// Spooking Animals by just walking around?

[IceFoxx]

It is really annoying that I walk around the map, NOT running, normal walking, and dont find any animals - and then from time to time I get the message that an animal is "running away / flees" because of noise. Alltough it is OVER 150m away. HOW? I mean, what is expected? shall I crouch, inch by inch in slow motion for hours just not to scare the animals? And that I reach them thousand years later?
I understand that running scares near animals, but WALKING scares them at range OVER 150m? This way I will never meet them.

Am I missing anything or how you guys do it?

[astreamuser]

Ideally you'd want to:

1) Avoid being upwind
2) Use scent eliminator
3) Avoid backpacks
4) Have soft feet lvl 2 skill
5) Completely avoid areas where your view is very limited
6) Stop once in a while and scan the area. This is important because once you get the warning call, it might be too late if the animal gets alarmed. Spot the animal, walk towards it carefully, and monitor its state.
7) Make sure there are always few trees or bushes around you so that you can hide if needed.
8) Watch your noise level, try to keep it at 3 white bars max.

[IceFoxx]

1) Avoid being upwind
-> I am, but as I use scent eliminator, it doesnt matter anyway

2) Use scent eliminator
-> I do

3) Avoid backpacks
-> just using the small one, and like I said: I am WALKING not running. And (important) I also tried to walk around with NO Backpacks and found out, there is no difference. The animals HEAR and RUN from OVER 150m distance. Senceless...

4) Have soft feet lvl 2 skill
-> I do

5) Completely avoid areas where your view is very limited
-> My view has nothing to do with the mentioned problem

6) Stop once in a while and scan the area. This is important because once you get the
warning call, it might be too late if the animal gets alarmed. Spot the animal, walk towards it carefully, and monitor its state.
-> The first hint that helps a little. When I see/hear a warning call ingame - what is this anyway? Is it that the animals hear me and want to warn other "friends" that danger is coming (me)?

7) Make sure there are always few trees or bushes around you so that you can hide if needed.
-> I do. but again. this also has nothing to to with the basic problem.

8) Watch your noise level, try to keep it at 3 white bars max.
-> Again. I am walking. walking! not running. No matter what my noise level is, the next slower level ist going-on-knees-walking, which is same as crouching - inch by inch, and that cant be the solutin to crouch 5inch per hour. sorry. normal walking should NOT scare animals over 150m away. so how you guys do it?

[IceFoxx]

Originally posted by tohz ger:

Looking at others of your threads I'd consider you are a new player in this game... only a few days so far?

Yes, you are right. got a few days of experience so far.

Originally posted by tohz ger:

At the beginning your levels of volume and visibility are higher. That's what astreamuser meant with 4).

Like you also read above, I answered to point 4 that I have skilled that already.

Originally posted by tohz ger:

You have to level a few things so you're not heard and seen from too far away.

okay, go on. which things exactly?

Originally posted by tohz ger:

to make it easier: if you're actually german (as your profile suggests): youtube - shfty anfänger guide.

Yes, am german. not sure which one exactly you mean but I think I found one guide from him, around 38mins long. Will give it a try and look if he gives advice for my problem.

[astreamuser]

1) Avoid being upwind -> I am, but as I use scent eliminator, it doesnt matter anyway

It does. Our scent isn't completely eliminated.

3) Avoid backpacks -> just using the small one

Not even the small one. It does make a lot of noise. I know it's stupid, but it is what it is.

5) Completely avoid areas where your view is very limited -> My view has nothing to do with the mentioned problem

Not directly. Limited view usually means there is a lot of foliage around us which generates unwanted noise. Also, foliage obstructs our view and we need to get closer before we can even spot the animal. All this makes our approach extremely difficult.

6) Stop once in a while and scan the area -> When I see/hear a warning call ingame - what is this anyway? Is it that the animals hear me and want to warn other "friends" that danger is coming (me)?

The warning call is for us. It's a sign that we should be extremely careful. So we might want to take cover or change from walking to crouch. At this point we should have a clear view of the animal so that we see how it behaves and act accordingly. Ideally, when we spot the animal with binos, they should be in calm state.

8) Watch your noise level, try to keep it at 3 white bars max. -> Again. I am walking. walking! not running. No matter what my noise level is, the next slower level ist going-on-knees-walking, which is same as crouching - inch by inch, and that cant be the solutin to crouch 5inch per hour. sorry. normal walking should NOT scare animals over 150m away.

I don't know if it shouldn't, but it does. Also, higher level animals are spooked more easily, and in general, not all animals behave the same. For example foxes are very skittish and won't let us get too close, whereas roe deer are friendlier.

In a nutshell, what i said in 6) is what you'll typically want to do. Spot an animal in calm state and try to approach it. If the animal becomes 'nevrous' or 'alerted', you are already in trouble. Prefer hunting near lakes and wide open areas. Hunting inside forests and bushy areas is always extra challenging due to the denser vegetation and terrain. I'm afraid, there are no silver bullets, but you'll get better at it with practice.

Good luck.

[IceFoxx]

Originally posted by tohz ger:

Ist aber ein paar Updates her - merkt man vor allem bei dem Entfernungsmesser. Der ist inzwischen ja fast nutzlos.

Ich habe das Fernglas mit Entfernungsmesser noch nicht freigeschaltet aber es erscheint mir sehr sinnvoll. Allein um dein Gewehr bei Schüssen besser "nullen" zu können, oder? Warum ist es aus deiner Sicht inzwischen Nutzlos und was war anders vorher?

Originally posted by tohz ger:

Mir geht's um den Teil des Videos mit dem Wapiti. Da spielt er ein bisschen mit der Aufmerksamkeit des Tieres. Daraus kann man viel lernen.

Bei dir muss mal viel raten und suchen ^^ Hättest du direkt im ersten Post geschrieben "Video XY, Stelle mit XY, ab Minute XY" wüsste ich direkt was du meinst ^^

Originally posted by tohz ger:

Sind die Tiere nervös, aufmerksam, wachsam oder gar schon alarmiert [weiß nicht, ob man diese Info schon von Beginn an bekommt], reagieren sie zunehmend empfindlich auf Geräusche, Bewegungen und Geruch. Oft hilft bei einem Warnruf sich einfach hinzulegen und abzuwarten, dass sich das Tier wieder beruhigt.

Ah okay, wird einem nirgends erklärt, danke.

Originally posted by tohz ger:

Außer Wind - der ist immer scheiße

Gut, den kann man ja ignorieren wenn man genug spray dabei hat

[Carstein83]

Originally posted by IceFoxx:

Gut, den kann man ja ignorieren wenn man genug spray dabei hat

Nein, das ist ein Irrtum. Der Geruchsspray reduziert den Geruch, neutralisiert ihn aber nicht. Sind die Tiere nahe genug oder von einer sensibleren Art (z.B. Kojote) hilft der Spray wenig. Ich verwende den eigentlich nie, weiler mMn ein nutzloses und sehr teures Spielzeug ist, einen Slot wegnimmt und einen im entscheidenden Moment immer im Stich lässt.

[IceFoxx]

Originally posted by tohz ger:

Seit ein paar Monaten bekommt man, wenn man ein Tier mit dem Fernglas 'entdeckt', einen Schätzwert für die Entfernung. Das Tier steht immer ziemlich in der Mitte der beiden Werte. Früher brauchte man den Entfernungsmesser oder musste erst in der Karte suchen, weil zur Entfernung nichts stand.

ist mir noch nicht aufgefallen, wo soll das stehen? aber nochmal. es gibt ja ein fernglas mit eingebautem entfernungsmesser, ich habe es lediglich noch nicht freigeschaltet. wenn man es freigeschaltet hat muss man es doch nur mit dem "normalen" Fernglas austauschen, und dann müsste man die genaue entfernung angezeigt bekommen, oder?

[jd1980]

wie schon geschrieben wurde sind Shiftys Videos immer mal nen blick wert, er macht viele und gute guides und hilft in seinen Streams auch echt viel, auch das mit der Aufmerksamkeit der Tiere wurde ja auch schon angesprochen, und das stimmt absolut, ist ein Tier erst mal nervös weil es etwas bemerkt hat wird es aufmerksamer und bemerkt dich bei gleichem verhalten viel schneller, also darauf musst du auf jeden Fall achten!
und eine Sache die du schon abgetan hast muss ich noch mal rauskramen, und zwar der Rucksack, lass ihn weg, selbst der kleine macht dich schon deutlich sichtbarer und auch lauter in Gebüschen usw, hat also sehr wohl was mit deinem Problem zu tun-
Alles in allem muss man das Spiel erst mal lernen, und wenn mans verstanden hat und die wichtigen Skills zusammen hat wirds auch irgendwann deutlich leichter

[Pittie]

Originally posted by IceFoxx:

It is really annoying that I walk around the map, NOT running, normal walking, and dont find any animals - and then from time to time I get the message that an animal is "running away / flees" because of noise. Alltough it is OVER 150m away. HOW? I mean, what is expected? shall I crouch, inch by inch in slow motion for hours just not to scare the animals? And that I reach them thousand years later?
I understand that running scares near animals, but WALKING scares them at range OVER 150m? This way I will never meet them.

Am I missing anything or how you guys do it?

I'm with you. I played this game since it was released. Most of the time it was a lot of fun, but after the spook distance was increased in one of the last updates, the fun was unfortunately lost for me, Especially when hunting with a bow. I'm not a fan of long range shots at all. So I stopped playing the game and am now playing the other one. A pity :-(

[IceFoxx]

Originally posted by Pittie:

Originally posted by IceFoxx:

It is really annoying that I walk around the map, NOT running, normal walking, and dont find any animals - and then from time to time I get the message that an animal is "running away / flees" because of noise. Alltough it is OVER 150m away. HOW? I mean, what is expected? shall I crouch, inch by inch in slow motion for hours just not to scare the animals? And that I reach them thousand years later?
I understand that running scares near animals, but WALKING scares them at range OVER 150m? This way I will never meet them.

Am I missing anything or how you guys do it?

I'm with you. I played this game since it was released. Most of the time it was a lot of fun, but after the spook distance was increased in one of the last updates, the fun was unfortunately lost for me, Especially when hunting with a bow. I'm not a fan of long range shots at all. So I stopped playing the game and am now playing the other one. A pity :-(

Thanks for your reply. I got 3 Questions if you dont mind

1) What was the spook distance (round about) before it was increased?
2) What is the "other game" ??
3) Is the spook distance in this "other game" better?

[Pittie]

Originally posted by IceFoxx:

Originally posted by Pittie:

I'm with you. I played this game since it was released. Most of the time it was a lot of fun, but after the spook distance was increased in one of the last updates, the fun was unfortunately lost for me, Especially when hunting with a bow. I'm not a fan of long range shots at all. So I stopped playing the game and am now playing the other one. A pity :-(

Thanks for your reply. I got 3 Questions if you dont mind


1) What was the spook distance (round about) before it was increased?
2) What is the "other game" ??
3) Is the spook distance in this "other game" better?

1) Before the elevation, the animals could be lured up to 25-30m. Perfect for bow hunting.

2) Way of the hunter. I also still play Classic from time to time.

3) Way of the hunter is of course not perfect either. But here you can lure the animals up to 30m with patience. Also you have to get used to completely different game mechanics.

I'm not saying this might not be possible in COTW, but this game just frustrates me more.

[astreamuser]

The spook distance was increased at some point, but due to a lot of complaints, it was lowered again in the next update since they realized that a high spook distance will drive new players away.

Edit: I'm talking about spook distance, not min distance when luring which seems to be completely unrelated to the topic.

[firestorm]

Originally posted by IceFoxx:

Am I missing anything or how you guys do it?

There's a bit of a bug with the sound you make while moving.
If you are hearing crunch sounds while on a surface that don't have vegetation (dirt/paths etc) and your sound meter is in the red.

Sometimes it corrects itself by walking on another type of surface for a bit.
If that don't solve it, a exit and restart of the game normally corrects it.

Just pop down a tent before you exit though,
game will teleport you to another location (outpost/tent)

[Geronimo]

When you get that fleeing animal notification, don't go by that 150 yard spook distance. The particular animal you may have spooked was probably one you got close to suddenly. And you don't always hear a warning call before they flee.

CoTW is very dynamic and complex. Alot of variables are always at play. And learning them, and understanding how to utilize them to your advantage takes time, hense experience.

These animals you're aware that you spooked because of notifications are just a few of the actual numbers you're spooking in your travels, regardless of experience or stealth.

Many times, depending on conditions of approach, you will manage to get much closer than 150 yards, and not even realize the animal/s are/were even there.

You simply need to develop your understanding and awareness with more experience before making any judgements.

You will develop these skills in time and realise that you were jumping the gun on this spooking issue.

[BAG-One]

Originally posted by astreamuser:

Ideally you'd want to:

2) Use scent eliminator

In my experience the scent eliminator appears to be virtually useless.
I've lost count of the number of times that I used it when I have no option but to be upwind of an animal and it flees. Sometimes I've noticed that it says it was due to noise when I've not even moved at all, the animal is still 150+ meters away and there has been no bars on the noise meter at all for minutes.

For the OP. When I was starting out I felt the same way.
Once I took to crouch walking pretty much everywhere, particularly when tracking a kill for a long way due to a less-than-optimal shot, I had a LOT more luck in seeing game.

Yes, it can be frustrating when you walk for a long time (occasionally an hour IRT) and don't come across any animals.

I've been getting a little bored lately with it at times when I have a crappy hunt, particularly when I've been at a water hole where I have seen some good sized males previously and this time nothing turns up during the drink time, but then I'll go for a hike and take down 10-20 decent kills in 90 mins or so.

It's frustrating and fun in equal measure.
Just as I'm about to give up on the game I'll see a high ranking animal and the heart rate goes up (mine, not the game) as I try to ensure the best shot, and I'm reminded why I enjoy it.