Baiting

Bait is used to attract a large number of animals to an area over a long period of time. In order to bait the player needs to acquire a bait container (persistent item) and fill it with bait (consumable item).

Persistent Gameplay

Unlike other lures, the effects of bait continue to evolve even when the player is not playing the game. This means that as long as there is bait in the container it becomes more and more powerful no matter if the player is in the game, watching TV or out bagging real life prey.

Bait

Bait is a consumable item that attracts animals when put in a bait container. Bait is consumed by animals visiting the bait container and the rate of consumption is affected by Location Attractiveness.

Attraction

Attraction is a measurement for how popular a bait container is to the animals. A newly placed bait container will always have an attraction value of zero. If the container is placed in an area with a large population of the according animal, the attraction will start to grow. Attraction affects both the amount of animals that spawn in the area around the container as well as the size of the attraction radius around it. The higher the attraction, the more animals you will find in the area around the container.

Bait is generally less effective than other lures (scents, callers) when attractiveness is low, but much more effective when attractiveness is high. With that said even a container with zero attractiveness can occasionally attract animals as long as it is filled with bait.

Attraction continues to grow until the container either runs out of bait or peak attractiveness is reached. Once a container runs out of bait, attractiveness slowly begins to decrease, and unless more bait is added, it eventually drops to zero.

Location Attractiveness

The location where a bait container is placed can have a dramatic effect on its effectiveness.
Location Attractiveness affects both the rate at which attractiveness grows as well as Peak Attractiveness.
The maximum attractiveness that a container can reach is 100%.
You can check the attractiveness of your container on the map where you start your hunts.
In a good spot where the attractiveness will grow to 100%, the growth per day is 15%.
- Tip: After placing your feeder and filling it with food, note the time. Check the attractiveness after 24 hours. If it is a lot below 15%, move the container. It is not a good spot.

Peak Attractiveness

Peak Attractiveness is the maximum attraction level that a bait container can reach at that particular location.
You will know that your feeder has reached Peak Attractiveness once the attractiveness no longer grows despite the container holding bait.
Reaching Peak Attractiveness from a newly placed container can take up to a week in a good area.
To check the current level of attractiveness of your container, open the launcher and click Hunt Now. Move the mouse over the feeder icon on the map or in the left navigation where the lodges, tents and feeders are listed.

File:FeederAttractiveness.png

Shooting Penalty

Shooting an animal in the area around a bait container reduces the container's attraction for a time.
The shooting penalty is a drop of 75 points of the attractiveness.
The attraction recovery rate after taking a penalty is 35% per day.
The shooting penalty only applies if the animal that was shot had been attracted by the container.
- For instance, shooting a Black Bear near a Bear Bait Barrel will cause attractiveness to drop, whereas shooting a Moose in the same area will not.
- Chasing animals away from the container, i.e. outside the attraction radius, and then shoot it there will also cause an attractiveness penalty. This was added as an exploit prevention.
- If the baited animal was spooked by another (spooked) animal and it moves outside the attraction radius, it can be shot without taking the penalty.
In multiplayer, only the host will cause a penalty. All the other players can shoot as many animals near the feeders without causing a penalty.
Shooting at any other species will never cause a penalty, no matter where it is.

Food / Bait

You can put up to 50 units of food into the container. Without food, the container will not attract animals.
In an area with perfect attraction, food consumption is 10 units per real day.
Food will be consumed whether or not you play the game.
Once the container has run out of bait, the attractiveness will start to drop.

Moving Containers

Bait containers can be moved during a hunt using the environment interaction menu (default key: E). As soon as the container is picked up, all attraction is lost. This means that attraction for a moved container will always start at zero, even if it is put back in the same spot.

If the container contains bait when picked up, the bait remains stored in it until the container is once again placed in the world. Bait does not decrease when the feeder is not placed anywhere on a map.