leave them up and return to my Tripods at all different times. I move them if it doesn't work out

But you place tents near every tripod you place and travel back and forth between them?

I also want to try setting up at random places like a corn field, but not sure how successful this would be than lets say putting up a tri pod in a need zone.

Might try setting up random places and see how it plays out.

[CrazyGecko]

So far I've only used the tripods. If there's a drinking spot that always has animals going to it then I'll place a tripod down. I'll keep one on me while I'm on foot even though there's occasions where setting it up isn't ideal so it's not always used.

[Throttle Kitty]

Originally posted by McSqurl Nugget:

Originally posted by Throttle Kitty:

Sitting in a stand all day is literally what real hunting is. Do you know what hunting is... ? Stalking is what's "not real hunting", if anything is.

It's also much easier. Stalking with a bow is the easiest easy mode in this game.... So I'm not really sure what your point even is.

Definition of hunting -
to chase or search for (game or other wild animals) for the purpose of catching or killing. to pursue with force, hostility, etc., in order to capture (often followed by down).

So where does sitting on your ass waiting in a stand become hunting? That's just shooting.

In reality, as well as and this video game, and every other hunting video game.

Hunting is and has been done, almost always, from a stand or blind. In the real world, "Stalking" is generally regarded as poor sportsmanship, unless done against large game (like grizzly bear) that can fight back. Those animals are effectively threat-less in this game, and arrow are unbreakable windproof magic powerful in this game. It's like playing soccer/football with no goalie on the apposing teams goal. If you want to play this way, go ahead, but don't mock people for playing the game right,with patience.

Source: I use to have several box stands on my land, I hunted for years IRL, and I learned from my father and grandfather who each hunted for decades.

[Throttle Kitty]

Originally posted by CrazyGecko:

So far I've only used the tripods. If there's a drinking spot that always has animals going to it then I'll place a tripod down. I'll keep one on me while I'm on foot even though there's occasions where setting it up isn't ideal so it's not always used.

This is basically what my advice would be.
- Try your best to keep a tripod on you, it's the most versatile
- Look for hills facing the side of water bodies

If you are wanting to be extra quite for a Diamond to show up::
- Set it up 150 yards away from a spawn point at least
- Crouch the last 80~100 yards on the way to it

[CrazyGecko]

Originally posted by Throttle Kitty:

Originally posted by CrazyGecko:

So far I've only used the tripods. If there's a drinking spot that always has animals going to it then I'll place a tripod down. I'll keep one on me while I'm on foot even though there's occasions where setting it up isn't ideal so it's not always used.

This is basically what my advice would be.
- Try your best to keep a tripod on you, it's the most versatile
- Look for hills facing the side of water bodies

If you are wanting to be extra quite for a Diamond to show up::
- Set it up 150 yards away from a spawn point at least
- Crouch the last 80~100 yards on the way to it

I do carry one on me and it is useful but there's some occasions where setting it up isn't ideal or possible.

As for diamonds I've only seen and bagged just one which was a turkey. Certainly doesn't sound impressive compared to the other animals but it's a start

[jjs82xx]

It, of course, varies according to your preferred hunting style. For me it is TENTS (+ blinds) and TRIPODS (+ treestands) DLCs for the win. Here is why...

Tents allow you to fast travel to any spot you choose to set up. It is like a mobile Outpost, complete with store, storage, and cheaper camping (if you need healing or to pass time). If you carry a tent with you, you always have your store and storage with you! Which means you can also always carry a tripod (or eight tripods) with you at no extra weight!

1. Find a good hunting spot and throw down your tent.
2. Enter tent and get a tripod out of storage.
3. Throw down a tripod where you want it (typically I do it very close to the tent).
4. Get another tent into your pack, if you have one left, to repeat this cheesy tactic at another location, or to allow setting up an easy save point, and go off and do your thing.
5. Fast travel back to the tent whenever (or just before) you think this hunting spot will be hot at that tripod (the one you set up in step 3).

Fast travel to tent makes noise and scares animals, but it is of no great consequence if it is a well used area or if you have lures/callers. There are "hot spots" where animals must travel trough a narrow area to get to their need zones; and these can offer an abundance of quality shot opportunities per (in-game) hour, for hours on end.

If you make a poor shot and have to track your kill down, claim your trophy and then fast travel back to your tent for quick and easy set up for the next shot. Use your caller/lure, and typically animals will come running back.

Where are these "Hot spots" and good locations? Well, that is a whole topic, about which there are guides written, so will not try to reproduce all that work here, but will offer a few for the Layton Lakes map...

For an example of a hot spot: the narrow strip between the big "island" in High Lake which is about 700 meters NNE of the "Highlake Southern Outpost" (and sort of looks like a fish) and the club shaped isthmus which is just east of the eastern tip of that "island" (shows as island on map, but there is a marshy land connection between it and the isthmus and also to the land mass north of the eastern tip of that "island"). Set up on the north side of the "club" head on that isthmus, not too far from the "fish's nose," and it is a field day from 1300 (1:00 p.m) through about 1900 (7:00 p.m.) hours.

Another nice spot is on the northeast border of the unnamed lake which is about 300 meters east of "Cheelah Outpost." Yet another nice spot is on the eastern border of Balmont Lake, about 100 meters NE of the larger "Island" in the SE corner of the lake.

I have tried using tree stands, but frankly, have not yet made a kill from one. (Aug 2020 update: now I have made a kill or two from one, but the point remains: treestands are like a poor man's tripod.). Hard to find a good locationj with clean lines of sight to all the areas I want, and the beavers keep chopping them down. Never had either of those problems with tripods.

If you have more tents than tripods, you can fast travel to tent locations, grab a tripod, and move it to another tent location. I do this for two locations which have different active times (e.g., tripod hunt at a morning location, and then move the tripod to an afternoon location in advance of when that location will become active... and then move it back again after the afternoon/evening hunt, to prepare for morning).

So, to summarize: Lots of tents lets you set up lots of custom fast travel locations, complete with store and storage. The storage feature at each of these locations lets you swap out equipment and access tripods to set up. For each location where you already have a tripod set up, you can just pop in and "hunt" (more like pop in and shoot).