This page covers the most Frequently Asked Questions regarding the game.
Free to Play / em$ / gm$
- Can I play this game for free?
- Yes you can. Install the game, create a hunter profile and get going!
- Memberships do no longer exist since May 6, 2019.
- Every new player gets a .243 Bolt Action Rifle (Wood) and a 12 GA Single Shot Shotgun for free.
- You get free ammunition for these two weapons above.
- These ammo types are refilled to three full boxes at the start of every hunt.
- All other ammo must be bought with em$ or gm$.
- You need to use the correct weapons for each animal. See here.
- How can I get em$?
- Purchase them with real money.
- Most competitions award Em$ to the first three players on the ranking sheet. Some reward the first 10 players.
- You can earn them by clicking on Earn em$ in the top navigation of the website. Note that the offers on this page are not under the control of EW. If you are having trouble receiving em$ that you feel you are entitled to, contact the according companies offering the deal.
- See also Em$.
- What is gm$ and how do I earn them?
- Visit the Gm$ page.
- What kind of equipment should I buy?
- Visit the Buying Guide.
- Is there a way to sell or gift equipment?
- No. All equipment you buy in the store cannot be returned or passed on to anyone else.
Animals
- Do all animals in the game make calls?
- Alpine Ibex and Bighorn Sheep make no calls but other sounds that can be detected by the Huntermate, i.e. falling rocks and fighting.
- The following animals do not call:
- An animal did not get attracted by my caller, scent spray or baiting station. Why?
The following can be the reason(s):
- There is a small chance by design that it will ignore the call.
- The animal was approaching the maximum Render Range when you called. Before it could react, it left the rendering space.
- The animal is trotting to catch up with the rest of its herd.
- The animal is nervous from smelling, seeing or hearing a player, of after being spooked by a player.
- The animal was scared by another animal.
- There is a baiting station near that the animal is attracted to.
- Another player in a MP game has lured your animal before you to a different place.
- The animal is going to sleep momentarily.
- The animal tries to come but is stuck behind an object.
- What are the best tactics for each animal species?
- Most hunting is really learned by spending the time, taking your own notes and making your observations.
- Many tips can be found on dedicated Youtube videos.
- Check the forum for existing topics, or simply ask on there!
- See also Hunting Tactics.
- Can animals attack you?
- Yes, certain animals attack you when you come to close.
- See Player Hurt.
- What are rare animals?
- In very rare cases you can see animals with a special fur/skin.
- Rare animals are just that: rare! You can regard them as special trophies because of the very low chance for finding them!
- See Animal Fur Variations for rares and other variations of fur/skins.
- How many animals are there in a reserve?
- Official numbers are not known.
- From early Forum posts and community initiatives it can be said though that there used to be easily 200-300 animals in each reserve in the early days.
- With the addition of new species and the improvements of a player's standard computer's capabilities, these numbers are certainly higher now.
- If you do a day of duck hunting you might get just 200 ducks alone, yet there are still many other animals in the reserve.
- A test run on Redfeather Falls found over 300 animals.
- It is possible that larger maps feature even more animals.
- Do animals re-enter the map after being killed?
- Animals are not replaced during a hunting day.
- If your session hits the night and a new day starts, all animals are replaced by a complete new set.
- Is there a trophy animal in every session?
- Every session holds low, medium and high scoring animals of each species in the reserve.
- You cannot expect however to have a trophy animal in each session.
- What is considered a trophy animal?
- Check the leaderboards to see the best animals found in the current season.
- As a rule of thumb, an animal that is just 5-10% below the best animal of that species is certainly a trophy animal.
- An animal that you are proud of regardless of score is also a trophy animal! ;-)
- Do animals spawn in specific locations, or anywhere on the map?
- What happens when animals spook?
- When you scare an animal by movement, scent or noises, it will run away.
- Other animals seeing the spooked animal(s) also start running, for example the its herd, or any other animal in its fleeing path.
- A third 'generation' will not spook by the second. Only animals spooked by players can spook others.
- Recovery times are different for every species and also for males vs. females.
- Once an animal has returned to the normal state, it can again be attracted and it will (most likely) return. It will not remember that it ran from you.
- Why do animals run away from me? What am I doing wrong?
- First of all, the animals in the game are a lot less scared that they would be in real life, except a few of the large species. Nevertheless, animals are always alert and react to player noises, scents and movements.
- Certain species are scared by other animals, see also here.
- Pay attention to the wind. Animals will smell you much sooner if they are downwind from you. As a general rule, the Wind is usually from South-West to North-East. Use Wind Indicator to check for the exact direction.
- Use the appropriate clothes for each reserve and species you hunt.
- Use Scent Eliminator to reduce your smell.
- Do not run, unless you need to quickly go to a place without the intention to hunt anything on the way.
- You are fine walking around for the most part. There is no need to constantly crouch. Animals will call from far away.
- While you can use scent sprays and Callers to take advantage of the animals alertness, you need to keep your movements to a minimum around an animal that has you in sight, in order not to spook it.
- It is best to crouch when you are very close to animals.
- Lie down when the animal is very scary and very close, such as turkeys, coyotes, foxes or bobcats.
- Over time you will learn how close you can get to animals and which stance works best at which distances.
- Turn on Contextual Help in the game to better understand what might be happening.
- Can I kill multiple animals with one shot?
- Yes, but only with Buckshot or Birdshot ammunition due to the spraying of their pellets.
- Bullets and arrows do not pass through an animal and do not cause damage beyond it.
- Do animals follow certain patterns during the day?
- Animals have a roaming behavior based on their interests.
- There are certain times in the day where the animals will sleep, feed or roam.
- The animals will walk to certain spots (attraction maps) to satisfy their interests.
- You can lure animals even if they have an interest on their mind. When the luring effect stops they will likely return to their former interests.
- How do animals behave in herds?
- How do I take a trophy shot from an harvested animal?
- See Trophy Shot
- Which animals can swim?
- Dogs
- Water Buffalo
- Polar Bear
- Magpie Goose
- Mallard Duck
- American Black Duck
- Northern Pintail
- Gadwall
- All dead animals float
Weapons / Scopes / Ammunition
- Do I have to buy ammunition?
- At the beginning of every hunt, your ammunition for the .243 Bolt Action Rifle (Wood) and the 12 GA Single Shot Shotgunis replenished so that you have the 3 full boxes.
- All other ammo can be bought in the store with em$ and gm$.
- Can shot arrows be retrieved / reused?
- No.
- What weapons / ammunition are permitted for each species?
- Check the Permitted Ammo page.
- Is there a best weapon in the game?
- Rifles are the weapons with the best range performance. There is not one single rifle though that can be named as being the best. While some have a better stoppage power, others have less wobble. Some rifles are single shot, while others have a magazine and can be reloaded faster.
- When buying a weapon, consider the following
- Do I like the look of it? Remember the gun can be seen by other players in an MP party.
- Can the Scopes for the gun be shared with other guns?
- Is is single shot or does it have a magazine for faster reloading.
- Do you like the iron sights? Check with other players or on Youtube, or ask in the Forum for pictures.
- Do you like the sound? Check videos on Youtube (ask players for hints to videos featuring the firing sound).
- What animals are permitted for the weapon?
- Is the gun often required for Regular Missions or Competitions?
- Does the weapon share the Shooting Skill with any other? This is usually the case for premium items.
- Ask in the Forum about other people's experience whether a weapon is worth the money?
- Maybe you prefer stealth hunting, in that case a Bow or Crossbow will be your preferred weapon.
- Your choice will also depend on your hunting style. See Buying Guide.
- Do wind and ballistics have an effect on bullets/arrows?
- Yes. See Ballistics.
- To understand the drop of bullets or arrows, can either shoot at distant targets that will show the impact (shooting downhill into water works well) or at Deployable Targets.
- How many shots are required to go to the next Shooting Skill level?
- You level up when reaching the following numbers (this is hits, not kills):
- Level 2: 14 hits / 3: 44 / 4: 89 / 5: 149 / 6: 224 / 7: 314 / 8: 419 / 9: 539 / 10: 674 / 11: 824 / 12: 989 / 13: 1169 / 14: 1364 / 15: 1574 / 16: 1799 / 17: 2039 / 18: 2294 / 19: 2564 / 20: 2849
- Formula used to determine the required number of hits: level * (level -1) * 7.5 - 1
- You level up when reaching the following numbers (this is hits, not kills):
Scoring
- How is the Score of an animal determined?
- Visit the Animal Scoring page.
- How is the Harvest Value of an animal determined?
- Visit the Harvest Value page.
- The harvest value has no effect on the animal's score.
- This value was introduced Nov 14, 2013 and is only displayed on hunt histories from that date forward.
- What does CSS on the harvest screen mean?
- This is the Cross Species Score.
- What do the letters "T" and "W" mean next to a feral hog or wild boar score?
- Go to the Animal Scoring overview and scroll down to the feral hog and wild boar.
- Open a score sheet of a feral hog for a detailed explanation for hog scoring. The explanation also applies to wild boars.
- What do the letters "A" and "G" mean next to a bird's score?
- The score qualifies as "A" if shot in air or as "G" if shot on ground.
- Only A scores count for competitions and leaderboards.
- Why aren't my all time bests scores displayed anywhere?
- Over time many changes were made to existing animals, in order to better reflect the real world.
- Especially the antlered species have go through many changes, one which was "TruRACS", a system providing realistic randomly generated antlers and other animal properties.
- For more information you may check out the Animal Scoring History.
Tracking / Spotting / Luring
- I have received a message in the game that I can now identify the gender when reading tracks. However when I read the next track, there is no gender information. What am I missing?
- Your new skill level only applies when you start a new hunting session.
- How many trackings are required to level up my Tracking Skill?
- The exact numbers are not known.
- All clues (tracks, calls) that you identify help to improve your skill level.
- The first three tracks award a progress bonus.
- On certain weekends it was/is possible to gain double tracking points. Look out for the according announcements.
- Can I turn off the tracking and spotting glow?
- Yes. In the options menu under Gameplay, set "Track color" to Off.
Equipment
- What are "deployables" / "world items"?
- See Deployable Items
- Where do I see if my feeder is active?
- On theHunter website go to Settings - Game Management - Bait Sites.
- Do I have to walk to the feeder to refill it?
- This is certainly the more immersive way of doing it, however you can also refill your feeders on theHunter website. Go to Settings - Game Management - Bait Sites. Select the amount of bait that you want to fill and click Refill.
- A piece of equipment is no longer on the map. What happened?
- Most equipment will be fine once you set it up, however sometimes the game engine may find an inconsistency and remove one of your items.
- You will receive a message in the game from Doc such as:
- "A beaver has felled the tree your stand was in, but Doc has kindly taken it back to the lodge for you."
- Your equipment will be back in your inventory and you will have to deploy it again.
Reserves
- Do reserves undergo seasons?
- No. Every reserve is set in a certain season. The according season is stated at the top of every reserves page.
- Your clothes should ideally be matched to the season and the species of the reserve you are visiting.
- Do all reserves have the same size?
- No, there are noticeable differences.
- What are the exclamation mark ([!]) icons on the maps supposed to mean?
- These are points of interest, such as the swinging bridge at the Logger's Point Canyon.
Competitions / Missions
- Why did my animal not register in the competition?
- Single player and multiplayer competitions are separate. Check which mode is required.
- You might not have activated the competition.
- You might have deactivated the competition while playing the game. You cannot reactivate such competitions while still playing.
- You might have run out of attempts.
- You might have started your hunt before the competition started.
- The competition may not yet be active. Check date and time.
- The competition may have ended already. Check date and time.
- The competition might require more than one animal and is using the average or the total weight/score. In this case you will only see a result as soon as you have harvested the last required animal. The game will however notify you after each harvest that the animal has counted for competition XYZ.
- You might have used the wrong weapon. Check the competition details again.
- You might have missed a required organ (heart, lungs, etc.). Check the competition details again.
- You might have a better animal listed in the competition already.
- You might not have met very specific additional requirements such as a minimal distance, no usage of scope or stand, etc. Check the competition details again.
- Why can I not start a new mission?
- Make sure you have completed a current mission that will trigger a new active mission. You can check this on the Missions page. Check the "Active" section and "Available" section.
- I cannot complete a mission. What can I do?
- In general for any difficulties, check the tips on the Missions page. Some of the missions have videos or tips.
- Make sure the mission has been activated.
- Check the mission details and make sure you have correctly followed the instructions.
- Travel missions may require you to stay in the designate area for about 5 seconds before the game acknowledges your presence.
- Certain missions are almost as old as the game, and changes over time might have made certain animals harder to find in the required locations.
- Search the Forum or ask in a new thread.
Multiplayer
- I am having trouble with my connection when playing multiplayer parties. What can I do?
- Check out this page: Multiplayer Connection Issues
- If problems persist, contact support@thehunter.com
- Can I use other people's equipment?
- You may access the inventory using the host's tents.
- You have access to the host's hunting stands.
- You can profit from the feeders and decoysthat the host has set up on the map.
- Can I set up my own equipment in a game hosted by someone else?
- Yes, this is possible for many Deployable Items.
- It it not possible for baiting equipment.
- When the session ends, your equipment in someone else's game will be removed and returned to your inventory.
- Can I chat with other players?
- See Chat
- When in a competition and one player shoots an animal, but another player harvests: Who will the animal count for?
- The animal will count for the last person to hit it before it died. It does not matter who confirms/harvests the kill.
General Gameplay
- How do I make a new avatar from an in-game picture?
- While you are at a lodge or near a tent, press F2.
- See also Change Avatar.
- The game pauses when I switch to another program or the desktop. Can I keep the game running in the background?
- All multiplayer games will continue to run even if you switch away.
- If you want a single player game to keep running in the background, turn off "Fullscreen". This is done in the settings of the launcher.
- I can only see the animals up to a certain distance before they disappear. Why can some players shoot them from much further
- See Render Range.
- See also Long Range Shooting.
- How do seasons work?
- See Seasons.
- What happens when the day ends?
- At 19:00 / 7pm you are forced to end your hunt, but you can stay in the game.
- The map is shown with all locations. Clicking on one will send you to this place and the clock will advance to 5:00 / 5am.
- A complete new load of animals appears. See also Spawning.
- Any killed animal will be wiped from the map. You can no longer claim it.
- In your hunt history, the hunt will show as one session, even if your session includes multiple days.
- Even if it is all one hunting session, every new day will consume another attempt for all competitions you have active.
- Does rain have any effect on the hunting?
- Rain dampens your walking / running noise and animals can hear you less.
- Loud rain can make it harder for you to hear animals calling or walking.
- The way the rain changes the game colors, animals on the ground can be seen better during the rain.
- Birds in the air can be seen less in rain.
- Rain limits the long range view. Animals near the maximum rendering distance can no longer be seen.
- What are the mushrooms and artifacts for?
- See Collectables.
- I think I found a bug in the game or the web site. What should I do?
- Report the bug in forum under the according category of the Bug Reports section: http://forum.thehunter.com/viewforum.php?f=128
- If you feel that your account or gameplay is directly affected send an email to Support.
Technical Matters
- What are the minimal specifications to play this game?
- See System Requirements.
- My game won't load or keeps crashing. How do I get help?
- You can check the Help section of the website, at http://www.thehunter.com/help
- You can also visit the "Need Help? Support and Technical Issues" section on the forums (http://forum.thehunter.com/viewforum.php?f=102) to see if anyone else is having similar issues, or to request help.
- Where do I change the settings of my graphics?
- When you start the game on the web page, the launcher will come up. Click on Settings.
- Check out this early guide for a more elaborate explanation of the game settings: http://forum.thehunter.com/viewtopic.php?f=102&t=26368