Guide to the Cattle Ranch

The complete guide to the Cattle Ranch! Learn everything about it here from where it is, to how to kill a cow, even to the 8 special events that can happen!

Welcome to the Cattle Ranch!

Hi this is Violet, a co-creator of this guide. Neither of us have had motivation to play WolfQuest at all recently (recently as in the last two years lol) so this guide will probably have limited updates, and some things might be outdated. I will remove this warning if one of us becomes active on WQ again and decides to update the guide. Thank you and have fun cattle hunting :)

The cattle ranch is a place that has stricken fear into players since it came out in WolfQuest 2.5. And with the newest edition added to WolfQuest Anniversary Edition, it's more unpredictable than ever before- and comes with some unexpected surprises.


Wolf running along the ranch fence

In this guide, we will be going into detail about every little thing about the cattle ranch. The ranch itself is in the bottom right of the map in the Lost River DLC. You can only enter the ranch at night, as if you are present during the day, you will be killed quite quickly! ...That and the game doesn't let you enter during day.


The Cattle Ranch in the bottom right corner of the map

Surrounding the perimeter of the cattle ranch is a barbed fence that you can't get through. However, there is always a hole somewhere along the fence that changes locations each time you sleep.


Wolf running through hole in the fence

During the winter, cow calves will be almost fully grown, having just slightly less hp than a regular cow. Adult cows are not wise to target, as they have a ton of health and will make enough of a racket before you can kill them to alert the rancher, who will in turn shoot at you or your mate after about 10 seconds or less, depending on how loud the cows are.


Carcass of fully grown cow


Cow calf during the winter

After you successfully kill a calf in the spring, the next night the rancher will have penned them up near the barn. These cows are inaccessible, and its best to leave until the next night.


Cows locked up in the pen

You can also find a cow skull in the ranch.


Wolf with cow skull

On your third night visiting the ranch, (killed calf one night, penned up next) you may start noticing some differences around. As you visit more frequently, the rancher will add more deterrents every other night if you continue to kill a calf every time you can.
The ranch resets after every litter or new save you make, starting back to square one with no added deterrents.

We would like to address that you can get a new event on the same night you kill a calf. If you kill a calf, leave, sleep for a little bit but wake up when it is still night, there should be a new event. However, the cows will be penned up, so you can only get one new event per night. For the sake of consistency, we will be going with a "Night 1: Kill calf, Night 2: New event, Night 3: Kill calf" template.
Also would like to note that if the rancher starts shooting at you, you can leave for a bit/sleep and come back later that night. He will no longer be alerted. Just make sure you don't alert him again!

Successfully Hunting a Cow

The first time you visit the cattle ranch can be stressful, but this is the easiest it will be the entire playthrough! The first night, there are no deterrents or added difficulty, so the risk of getting injured is actually quite low. It is best to run along the outside of the fence, making it quite easy to find the hole in the fence. When you find the hole, it is recommended that you mark it on your map, so it will be easy to find when escaping. In order to find the herd, scent view helps a lot.


Cow scent in Scent View

You are free to just run around the ranch as well until you find the cows. Once reaching the herd, there is occasionally a calf that has strayed farther from the herd than the rest. Spring calves take 2-4 damage outputs to kill, similar to a summer mule fawn.


Calf that has strayed from the herd

If you kill a calf that is near the rest of the herd, the other cows may kick and headbutt you while you try to eat, in this situation it is best to leave before the rancher gets alerted and come back the next night when the cows are penned up to find the carcass again.


The cow herd in spring

When the rancher has spotted you, the music will change to a more intense track. You will also start to hear the rancher shooting at you. When your mate is with you, the rancher is a lot more likely to shoot at the mate than you. You are still in shooting distance so long as you can hear the soundtrack. You are still in shooting distance a few feet outside of the fence. You are not safe until you can no longer hear the music.

The best way to avoid the rancher's shots are if you are weaving. One shot can do 90% or less of your health, and sometimes it will only do very minimal damage if you are running and not sitting dormant. If you are standing still or sitting, the chances of getting killed with one shot go much higher. The damage range when shot is consistent throughout difficulties. Damage can range from -2 damage to killing your wolf in one hit. Be careful to not howl, cause this will almost instantly alert the rancher.

The more you go and successfully kill a cow, the harder the ranch will get! Events will start happening, some random and some are set. These events range in difficultly, some are harmless, some try to scare you, and some make you question if you should even take the risk taking step in the ranch again.

https://youtu.be/TXY3enyhbuY

There are many of these events, and we will go into each of them in detail, and the danger levels of each one.

Achievements Associated with the Ranch

Ranch Bandit

This achievement is pretty self explanatory by the description. In order to get it, kill a calf in the spring/summer and escape without getting killed. (You will need to go past the music range of the ranch for the achievement to register)

SPOILERS BELOW FOR HIDDEN ACHIEVEMENTS!

Bark Bark BANG!

Unlike in previous versions of WolfQuest, the rancher doesn't always one shot your wolf. When the rancher is alerted, the music will change and become much more intense. If you are running/weaving, a hit can do 90% or less of your health, and sometimes it will only do 10%. If you are standing still or sitting, the chances of getting killed with one shot go much higher. The best way to get the rancher alerted for this achievement is to either howl until the music changes, or weave between the cows to make them moo until the rancher gets alerted.

Escape Artist

Bear traps are one of 6 random events that happen every other night starting on night 4 after you killed a calf on night 1. The rancher can put them against the fence on both sides, or a few feet away from the fence. Unfortunately there is no way to guarantee an event to happen, so the best way to get this achievement is run along the fence every time you visit the ranch and continue to kill calves every time you can to get more events to occur. More info about traps and how to escape them will be in the events section.

Low Risk Events

There are 8 events that can occur at the ranch, 2 of which always shows up on certain nights, the other 6 randomly occur every other night starting at night 4 if you've killed a calf on nights 1 and 3. These events stack, and are permanent until the end of the playthrough. This is the list of events with little to no risk of hurting your wolf. Most of these are just visual events.

Inflatable Men

Inflatable from a distance


Inflatable up close

The inflatable men, also known as Stan, are one of the 6 random events that start on night 4, and continue every other night if you continue to successfully kill a calf whenever the herd is out. If the event is picked, you will notice them from a distance while travelling to the ranch. The inflatable men are one of the least dangerous events, as the only thing they are able to do is stun you for about 3 seconds when you approach, but after that they are both harmless and hilarious.
If you have extra tutorials turned on, you will get a notification when you get stunned by the inflatable.

Scary movement notification for the inflatable

Danger level: 1/10, harmless unless getting shot at and become stunned by them.

Fence Flags

The fence flags are one of the 6 random events, and if the event is picked, they will line the entire perimeter of the fence, and will startle you the first time you approach them, but other than that they are harmless.
If you have extra tutorials turned on, you will get a notification when you get stunned by the flags.

Scary movement notification for the flags

Danger level: 3/10, harmless besides startling, but they make a crinkle noise that sounds like you're getting shot at that has definitely scared us multiple times.

Heavy Metal Music

https://youtu.be/ci68nMkb5CM

The heavy metal music is one of the 6 random events that can occur. If the event is picked, you will notice loud rock music coming from the rancher's house in an attempt to scare your wolf away. Your wolf will get stunned when you get close to the rancher's house, and will turn around and stop for a few seconds. The music gets louder the closer you get to the house.
If you have extra tutorials turned on, you will get a notification when you get stunned by the music.

Loud noise notification for the music

Danger level: 2/10, just because it can be quite loud when close to the ranch, and you might have trouble hearing if the rancher starts shooting. Alternatively, if the music turns intense. Could also be a threat if the rancher starts shooting, and your wolf gets stunned and has to stop.

Airhorn

SOUND WARNING!

https://youtu.be/aPJPNyhxpj0

The airhorn is one of the 6 random events that can occur. If the event is picked, you have a chance when you walk around the ranch (seems to be higher when closer to the rancher's house or Sniper Houses) for the airhorn to sound. When it sounds, it will be a sudden, loud horn that scares your wolf, and most likely you.
If you have extra tutorials turned on, you will get a notification when you get stunned by the airhorn.

Loud noise notification for the airhorn

Danger level: 4/10, the airhorn really has no intention other than to scare you. When it sounds, it can be very sudden and stop you in your tracks. This is especially discomforting if you are running from the rancher's shots, or in the middle of hunting a calf.

High Risk Events

There are 8 events that can occur at the ranch, 2 of which always shows up on certain nights, the other 6 randomly occur every other night starting at night 4 if you've killed a calf on nights 1 and 3. These events stack, and are permanent until the end of the playthrough. These are the list of high risk events, that give a good chance to damage your wolf.

The Guard Dog

Dog in the herd with the cattle

The guard dog, or more commonly known as Pinecone, is a given event that always shows up night 2 if you killed a calf on night 1, and is there permanently for the rest of the game. You cannot hurt the dog, and it cannot hurt you. The dog will either be sleeping among the herd, or walking around. If you get too close to the dog, or kill a calf near it, the dog will bark until the rancher is alerted. Cows can alert the rancher on their own, but the guard dog alerts him much faster than the cows if it starts barking. About 6 seconds after the guard dog starts barking, the rancher will begin shooting at you or your mate.

Danger level: 8/10, can end an ironwolf save if you're not careful, but altogether not that bad if you work around it.

Poisoned Cow Carcasses

Poisoned carcasses outside the fence

Poisoned cow carcasses are one of the 6 random events that can occur. If the event is picked, you may stumble upon some cow carcasses along the outside of the fence. Do not eat these. These are poisoned, and will kill you fast. If you choose to eat them, the game will alert you that the carcass was poisoned, but you did not consume enough for it to kill you.



After taking a bite, you will start to see your health drop quite rapidly. If you continue to eat, your wolf will die after about two bites.



On multiplayer, these can not kill pups. If pups are brought to them, they will ignore the carcasses. If meat chunks are brought to the pups, they will ignore the chunks. However, on single player, poisoned carcasses can kill pups. Regurgitated meat from poisoned carcasses is okay to feed to pups. (need clarification for single player) Your mate, however, is a different story. If hungry and in distance, your mate will go to the carcass and start eating. Your mate will keep eating until it is dead if permadeath is enabled. It is strongly advised to keep your mate away from the poisoned carcasses.



Danger level: 7/10, can prove fatal if too much is consumed. Very easy to lose mate to poisoned carcasses.

Bear Traps

Wolf stuck in bear trap

Bear Traps are one of the 6 random events that can happen. If this event is picked, traps will start showing up along the fence, inside and out. When you run into a trap, the game will alert you saying you found a trap, and to rapidly press "a and d" to escape. This acts like shaking off stranger wolves. Chances are you will escape. If you escape, you will be left with a broken leg.
If luck is not with you, the rancher will find you after about 20 seconds and shoot you. Traps are not visible on the ground until you step on one, then you can see it on your leg.





Danger level: 8/10, traps can prove fatal very easily, and can put an end to an ironwolf save rather fast. They also leave you with a broken leg.

Sniper Houses

Sniper House from a distance


Sniper House up close

Sniper Houses are a set event that occurs starting on Night 11-12, and are there permanently for the rest of the game.. When these show up, security has gotten a lot higher. It is very dangerous to continuing going when Sniper Houses are put up. If you get close to these houses, the rancher will automatically start shooting. You can go right up to them and look in, but there is no one visible in the houses. it seems these houses have a range on them, meaning the closer you are to the house, the more likely you will get shot at. It is suggested to take note of where these houses are, and to keep your distance. This can get hard when the cows are near these houses. Staying outside of the Sniper House range does not mean you will not get shot at.


Inside of Sniper House

Danger level: 10/10, when these go up look out. It would be very risky to keep going with an ironwolf, since the rancher can start shooting at any point now.

Game Logs

These are game logs of everything that occurred while visiting the cattle ranch consistently every night cycle over multiple of our games. Includes both Singleplayer and Multiplayer.

Singleplayer

Violet Easy 1
Night 1: Nothing (first visit)
Night 2: Dog (set event)
Night 4: Stan
Night 6: Airhorn (maybe; got on night 8)
Night 8: Rock music
Night 10: Trap
Night 12: Sniper Houses
Night 14: Poisoned Cow
Night 16: Nothing.. rancher gets alerted very easily
Night 18: Nothing. Might be maxed out

Violet Easy 2
Night 1: Nothing (first visit)
Night 2: Dog (set event)
Night 4: Stan
Night 5: Rock music
Night 7: Trap (not confirmed i forgot to look; stepped on one night 11)
Night 9: Poisoned Cows
Night 11: Sniper Houses
Night 13: Nothing

Leaf easy game 1
Night cycle 1, nothing: first visit
Night cycle 2, given event: dog
Night cycle 4, event 1: flags
Night cycle 6, event 2: Stan
Night cycle 8, event 3: traps
Night cycle 10, event 4: Sniper house
Night cycle 12, event 5: Poison cow

Multiplayer

Easy MP 1
Night 1: Nothing
Night 2: Dog
Night 4: Rock music
Night 6: Stan
Night 8: Horn
Night 10: Flag

Conclusion

With this guide complete, now you can go to the cattle ranch with more knowledge and confidence for everything about it. If you discover something important not mentioned in this guide, feel free to let us know and we can update it to better inform the community!

And most of all, have fun!

[wolven]

Does anybody know if new traps will continued to be deployed by the rancher until your next litter, or does it cap out at some point? I'm trying to get the achievement for escaping the bear trap, but I feel like I've noticed no new traps the last couple times I've gone back after successfully killing a calf :/

[Leaflyn]

Over time severe injuries heal yes, i'm not sure exactly how many days it takes but it will :>

[texvan]

Will a broken leg heal??? Other wise very helpful

[101Asa]

Have you tested this more with Multiplayer?

[OwlieKitty]

one important thing you forgot: i would say flags, a low risk event, though my stun you, help you afterward, the hole will be much easier to spot, but still, they sound like gun shots, don't get scared if you hear them, if your near the fence and hear what sounds of gunshots, but no music, keep running and weaving if you start to hear music, ESCAPE!!! if no music, its the flags, music wont start right away, he may shoot you before the music starts. (i don't know if this is in the guide or not... but just from my times trying, this is what happened, and how to avoid it.)

[MouseMouse]

this is nice!!

[BurntToast]

this is very usefull, thanks! I heard the airhorn once and my soul left my body lol

[melanieburgess25]

And I also heard an airhorn (It scared me ngl)

[melanieburgess25]

I got poisoned cow before traps; but I saw poisoned cow, Stan, Sniper House, and Pinecone.

[littlepaws]

I have experience in cattle hunting, and it's annoying when most other players don't check if pinecone is there first. When cattles are in the pen, players will usually just go inside without even checking for pinecone. I always do that before cattle hunts, otherwise i'd get shot. Don't blame them though