No animals???

[p.smithson58]

Been having problems with animal population for months . I took my computer to Dr. , had all files deleted and I mean every thing. Reinstalled Steam. purchased Hunter COTW again, over 100$ started new game NO ANIMALS?? Can some please HELP!!

[Mr. Ed]

Some time back I read that sometimes the animal population file conflicts with Windows One Drive. I turned my systems one drive off a long time ago so don't know if it's still a problem or not. You should try opening the games files and delete the animal pop file then most importantly disconnect from the Steam Sync Cloud and run the file verification program under the Properties tab. After doing it log into the game.

[p.smithson58]

Did not work,also made sure fire wall was not the problem.

[p00se2]

Originally posted by p.smithson58:

Did not work,also made sure fire wall was not the problem.

you any got tracks ? needzones ? animal calls ?

[p.smithson58]

only a few of each, every time I restart a new game there's two deer two bears one rabbit , when I get the lake,one moose , all females, had these same problems before I had my computer completely redone ,

[Mr. Ed]

To find animals you have to look in the right place at the right time. Sometimes 15 or 20 game minutes can make all the difference as can hunting in the morning, mid afternoon or at night. It's good you are searching near water sources. All animals (other than birds) must drink at least once a day/night. Animals in this game are resting/eating/drinking or moving between areas where they can do those things. They do not wander aimlessly about. Unless of course something disturbs their routine (predators or hunters).

Not every patch of trees, field, meadow, stretch of river or lake area harbor animals. There are some places on my maps that I firmly believe the animals are unaware of simply because there are never any there. Instead of looking for animals, look for need zones. Once you find those you'll know what time of day/night the animals might be back in that area. Then you can plan your assault. Remember that walking or running within 100 or so meters of a need zone during prime use hours can easily put animals on alert and you may never see them as a result. Mind your wind and visibility. Hope this helps.

[Old Goat]

Go to the S side of Balmont Lake on the LL reserve between 0600-0730 hrs game time and you might see a few animals scattered around the lake. Get there between 1800-1900 hrs and you will probably see a whole lot more. Get there around noon and you probably won't see anything at all. Bears usually rest on the LL reserve between 0830 and 1130 hrs. Look for them just inside the tree line near water sources. Use your binos. scan ahead and check out the dark spots among the branches and leaves as you move quietly along keeping your own visibility as low as possible and the wind in your favor. The least productive time I've found to hunt is between 1200-1500 hrs. I might see a few bunnies sitting out enjoying the sun during that time but little else. BTW ..running or walking can frighten animals that are still 100 meters away from you. Check out the lower right side of your hunters profile page to learn how many animals you've scarred off because they saw, smelled or heard you.

[p.smithson58]

Before this problem of no animals I had over 3,000 hrs of playing time,twice I lost two trophy lodges full of gold and diamonds and more a million $ both times . its not my hunting that's the problem the game is messed up. Thank you guys for the info,but there's something else wrong with my game.I sure hope someone can help, love this game but its about to get the best of me. plus I've got a lot of $$$ tied up in it!! Dont know what to do next.

[Goltzhar]

You need to find the needzones. Every time of a pop reset or I got a new reserve (except Te Awaroa) I need to spend alot of time at the lakes, at different times to find the drinking zones and then go from there. Gradually they will come back.

[RaptorMeatLover]

It’s like real life hunting it takes a long time to hunt

[Old Goat]

Originally posted by p.smithson58:

Before this problem of no animals I had over 3,000 hrs of playing time,twice I lost two trophy lodges full of gold and diamonds and more a million $ both times . its not my hunting that's the problem the game is messed up. Thank you guys for the info,but there's something else wrong with my game.I sure hope someone can help, love this game but its about to get the best of me. plus I've got a lot of $$$ tied up in it!! Dont know what to do next.

Wow. It sounds like you have hit a wall. Have you tried making a zip copy of your game and sending it to the COTW support folks? They might be able to identify the problem with that to work with. Include your system specs along with a complete description of the problem (Mode of play, reserves the problem persists on, what you've tried to do to resolve it on your end etc..).

[lksdfhj]

I agree. There are too few amount of animals or nothing at all even in the need zones and if l shoot one or if I am attacked by something, it vanishes to nothing within a few minutes, h owewer, they had been there a few minutes ago. You can hear animal voices of ghost animals and see their tracks and poops but it is extremely rare when you find one. Maybe it is gamer or computer dependant some may find more animals than others but l think if we find many of them, that could be only by pure luck. It is extremely frustrating spending my time with the hope that l might find animals too not only poops and voices because it is not the real life. It is a game consuming my gaming time what l spend sitting at my computer not in the wild nature. It is a difference. Walking in the nature, watching the wonders of it around me is not a wasting time when l sit at my desk in the room. That is why it is frustrating and time wasting when l (we) don't find the animals within a certain acceptable amount of time in the game.

[Madwand]

I watch YT videos and there are HERDS of animals all over the place. I can sit for hours on a rest zone and nobody ever shows up. Done that multiple times trying to get this stupid bear photo. Only time I ever see one is if I scare him out of hiding and then it's too late.

[Mr. Ed]

1) Not all need zones are visited each and every day. In this game it is pointless to remain in one place for hours on end hoping an animal will eventually wander by. When the dinner bell rings or the bar opens for a species those in that area will visit the zone nearest them.
Predators (incl you) can spook or chase animals. Spooked animals will run until they feel safe, which may be a couple hundred meters. Rather than haul themselves back to the zone they got spooked out of, they might stop at whichever zone is nearest them when they stopped running.

2) Glowing weeds or circular areas full of tracks can tell us what species most recently ate/drank/rested in that exact spot within a need zone. Need zones may contain more than one patch of glowing weeds or track circles since need zones may actually cover an expanse of 100 meters or more. In brushy or tree forrested areas It's possible that we can be quietly observing one patch of weeds while the animals are munching or resting 75 meters or more away. You can see what I'm talking about on your map. Investigate the weed, then look at your map and take a look at where the need zone icon appears on your map. Don't be surprised to see that the icon is 50 or more meters away from where you are standing.

1 + 2 equals you wasting your time remaining in one spot for hours on end hoping an animal will eventually wander by the patch or weeds or track circles you are hunting over. Go there, if you don't see anything hop on over to different need zone or a different part of the same need zone.

Another thing to consider is that some animals may only visit a need zone for 15-30 min a day and that may be before or after the the posted hours for that zone.

Finding need zones is important, but not as important as discovering what time animals are prone to actually be using those zones. 5 min can make the difference between seeing them and seeing nothing. Best to be cautious when approaching need zones. Walking, running, fast traveling can spook animals that are 150 meters away. Oh, it's possible some will come back within the next 15 or so min but IMO it's simply easier to come back another day using a more reasonable approach method.

Hope this helps.

[Old Goat]

Good info Mr. Ed. Thanks