Hunting is a vital part of Red Dead Redemption 2, with dozens of animals available to skin and catalog. Hunting is great because it provides a source of nourishment for Arthur Morgan and Dutch’s gang, as well as being able to be used for crafting a variety of useful objects such as saddles and decorations.
However, only Perfect quality pelts can be used for crafting items and managing to skin Perfect quality pelts can be a bit of a time-consuming task, especially towards the beginning of the game. Most pelts that you take won’t be Perfect quality unless you take the proper steps to ensure that you’re getting the best possible pelts. Luckily, all of those steps have been compiled in the article below.
The first step is to complete the Spines of America mission in Chapter 2. This will unlock a Fence known as Seamus, an NPC that you can sell stolen carriages and items to. This is important because you’ll need to be able to craft the Buck Antler Trinket.
Crafting the Buck Antler Trinket is the most important step of the process, as it increases the quality of skinned pelts that you take from hunted animals. So for the next step, you’ll need to track down and kill the Legendary Buck, one of 16 Legendary Animals (excluding fish) available to hunt throughout the game. The Legendary Buck can be found around the west side of Mt. Shan, in West Elizabeth.
Legendary Animals can be killed with any weapon and shooting them multiple times won’t affect their pelt quality, so be sure to take your strongest weapons to kill it. Skin the animal to gain the Legendary Buck pelt and Legendary Buck Antlers. Take the antlers to Seamus in Emerald Ranch in order to craft the trinket, for a fee of course. ( Tip: Take the pelt to a Trapper first. You can sell it to him, and the money gained will be more than enough to pay for the trinket.)
After you’ve crafted the trinket, the next step is just a matter of finding the target animal and using the right weapons to kill it. When you track down animals, you’ll be given the option to Study them by holding R1 if you’re close enough. You can also use your binoculars to close the distance by studying them from far away.
Once you’ve done so, information pertaining to the animal in question will appear on the screen, detailing the quality of its pelt, as well as the correct weapon to kill it. Using a Double Barrel Shotgun to kill something like a rabbit will ensure that the pelt is of poor quality. Clean kills, such as kills with headshots, will guarantee that the quality of the pelt remains intact.
Most large animals require a long-scoped rifle of some kind to take down, whilst smaller animals may require a varmint rifle or even small-game arrows in order to get the best quality.
If you find yourself having trouble getting clean shots, remember to position yourself! Cover Scent Lotion can be great for getting closer to wild game, and your Deadshot ability can be used to ensure the perfect headshot on fast-moving animals.
If you get the chance, be sure to check out RDR2 Online for an opportunity to hunt down the Legendary Bears Rockstar added in recently. Hunting is an important part of Red Dead Redemption 2, and a fun one at that! Happy hunting!