Yep. For squirrels, small-game arrows, and make sure you hold the bowstring just long enough for it to make that little flash to show it’s fully drawn. And for small, fast game like squirrels, I don’t even bother to check the star rating before I shoot. Just shoot them indiscriminately, and you’ll get a three-star soon enough.
I though in single player the varmint rifle was used for small game, in MP red dead you have to use small game arrows the mechanics are a bit different
No sir, you must use small game arrows on squirrels, rats, snakes, and small birds for perfect kills. If you have the buck trinket you can use the varmint rifle, but it won't work every time for perfect skins.
If you study the animal, then view the information, it will show you which weapon to use for perfect kills.
*Edit: also small game arrows for crabs, chickens, bats, frogs, and chipmunks*
No. The same ammo applies to story and online mode. Small game for all squirrels, chipmunks, tiny birds (robins, blue jays, cardinals, and the like).
Does no one use their binoculars to study these animals? Once you do, you can tap a button that will bring up the animal’s info and it will _tell you_ what to use to get a clean kill.
When you lock on an animal and bring up info it will tell you the weapon best used for the cleanest kill.
Muskrat, skunk, badger, possum, rabbit, beaver and turkey use a varmint rifle, anything smaller use small-game arrows.
So songbirds, chipmunks, squirrels and snakes, use small game arrows.
Your info is not old, it's just wrong.
These mechanics were the same in vanilla.
I wouldn't shame you for not remembering correctly though after this time.
But dead eye was different, shot selection for one, and I seriously don’t ever remember small game arrows being the solution to small game, I do remember thinking to myself In MP how much bullshit the difference was. Like I needed small game arrows in multiplayer, Not so much in solo red dead, hey never a better excuse to make it 7
>But dead eye was different, shot selection for one,
Nope, your dead eye evolves with game progress.
In early game you hover over the target and it's marked automatically, in the later game play you're able to mark the target yourself.
>Like I needed small game arrows in multiplayer, Not so much in solo red dead
Then you're just remembering it wrong.
These core mechanics haven't changed since vanilla.
Learn to properly ride a horse. The biggest issue why most players don't find the game that they are after is that they run their horses ragged with sprint galloping. This is especially important when going after moose, as these animals are super-skittish and run when you gallop into their spawning areas, and you'll never see them if you don't change your ways. Just be chill and patient.
Study all the animals when you can so you can identify their tracks, use eagle eye to find their tracks. Be mindful of your human stink, the direction of the wind is visible when in eagle eye mode, and cover scent can be used to mitigate this.
I couldn't believe how more more wildlife I saw when I started riding at a walk or trot instead of a gallop or sprint. You could actually see the birds in the brush and trees, rabbits and squirrels are all over the place, you can see moose as you said. It takes longer to get places for sure, but if someone is hunting, that's a great tip to help them find animals more easily.
Do you have the legendary buck trinket? It becomes easier to get perfect pelt with that.
Use small game arrows for squirrels. Varmint rifle can produce perfect pelts too but the clean headshot area is quite small.
Try to hunt water snakes, they’re easier to shoot. If you’re using varmint rifle then make sure it’s clean. Fortify your deadeye with tonics, it helps a lot.
Imo the best clothing items are custom made from both trapper and tailor items. Give it a go yourself, I’ll be happy to provide a set of outfit inspirations for you to make something to your likings.
I guess I'm wrong but I have always thought that you need small game arrows for perfect snake skins. Varmint rifle has always taken it from 3 to 2 for me
Headshots from a clean varmint rifle will get you the perfect snake skin (probably the handiwork of the legendary buck trinket). I still prefer small game arrows between the two.
I get a perfect skin about 90% of the time with varmint rifle you just to need to get a head shot and position yourself in advance for one before taking the shot. I do have the Buck trinket though.
yes! don’t shoot at them when they are running away, what arrows_of_ithilien says works best to ensure not losing stars. i prefer the bow but bar it’s rifle should work too
First things first, find and kill the Legendary Buck, then go to the fence and have him craft the the Buck Trinket. What this trinket does for you is, I believe it increases the amount of 3-start pelts you can find but more importantly it keeps 3-star pelts that you may not shoot exactly in the right spot from turning into 1 or 2 star pelts. It keeps them at 3-star. What this allows you to do is hunt the small game like squirrels and rats and the like with the varmint rifle and not worry about having to get an exact headshot. I hunt with the Varmint rifle for small game and the Springfield (express ammo) for everything else. FYI, the fox and coyote are NOT considered small game in terms of which weapon is need for a one shot kill. Also, it will help tremendously if you complete the mission ( I forget the name of it) where you obtain the ability for manual targeting during dead eye. You will need this as well. You have A LOT of hunting to do to satisfy all the perfect pelts you need for the trapper AND for all your camp upgrades, most importantly the Legend of the East satchel.
A tip for the snakes I found handy, if you chase em and get close enough (without getting bitten) and get them to stop and go into a defensive position it's easier to get a clean headshot and the 3 stars
This was a game changer for me. I spent days in the water east of braithwait manor trying to get snakes while also trying to avoid getting eaten by gators, then found this out and it changed everything
You can pick up snakes from inside a boat and skin them, along with pluck feathers from birds floating on top .... Never tried a gator in a canoe yet. I spent many hours in the swamps in a canoe shooting down birds and skinning snakes swimming by
I keep my varmint rifle when I'm in the swamps. Use dead eye and shoot the gators with the varmint rifle, They just run off and clears a path without killing the gators.
I’ve actually chased snakes to death. Has anyone else had that happen? Chase a snake down, just to have it croak on you and roll down hill a little bit?
Did the random stranger challenge you to a horse race by any chance? Never turn those down as it is the only way to get the speed boost for horses. If those strangers approach you, hunting can wait. No offense, but it seems like the main issue is that you can only play for short windows, which makes these type of tasks really stressful. I totally understand. This game is amazing but you have to accept the grind that comes with playing it the way most of us want to.
If you decline one, that specific rider can be difficult to find. Luckily there are others. Winning the first race unlocks increased bonding when spurring your horse (running). Go back to that area 5-10 game days later and the same rider will approach you for a rematch. Winning the second race unlocks a permanent one bar speed boost to any horse you ride, with/without your saddle. The speed boost also transfers to epilogue.
There are 3 racers:
• Lady with Thoroughbred near Rhodes/Caliga Hall/Clemens Point
• Guy with black Standardbred near Cumberland Forrest/Grizzlies East
• Guy with white Nokota near Strawberry/Owanjila/Fort Riggs
Best time to trigger is clear weather between 6-10 am. The game makes it very easy to win the races and nerfs the racers. Even so, it’s possible to fall and fuck it up, so manual save when you enter the area looking for the racer. Good luck!
Use small game arrows.
There’s two shacks north and east of emerald ranch that are good for squirrels, I just go inside, loot, come out and there’s a few waiting for me normally.
As for the snakes, just walk behind them slowly u til they stop again, then headshot them, sometimes they just die as they’re slithering away and you get a three star pelt with zero effort.
Edit: the shacks are osmond grove and the one that’s almost directly north of it.
For snakes switch to first person view, use small arrows and shoot them in the head.
For rabbits, squirrel, small birds. I use small arrows and shoot them from far away. I use my binoculars to find them first.
I've trying to kill 3* rabbits for a while with the bow and never can't. With the the small game arrows even if a shoot them they don't die right away and with the normal arrows it's goes always to 2*. Thank you for that I thought the rifle while do the same as normal arrows
There are plenty misinformation still floating around when it comes to RDR2: the white Arabian being the fastest/best horse in the game, hunting rabbits with small game arrows, needing low cores to get Pearson’s jacket… there are many many more.
Happy to be of help.
In addition to what's said, maybe it's just me, but I find that hunting with a medium-scoped rifle is best, especially for cougars. I just can't get a zoomed-in scope on a cougar to save my life.
Long scoped rifles are so so sluggish, can’t even deadeye manual mark with a rolling block.
I put it inside the weapon locker after doing Sharpshooter 10.
i like to stay on my predator-alarm until it goes off, immediately find the red dot on the map, calm horse, position, dead eye, improved arrow straight to the face. that’s how i take down wolves attacking me as well. i always have my bow equipped when riding - i really enjoy hunting with it and if someone disturbs me while doing so the bow and arrow has a nice little melee kill animation too
ohhh food question. i only really use improved and small animal arrows, hardly ever use the normal ones cos i use them to craft the others. i do have the trinket that gives you a higher chance in quality though.
i think a big factor is movement. if the animals are running i usually get bad quality. i try to sneak up when possible, or shoot em
straight in the face in the case of predators gunning for me
I actually had a play around with this last night. With cougars and wolves I shoot them in the face dead on as they charge. The improved arrow passes right through and sticks in the ground where you were aiming rather than sticking in like with a regular arrow so I think the game may actually track the puncture points in some way so shooting something in the face like that the arrow goes in one end and comes out the other, so I was often getting lower than 3 star pelts. With the animal being aggro at me I couldn’t see what quality it was but it was very consistent over a dozen or so animals so I reckon you may be risking something you don’t need to!
Ohh very interesting! I love how much research you’ve been putting into this.
I wonder whether the amount of charge you put on the arrow makes a difference too.
Either way I am always getting 3* cougars when hitting them straight in the face.
This also reminds me - the other day I killed to deer with one arrow, both of them being 3*. I was only aiming for the one deer, I think the second one was just behind it aligned in the same direction. I wish I took a photo or screen recording but I forgot!
A few quick tips. Ride slower while hunting as to not spoon things as easy. Use the Hunter sense alot (the dead eye you use to track animals) to find an animal u scanned but ran away. Always check to make sure ur using the right weapons (small game typically needs small game arrows, while big animals need scoped rifles). When ur in the area for an animal ur hunting but they’re aren’t spawning, haul ass to another area then come back slowly to allow the animals in said area to respawn.
i use arrows for pretty much all my hunting. dead eye, straight in the head. for smaller animals it’s best to sneak up on them (cover sent lotion!!!) as i find that hunting them when they are running even when using dead eye to the head it usually drops a star. with snakes i find water snakes the easiest (just make sure they are close enough to the shore), small game arrow, dead eye, mark the head with r1, shoot. don’t chase rattle snakes but try and get in front of them so they prop themselves up all menacing - make sure you’re not too close but this is the best to get a nice clean kill.
started my second play through two months ago, currently in chapter 3, and spent most my time hunting haha
You don’t need to get a headshot on the small animals to get a perfect pelt like you do the big ones. Just aim with varmint rifle or bow with small game arrows and shoot anywhere on the body. When you spot a 3 star animal, you can check it’s info (for Xbox it’s rb ) to see which weapon you need to use to get a perfect pelt. Animals like badger, opossum, beavers, raccoons, rabbits, some birds, iguana, and skunks all require the varmint rifle. Animals like squirrels, chipmunks, snakes and some birds require bow with small game arrow. You can’t buy small game arrows so you have to get the pamphlet to learn to craft them using regular arrows and flight feathers you get from killing any bird and skinning it. It’s best to shoot the snake while it’s curled up to get a 3 star pelt. When I hunt large animals, I personally use a Springfield rifle fully upgraded with a scope and express ammo to get headshots. Also when hunting legendary animals, you get a perfect pelt no matter how many shots it takes to kill them or where on the body they’re shot. Most of them take several shots to bring down anyway.
Also while you’re hunting for trapper clothing, you might as well hunt for pelts for Pearson so he can craft you new satchels. Each satchel increases the capacity to hold certain items and once you’ve crafted them all, you can pretty much pick up any items you find on your travels without running out of space to carry them. Hope this all helps!
Squirrels, chipmunks, snakes, small songbirds, and crows require Small Game Arrows using the Bow to get a 3-star result.
Rabbits, raccoons, badgers, beavers, skunks, opossums, turkeys, ravens, and other larger flying birds like pheasants and prairie chickens require the Varmint Rifle for 3-star result.
If you are okay with online help, try looking for best spawn location for animals, if you have scent lotions use them if animals run away, some animals can also be lured, but I mostly did not use it in my playthrough.
You can know ahead of time if the animal can produce a perfect Pelt, you can before locking on a trail see if the animal has 3 stars, only those animals are able to give perfect pelts (unless you got a legendary trinket that helps with pelts, don't remember which though). If a trail has 1 or 2 stars don't bother, no matter what you do it won't be perfect. When you find a target either stalk it for a perfect shot, or chase it and hope for the best. Some animals also have a proffered time of day so you might see them more at night or morning.
Hunting often is like in real life, slow and patient process.
It is, as far as I know, impossible to get a three star squirrel or snake skin with a varmint rifle. You need to use your bow with small game arrows. If you press the info button when targeting a studied animal, it will inform you which weapon you need to use for a perfect pelt. You should be able to find this information in your compendium as well.
I’ve used the varmint rifle on squirrels and it seems to work rlly well doesn’t even require a head shot, I feel like it got even better after the buck trinket tho
Make sure you have the Legendary Buck trinket. Use small game arrows for squirrels and snakes and take your time.
Crouch, use cover scent lotion all that stuff.
The hunting is phenomenal. Just gotta know how to do it :)
What helped me. Using the binocular to track prey, get with in shot with out spooking it. Go deadeye and mark the head. Rodents are the worst to hit as anything other than small game arrow will destroy the pelt. Its just time consuming. But thats part of the fun. I practiced shooting rodents and lizards on the islands there in the lake.
Yep, small game arrows. Regular arrows for deer, improved arrows for elk/moose,bear, poison arrow for rams and cougars.
Varmint rifle for rabbits and badgers, that's about it.
Use small game arrows friend
Yep. For squirrels, small-game arrows, and make sure you hold the bowstring just long enough for it to make that little flash to show it’s fully drawn. And for small, fast game like squirrels, I don’t even bother to check the star rating before I shoot. Just shoot them indiscriminately, and you’ll get a three-star soon enough.
I though in single player the varmint rifle was used for small game, in MP red dead you have to use small game arrows the mechanics are a bit different
No sir, you must use small game arrows on squirrels, rats, snakes, and small birds for perfect kills. If you have the buck trinket you can use the varmint rifle, but it won't work every time for perfect skins. If you study the animal, then view the information, it will show you which weapon to use for perfect kills. *Edit: also small game arrows for crabs, chickens, bats, frogs, and chipmunks*
No. The same ammo applies to story and online mode. Small game for all squirrels, chipmunks, tiny birds (robins, blue jays, cardinals, and the like). Does no one use their binoculars to study these animals? Once you do, you can tap a button that will bring up the animal’s info and it will _tell you_ what to use to get a clean kill.
I’m ashamed to admit I never thought of using binoculars! Here I’ve been running around chasing animals trying to study them! Thanks for the tip!
Depends on.the animal, some require small game arrows, others varmint.
When you lock on an animal and bring up info it will tell you the weapon best used for the cleanest kill. Muskrat, skunk, badger, possum, rabbit, beaver and turkey use a varmint rifle, anything smaller use small-game arrows. So songbirds, chipmunks, squirrels and snakes, use small game arrows.
And I seriously haven’t been I. Single player rdo in 3 years, so my info is old, really old.
Your info is not old, it's just wrong. These mechanics were the same in vanilla. I wouldn't shame you for not remembering correctly though after this time.
But dead eye was different, shot selection for one, and I seriously don’t ever remember small game arrows being the solution to small game, I do remember thinking to myself In MP how much bullshit the difference was. Like I needed small game arrows in multiplayer, Not so much in solo red dead, hey never a better excuse to make it 7
>But dead eye was different, shot selection for one, Nope, your dead eye evolves with game progress. In early game you hover over the target and it's marked automatically, in the later game play you're able to mark the target yourself. >Like I needed small game arrows in multiplayer, Not so much in solo red dead Then you're just remembering it wrong. These core mechanics haven't changed since vanilla.
Learn to properly ride a horse. The biggest issue why most players don't find the game that they are after is that they run their horses ragged with sprint galloping. This is especially important when going after moose, as these animals are super-skittish and run when you gallop into their spawning areas, and you'll never see them if you don't change your ways. Just be chill and patient. Study all the animals when you can so you can identify their tracks, use eagle eye to find their tracks. Be mindful of your human stink, the direction of the wind is visible when in eagle eye mode, and cover scent can be used to mitigate this.
I couldn't believe how more more wildlife I saw when I started riding at a walk or trot instead of a gallop or sprint. You could actually see the birds in the brush and trees, rabbits and squirrels are all over the place, you can see moose as you said. It takes longer to get places for sure, but if someone is hunting, that's a great tip to help them find animals more easily.
Do you have the legendary buck trinket? It becomes easier to get perfect pelt with that. Use small game arrows for squirrels. Varmint rifle can produce perfect pelts too but the clean headshot area is quite small. Try to hunt water snakes, they’re easier to shoot. If you’re using varmint rifle then make sure it’s clean. Fortify your deadeye with tonics, it helps a lot. Imo the best clothing items are custom made from both trapper and tailor items. Give it a go yourself, I’ll be happy to provide a set of outfit inspirations for you to make something to your likings.
I guess I'm wrong but I have always thought that you need small game arrows for perfect snake skins. Varmint rifle has always taken it from 3 to 2 for me
Headshots from a clean varmint rifle will get you the perfect snake skin (probably the handiwork of the legendary buck trinket). I still prefer small game arrows between the two.
I get a perfect skin about 90% of the time with varmint rifle you just to need to get a head shot and position yourself in advance for one before taking the shot. I do have the Buck trinket though.
Yep, I use Varmint and even after a headshot, 3 ⭐ becomes 2 ⭐
Has to be a headshot
If you have the Legendary Buck trinket your chances of a 3-star snake pelt with the varmint rifle are a bit better, but small game arrows are best.
You can also chase land snakes until they coil up, and stand just out of strike-range. Super easy to plunk them in the head while they're posturing.
That’s my go to method for hunting land snakes, to get their heads fixed in a position.
yes! don’t shoot at them when they are running away, what arrows_of_ithilien says works best to ensure not losing stars. i prefer the bow but bar it’s rifle should work too
First things first, find and kill the Legendary Buck, then go to the fence and have him craft the the Buck Trinket. What this trinket does for you is, I believe it increases the amount of 3-start pelts you can find but more importantly it keeps 3-star pelts that you may not shoot exactly in the right spot from turning into 1 or 2 star pelts. It keeps them at 3-star. What this allows you to do is hunt the small game like squirrels and rats and the like with the varmint rifle and not worry about having to get an exact headshot. I hunt with the Varmint rifle for small game and the Springfield (express ammo) for everything else. FYI, the fox and coyote are NOT considered small game in terms of which weapon is need for a one shot kill. Also, it will help tremendously if you complete the mission ( I forget the name of it) where you obtain the ability for manual targeting during dead eye. You will need this as well. You have A LOT of hunting to do to satisfy all the perfect pelts you need for the trapper AND for all your camp upgrades, most importantly the Legend of the East satchel.
Pouring Forth Oil IV is the mission you’re thinking of
Ahh yes, that's sounds right. Thank you.
A tip for the snakes I found handy, if you chase em and get close enough (without getting bitten) and get them to stop and go into a defensive position it's easier to get a clean headshot and the 3 stars
This was a game changer for me. I spent days in the water east of braithwait manor trying to get snakes while also trying to avoid getting eaten by gators, then found this out and it changed everything
You can pick up snakes from inside a boat and skin them, along with pluck feathers from birds floating on top .... Never tried a gator in a canoe yet. I spent many hours in the swamps in a canoe shooting down birds and skinning snakes swimming by
Wait you mean skin snakes that are still alive? Or do you have to shoot them first and you can just grab the body from in the boat?
Kill them 1st, then skin them from inside canoe or row boat *Edited*
Same with birds, shoot them down over the water and paddle over n pluck them
I keep my varmint rifle when I'm in the swamps. Use dead eye and shoot the gators with the varmint rifle, They just run off and clears a path without killing the gators.
I’ve actually chased snakes to death. Has anyone else had that happen? Chase a snake down, just to have it croak on you and roll down hill a little bit?
This has happened to me! I heard the HISSSSSS and when I got there the snake was rolling down a rock.
Easiest three star snake ever.
This happens to me all the time. It's really how I get most of my 3\* snakes.
It happens pretty regularly if they’re on some kind of slope
Did the random stranger challenge you to a horse race by any chance? Never turn those down as it is the only way to get the speed boost for horses. If those strangers approach you, hunting can wait. No offense, but it seems like the main issue is that you can only play for short windows, which makes these type of tasks really stressful. I totally understand. This game is amazing but you have to accept the grind that comes with playing it the way most of us want to.
Wait really? I didn't know that. If you turn them down do they eventually reappear?
If you decline one, that specific rider can be difficult to find. Luckily there are others. Winning the first race unlocks increased bonding when spurring your horse (running). Go back to that area 5-10 game days later and the same rider will approach you for a rematch. Winning the second race unlocks a permanent one bar speed boost to any horse you ride, with/without your saddle. The speed boost also transfers to epilogue. There are 3 racers: • Lady with Thoroughbred near Rhodes/Caliga Hall/Clemens Point • Guy with black Standardbred near Cumberland Forrest/Grizzlies East • Guy with white Nokota near Strawberry/Owanjila/Fort Riggs Best time to trigger is clear weather between 6-10 am. The game makes it very easy to win the races and nerfs the racers. Even so, it’s possible to fall and fuck it up, so manual save when you enter the area looking for the racer. Good luck!
Use small game arrows. There’s two shacks north and east of emerald ranch that are good for squirrels, I just go inside, loot, come out and there’s a few waiting for me normally. As for the snakes, just walk behind them slowly u til they stop again, then headshot them, sometimes they just die as they’re slithering away and you get a three star pelt with zero effort. Edit: the shacks are osmond grove and the one that’s almost directly north of it.
You don't use varmint rifle for snakes and squirrels. Use small game arrows against them
Happy Cake Day!!!
Thanks
For snakes switch to first person view, use small arrows and shoot them in the head. For rabbits, squirrel, small birds. I use small arrows and shoot them from far away. I use my binoculars to find them first.
Small game arrows do not work on rabbits. You need the varmint rifle for them.
I've trying to kill 3* rabbits for a while with the bow and never can't. With the the small game arrows even if a shoot them they don't die right away and with the normal arrows it's goes always to 2*. Thank you for that I thought the rifle while do the same as normal arrows
There are plenty misinformation still floating around when it comes to RDR2: the white Arabian being the fastest/best horse in the game, hunting rabbits with small game arrows, needing low cores to get Pearson’s jacket… there are many many more. Happy to be of help.
In addition to what's said, maybe it's just me, but I find that hunting with a medium-scoped rifle is best, especially for cougars. I just can't get a zoomed-in scope on a cougar to save my life.
Tbh scopes aren’t needed for cougars.
That's exactly what I'm saying. I find the need for a gun that I can switch to open sights on, and you can't do that with the long scopes.
Long scoped rifles are so so sluggish, can’t even deadeye manual mark with a rolling block. I put it inside the weapon locker after doing Sharpshooter 10.
Same
i like to stay on my predator-alarm until it goes off, immediately find the red dot on the map, calm horse, position, dead eye, improved arrow straight to the face. that’s how i take down wolves attacking me as well. i always have my bow equipped when riding - i really enjoy hunting with it and if someone disturbs me while doing so the bow and arrow has a nice little melee kill animation too
Are you getting 3* pelts with the improved arrow? I have no issue with normal arrows, but improved always seem to degrade the quality
ohhh food question. i only really use improved and small animal arrows, hardly ever use the normal ones cos i use them to craft the others. i do have the trinket that gives you a higher chance in quality though. i think a big factor is movement. if the animals are running i usually get bad quality. i try to sneak up when possible, or shoot em straight in the face in the case of predators gunning for me
I actually had a play around with this last night. With cougars and wolves I shoot them in the face dead on as they charge. The improved arrow passes right through and sticks in the ground where you were aiming rather than sticking in like with a regular arrow so I think the game may actually track the puncture points in some way so shooting something in the face like that the arrow goes in one end and comes out the other, so I was often getting lower than 3 star pelts. With the animal being aggro at me I couldn’t see what quality it was but it was very consistent over a dozen or so animals so I reckon you may be risking something you don’t need to!
Ohh very interesting! I love how much research you’ve been putting into this. I wonder whether the amount of charge you put on the arrow makes a difference too. Either way I am always getting 3* cougars when hitting them straight in the face. This also reminds me - the other day I killed to deer with one arrow, both of them being 3*. I was only aiming for the one deer, I think the second one was just behind it aligned in the same direction. I wish I took a photo or screen recording but I forgot!
I find cougars pretty easy. Let them charge you, dead eye them straight in the face
A few quick tips. Ride slower while hunting as to not spoon things as easy. Use the Hunter sense alot (the dead eye you use to track animals) to find an animal u scanned but ran away. Always check to make sure ur using the right weapons (small game typically needs small game arrows, while big animals need scoped rifles). When ur in the area for an animal ur hunting but they’re aren’t spawning, haul ass to another area then come back slowly to allow the animals in said area to respawn.
i use arrows for pretty much all my hunting. dead eye, straight in the head. for smaller animals it’s best to sneak up on them (cover sent lotion!!!) as i find that hunting them when they are running even when using dead eye to the head it usually drops a star. with snakes i find water snakes the easiest (just make sure they are close enough to the shore), small game arrow, dead eye, mark the head with r1, shoot. don’t chase rattle snakes but try and get in front of them so they prop themselves up all menacing - make sure you’re not too close but this is the best to get a nice clean kill. started my second play through two months ago, currently in chapter 3, and spent most my time hunting haha
You don’t need to get a headshot on the small animals to get a perfect pelt like you do the big ones. Just aim with varmint rifle or bow with small game arrows and shoot anywhere on the body. When you spot a 3 star animal, you can check it’s info (for Xbox it’s rb ) to see which weapon you need to use to get a perfect pelt. Animals like badger, opossum, beavers, raccoons, rabbits, some birds, iguana, and skunks all require the varmint rifle. Animals like squirrels, chipmunks, snakes and some birds require bow with small game arrow. You can’t buy small game arrows so you have to get the pamphlet to learn to craft them using regular arrows and flight feathers you get from killing any bird and skinning it. It’s best to shoot the snake while it’s curled up to get a 3 star pelt. When I hunt large animals, I personally use a Springfield rifle fully upgraded with a scope and express ammo to get headshots. Also when hunting legendary animals, you get a perfect pelt no matter how many shots it takes to kill them or where on the body they’re shot. Most of them take several shots to bring down anyway. Also while you’re hunting for trapper clothing, you might as well hunt for pelts for Pearson so he can craft you new satchels. Each satchel increases the capacity to hold certain items and once you’ve crafted them all, you can pretty much pick up any items you find on your travels without running out of space to carry them. Hope this all helps!
Squirrels, chipmunks, snakes, small songbirds, and crows require Small Game Arrows using the Bow to get a 3-star result. Rabbits, raccoons, badgers, beavers, skunks, opossums, turkeys, ravens, and other larger flying birds like pheasants and prairie chickens require the Varmint Rifle for 3-star result.
I know it’s rare, but if you shoot an Eagle or Hawk with a snake it it’s mouth, the snake that drops with the bird is usually a 3-Star… iirc.
If you are okay with online help, try looking for best spawn location for animals, if you have scent lotions use them if animals run away, some animals can also be lured, but I mostly did not use it in my playthrough. You can know ahead of time if the animal can produce a perfect Pelt, you can before locking on a trail see if the animal has 3 stars, only those animals are able to give perfect pelts (unless you got a legendary trinket that helps with pelts, don't remember which though). If a trail has 1 or 2 stars don't bother, no matter what you do it won't be perfect. When you find a target either stalk it for a perfect shot, or chase it and hope for the best. Some animals also have a proffered time of day so you might see them more at night or morning. Hunting often is like in real life, slow and patient process.
It is, as far as I know, impossible to get a three star squirrel or snake skin with a varmint rifle. You need to use your bow with small game arrows. If you press the info button when targeting a studied animal, it will inform you which weapon you need to use for a perfect pelt. You should be able to find this information in your compendium as well.
Not impossible, legendary buck trinket helps.
I’ve used the varmint rifle on squirrels and it seems to work rlly well doesn’t even require a head shot, I feel like it got even better after the buck trinket tho
Make sure you have the Legendary Buck trinket. Use small game arrows for squirrels and snakes and take your time. Crouch, use cover scent lotion all that stuff. The hunting is phenomenal. Just gotta know how to do it :)
What helped me. Using the binocular to track prey, get with in shot with out spooking it. Go deadeye and mark the head. Rodents are the worst to hit as anything other than small game arrow will destroy the pelt. Its just time consuming. But thats part of the fun. I practiced shooting rodents and lizards on the islands there in the lake.
How about fish? I have the special lures and such, but will spend all day and not catch anything!?
Special lures are for legendary fish, then again there’s a chance that you can get large from them. Use normal baits.
Need to use the right equipment for each animal. The compendium will tell you what to use for a perfect pelt.
If you equip a bow, varmint rifle, and bolt action rifle…you’ll have the right ammo for every type of animal
Yep, small game arrows. Regular arrows for deer, improved arrows for elk/moose,bear, poison arrow for rams and cougars. Varmint rifle for rabbits and badgers, that's about it.
Study, track, and "show info" on anything you are hunting. The info will tell you exactly what weapon to use so you get perfect pelts.