I lost a mythical red deer

[rogermorse]

I spotted it in Hirschfelden. I followed it, might have spooked it, then found again and escaped, then found again and somehow lost it. The timeline:

- spot
- approach
- follow tracks (might have spooked it)
- spot again
- follow again
- spot and spook again
- no tracks anymore, looked everywhere

I followed it for probably over 1 km (didn't get the 100 tracks achievement but they must have been more than 50 for sure). I never took a shot.

How to manage this and somehow find it again? Should I go to the area where I lost it, or to the area where I first spotted it (it was by the corn fields, during one of the first quests where you had to harvest 2 fallow deers).

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2995105387

[creep_]

Set up some blind at an eating or drinking zone and wait at a time you encountered in the area. Might work, might not work. Can take a few days.

[sneakybass]

Originally posted by rogermorse:

I spotted it in Hirschfelden. I followed it, might have spooked it, then found again and escaped, then found again and somehow lost it. The timeline:

- spot
- approach
- follow tracks (might have spooked it)
- spot again
- follow again
- spot and spook again
- no tracks anymore, looked everywhere

I followed it for probably over 1 km (didn't get the 100 tracks achievement but they must have been more than 50 for sure). I never took a shot.

How to manage this and somehow find it again? Should I go to the area where I lost it, or to the area where I first spotted it (it was by the corn fields, during one of the first quests where you had to harvest 2 fallow deers).

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2995105387

I have ruined a few mythical animals with my bow not hitting a vital area maybe he will be back later,did you hit a vital area? I get the Impression blood on the ground was very little? If not the Animal should be back In a day or two. If he was lightly wounded might be walking the map back to where you saw him first he Is already healed good luck Roger..

[creep_]

Originally posted by sneakybass:

I have ruined a few mythical animals with my bow not hitting a vital area maybe he will be back later,did you hit a vital area? I get the Impression blood on the ground was very little? If not the Animal should be back In a day or two. If he was lightly wounded might be walking the map back to where you saw him first he Is already healed good luck Roger..

Originally posted by rogermorse:

I never took a shot.

[Mom_Kat]

It shoul show up around where you first saw it at about the same time. Check any need zones near where you saw it. It will come back around.

[sneakybass]

Originally posted by creep_:

Originally posted by sneakybass:

I have ruined a few mythical animals with my bow not hitting a vital area maybe he will be back later,did you hit a vital area? I get the Impression blood on the ground was very little? If not the Animal should be back In a day or two. If he was lightly wounded might be walking the map back to where you saw him first he Is already healed good luck Roger..

Originally posted by rogermorse:

I never took a shot.

Sorry creep wrong guy,It was for Roger.

[creep_]

Originally posted by sneakybass:

Originally posted by creep_:

Sorry creep wrong guy,It was for Roger.

All fine. Hope he finds this SOB.

[rogermorse]

Originally posted by sneakybass:

Sorry creep wrong guy,It was for Roger.

He quoted your message (and mine) because you replied about the animal losing blood etc but as I wrote (and as he quoted for you) I wrote that I never took a shot at it so it is not the case (I did not wound the animal)

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by creep_:

Set up some blind at an eating or drinking zone and wait at a time you encountered in the area. Might work, might not work. Can take a few days.

This is a common mistake many new players and veterans make alot.

Do NOT assume that what you see animals doing, in an area you have entered into, is going to be what they do everyday.

Why?

Because you have no way of knowing if your presence, a predator, or hunting pressure, has caused them to divert from their regular daily pathway and routine.

Just because you see them somewhere now, doesn't mean you have discovered their usual routine.

The only way to confirm that is to be able to spot them there again over the following days, and even then, they could still be displaced by hunting pressure, which upon being relieved will result in that animal/herd/group returning to its regular programming.

[Geronimo]

@ Roger, it sounds like you're driving the animal ahead of you as you go.

Stalking has very strict rules that can't be ignored.

For example, very old sign doesn't mean the animal might not still be stopped in a need Zone 50 yards ahead of you, or already on its way back and circled around you.

You can't just run trying to catch up until you come to fresh sign. You have to always assume that animal could be close by and act accordingly.

Tracking and stalking involve some skill which comes from experience. New players need to learn the dynamics before attempting any time consuming efforts.

Rule number one is to always approach as though the animal is somewhere nearby.

[Asmo]

Originally posted by Geronimo:

@ Roger, it sounds like you're driving the animal ahead of you as you go.

Stalking has very strict rules that can't be ignored.

For example, very old sign doesn't mean the animal might not still be stopped in a need Zone 50 yards ahead of you, or already on its way back and circled around you.

You can't just run trying to catch up until you come to fresh sign. You have to always assume that animal could be close by and act accordingly.

Tracking and stalking involve some skill which comes from experience. New players need to learn the dynamics before attempting any time consuming efforts.

Rule number one is to always approach as though the animal is somewhere nearby.

That said when it comes to stalking, what do you do when the animal gives a warning sign, but you cant see it yet, and you are already moving slow?

[Old Fox]

stop.
after a few seconds crouch or prone and slowly go to a position where you can see ahead

PS: important watch the wind direction

[Asmo]

Originally posted by Old Fox:

stop.
after a few seconds crouch or prone and slowly go to a position where you can see ahead

PS: important watch the wind direction

Yeah i do take and use the anti-smell things to be safe, but i imagine the wind also carries sound? if thats a mechanic... since i dont know if it is

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Asmo:

Originally posted by Geronimo:

@ Roger, it sounds like you're driving the animal ahead of you as you go.

Stalking has very strict rules that can't be ignored.

For example, very old sign doesn't mean the animal might not still be stopped in a need Zone 50 yards ahead of you, or already on its way back and circled around you.

You can't just run trying to catch up until you come to fresh sign. You have to always assume that animal could be close by and act accordingly.

Tracking and stalking involve some skill which comes from experience. New players need to learn the dynamics before attempting any time consuming efforts.

Rule number one is to always approach as though the animal is somewhere nearby.

That said when it comes to stalking, what do you do when the animal gives a warning sign, but you cant see it yet, and you are already moving slow?

Stop and drop into prone position, crawl!

If the sound indication is downwind from you than use eliminator. Than do not move period. Not even to get into cover. Recent changes made prone position invisible in most cases, as long as you don't move.

Recent behaviour changes also have the animals waiting a bit before they take off, even though it might still indicate 'fleeing' on the HUD display. Often, they are still there on high alert, and if they don't smell, see, or hear anything else, they will return to what they were doing. Sometimes they might even approach your position to check out their initial concern.

Also, there is option to use scent or caller to try to get them into attraction mode. Usually you can't attract an animal that is spooked, but I have had success a few times, and it might keep the animal from wandering away while you're waiting for it to settle and can't yet see it.

Another trick to stalking is to follow off to one side, keeping the track's positions in your glasses, and by using that footprint tracking map perk. Make sure you keep that individual target animal's color track active by making sure you don't tag the wrong track, or tag another animal in your glasses. You can make sure you're still following the right animal by going into your map and checking the info window in bottom right corner.

Trailing off to one side can sometimes allow you to spot where the animal has turned back, meaning you don't waste time following the old trail further. It also allows you to potentially spot the animal off to the side where it might have come to a Need Zone. It also gives you the chance to compensate for wind direction. You should also be glassing all around you as you proceed, looking for that active track color, but also for other animals it might be travelling with. Sometimes spotting the herd will allow you to pinpoint your target. Just make sure you don't start following a different herd. Lol

I would suggest that the extra advantages outweigh missing a poop sign indication of freshness, given what I said in above post. You don't have to tag every track along the way like you do when following a blood trail. And you don't even have to be able to see the tracks, if you're paying attention to your direction, and the map. You can try to stay close enough so that every 100 yards you can work toward the animals' direction to look for the active colored track sign in your glasses so you don't miss where it might have veered off.

[creep_]

Originally posted by Geronimo:

Originally posted by creep_:

Set up some blind at an eating or drinking zone and wait at a time you encountered in the area. Might work, might not work. Can take a few days.

This is a common mistake many new players and veterans make alot.

Do NOT assume that what you see animals doing, in an area you have entered into, is going to be what they do everyday.

Why?

Because you have no way of knowing if your presence, a predator, or hunting pressure, has caused them to divert from their regular daily pathway and routine.

Just because you see them somewhere now, doesn't mean you have discovered their usual routine.

The only way to confirm that is to be able to spot them there again over the following days, and even then, they could still be displaced by hunting pressure, which upon being relieved will result in that animal/herd/group returning to its regular programming.

Hardly ever bothered to do that. The 2 times I did it worked fine and they came back, though I did not spook them in any way before. I left because of carrying the wrong gear or no way to take a clean shot. And as I said it might or might not work. I'm aware of that and think it is way too time-consuming in most cases. I once spooked a legendary red deer myself in Fernando and didn't bother with that routine. Lost track of it and considered it gone. Didn't even think about setting something up.

There is a chance of it coming back, you can speculate on that but I rather don't bother and continue hunting as usual. It is probably more fun AND you may stumble upon it anyway, agreed