theHunter: Call of the Wild: Complete Guide

A practical guide to theHunter: Call of the Wild for new and returning hunters: tracking, need zones, matching ammo to animals, trophies and Great Ones, skills and perks, which reserves to buy, and multiplayer tips.

Researched September 2026 — current as of Patch 9.3 (September 15, 2026, alongside the Old West Weapon Pack DLC). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Match your ammo class to the animal class. Every animal has a class (1 to 9) and every ammo type covers a range of classes. Use ammo that covers the animal you're shooting. The wrong class wounds animals, cuts your payout, and hurts the trophy.
• Find the need zones, then wait. Animals walk a daily routine between feeding, drinking, and resting zones at set times. Once you've found a zone, it's often better to sit near it at the right time than to walk around.
• Play the wind. Animals pick up your scent downwind of you. Check the wind indicator and come at animals with the wind blowing from them toward you.
• Move slowly near game. Crouch or go prone and walk instead of running. The noise and visibility meters on your HUD show how easy you are to detect.
• Aim for the vitals. Heart and lung shots give clean kills and good integrity. Gut shots mean long blood trails. Use the harvest screen to see where your shot actually hit.
• Use the Hunter Mate. Scanning tracks tells you species, gender, how fresh the track is, and whether the animal is fleeing. Follow fresh tracks, not old ones.
• Bring a caller and a blind. Callers pull animals toward you. A ground blind or tree stand near a need zone at the right hour is the best beginner setup.
• You need two starter reserves only. The base game comes with Layton Lake District (USA) and Hirschfelden (Germany). Paid DLC reserves are optional, and in multiplayer you can join a DLC reserve if one person in the party owns it.
• Enable Borderless Windowed mode if you alt-tab a lot. It was added to PC graphics settings in Patch 9.3.

How Hunting Works

Senses and detection

Animals use three senses:

Sense | What sets it off | How to beat it

Smell | Being upwind of the animal | Approach into the wind. Scent-related skills and gear help.

Hearing | Running, walking through dense brush, gunshots, callers used carelessly | Crouch-walk, stop often, go prone near game

Sight | Moving in the open, standing, a strong silhouette | Stay in cover, go prone, use camo and blinds

When an animal notices you, it goes alert (head up, staring) before it runs. If you freeze or back off, it will often calm down. If it bolts, chasing it rarely works. Mark the direction and come back later.

The Hunter Mate and tracking

The Hunter Mate (your in-game device) scans tracks, droppings, calls, and blood. Scanning gives the species, sometimes the gender and weight, and how old the clue is. Fresh tracks lead to the animal. Blood tracks after a shot show how badly it's hit. Lots of blood and short trails mean a good shot. Faint blood and long trails usually mean a gut or leg hit.

Tips:

• Scan several tracks in a row. The game shows the direction of travel, and you can follow the line toward the animal.
• Animal calls show up on the map as markers. That's a fast way to find animals without walking the whole map.
• After a hit, wait a moment before walking up. A wounded animal that's pushed often runs further.

Need zones

Need zones are the core of efficient hunting. Each species has feeding, drinking, and resting zones, and each zone is active at certain times of day. Once you discover a zone, it's marked on your map, and checking it in the hunting codex/map shows when it's active.

A simple plan:

• Walk a reserve early on and scan everything to reveal need zones.
• Pick a species you want.
• Look up when its zones are active.
• Set up at the zone before that time: blind, caller, the right ammo.
• Wait, then choose the best animal in the group.

Animals return to their zones, and populations are simulated per reserve. If you overhunt one zone, it can become less productive for a while. Spread your hunting over several zones.

Animal classes and ammo

Animals are grouped into classes from 1 (small game such as rabbits and birds) up to 9 (the largest, such as bison and some bears, depending on the reserve). Each ammo type lists the classes it's good for. You can see this in the store and the loadout screen.

Rules of thumb:

• Class 1 to 3 (small game, birds, foxes): shotguns with birdshot, small-caliber rifles, or light handguns.
• Class 3 to 5 (deer-sized): common deer rifles, bows with the right arrows.
• Class 5 to 7 (elk, moose, big deer, black bear): larger calibers.
• Class 7 to 9 (the biggest game): the heaviest rifles and matching ammo.

Using ammo that's too weak causes suffering and long chases. Using ammo that's far too powerful for small game can damage the carcass and hurt your score. The harvest screen shows the result.

Trophies, scores, and integrity

When you harvest an animal you get a trophy rating and a medal (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Diamond) based on the species and its rack or weight. You also get an integrity bonus for clean, humane kills with the right ammo and few extra shots.

• Always check the rack or size through binoculars before shooting. Wait for the best animal in a group.
• A difficulty rating shown on scanned animals hints at its trophy potential. Note: after Patch 9.2, existing mountain goats on your map could show higher difficulty than before. The developers say this has no effect on the actual trophy score.
• TruRACS is the game's antler and horn system. Recent patches reworked mountain goat horns (9.2) and fallow deer antlers (9.3) and added more antler variety. Existing animals may shed and regrow.

Great Ones

Great Ones are extremely rare, huge-trophy versions of certain species. They follow special mechanics: you usually have to build up a population of the species on a reserve by harvesting it before a Great One appears, and then the Great One has to be tracked and brought down. Species with Great Ones have grown over time. The most recent additions are a Jaguar Great One with the Peru reserve (Patch 9.2) and a Taruca Great One in Intisuyu (Patch 9.3).

Great One hunting is a long-term endgame goal. Look up the species-specific requirements on a current community wiki before investing many hours.

Money, Gear, and Progression

Currency and ranks

You earn in-game cash by completing missions and harvesting animals. Clean, well-placed kills earn more. You also earn XP, which levels up your hunter and gives points for:

• Skills — two trees, Stalker (tracking and moving) and Ambusher (waiting, calling, scents).
• Perks — per weapon type: rifles, handguns, shotguns, and archery.

Skills worth taking early

Skill (tree) | Why

Locate Tracks (Stalker) | Highlights nearby tracks. Huge time saver when you're learning a map.

Impact Assessment (Stalker) | Shows where your shot hit. Makes tracking wounded animals much easier.

Early Ambusher skills | Improve calling, scent control, and staying hidden while you wait. Best if you hunt from blinds.

Skill names and effects are shown in-game on the skill screen, so read each description before spending. After the basics, pick the tree that matches your style. If you walk and stalk, go deeper into Stalker. If you sit at need zones with callers, invest in Ambusher.

Perks are simpler: put points into the weapon type you actually use. Rifle perks that steady your aim and speed up reloads help almost everyone.

Weapons: a starter path

You don't need many guns. A good path:

Stage | Pick | Covers

Start | Ranger .243 (starting rifle) | Deer-sized animals and smaller

Early purchase | A shotgun (e.g. Cacciatore 12G) | Birds, rabbits, foxes

Mid game | A mid-caliber rifle such as the .270 Huntsman or 7mm Regent Magnum | Most deer and elk

Late game | A heavy rifle such as the .300 Canning Magnum or Rangemaster .338 | The largest classes

Bows are fun and quiet but ask for closer range and good arrow choice. Handguns work well in dense cover and short ranges.

Recent weapons: The Old West Weapon Pack (September 15, 2026) added the Hween .45-90 Buffalo rifle (classes 4 to 9, short to mid range), the Humphrey 10G Coach Gun double-barrel shotgun (classes 1 to 2, 4 to 7, or 6 to 9 depending on shell), and the Maijo .44-40 Special revolver (classes 2 to 5). The Peru reserve added the Dahler Reverse Draw CB-150 pistol crossbow for quiet, short-range hunting of small and medium game.

Equipment that matters

• Binoculars and rangefinder — judge trophy quality and distance before you shoot.
• Callers — species-specific. Using the wrong one does nothing.
• Scents — attractant and cover scents help Ambusher playstyles.
• Blinds and tree stands — placed structures near need zones. The best beginner tool in the game.
• Game feeders — improved in Patch 9.2. They attract animals over time, and the codex now covers Intisuyu species (Hotfix 9.2.1).
• Dogs — DLC dogs (such as the Labrador or German Shorthaired Pointer) help track and retrieve.

Reserves

The base game includes Layton Lake District and Hirschfelden. There are many paid reserves. Recent official listings include Medved-Taiga, Vurhonga Savanna, Parque Fernando, Yukon Valley, Cuatro Colinas, Silver Ridge Peaks, Te Awaroa, Rancho del Arroyo, Mississippi Acres, Revontuli Coast, New England Mountains, Emerald Coast (Australia), Sundarpatan (Nepal), Salzwiesen Park, Alberta, Scotland, and the newest, Intisuyu (Peru).

Which reserve to buy first

There's no single right answer, but:

• Layton Lake and Hirschfelden (base game): learn the game here first. Plenty of deer, simple terrain.
• Pick reserves for the species you want. Each reserve has its own list of animals. Check the store page for the species list before buying.
• In a group, only one person needs each reserve. If your friend owns a reserve, you can hunt it together in their session.

Intisuyu Hunting Reserve (Peru), June 2026

The newest reserve:

• Three biomes: Andean foothills, cloud forest, and river jungle.
• 14 species, 10 of them new: South American Tapir, Ocelot, Greater Grison, Western Mountain Coati, Vicuña, Capybara, Spectacled Bear, Jaguar, Black Caiman, Taruca, plus Whitetail Deer, Cinnamon Teal, Collared Peccary, and Puma.
• 60 story missions through a Notice Board that lets you choose hunting, exploring, or volunteering at the Animal Sanctuary (home of Pablo the capybara).
• A mission-exclusive jaguar called Old Scar, and a new Jaguar Great One.
• Jaguars are dangerous. They can attack you, including in multiplayer. Stay alert in the jungle.

Multiplayer

• Up to 8 players per session.
• Anyone in the party who owns a reserve can host it for everyone.
• Co-op is great for learning: one person watches a need zone while others push animals toward it. Be careful with shooting lanes.
• Competitive hunts are possible, but most groups just hunt together and compare trophies.

Missions

Each reserve has story and side missions. They're the best early source of money and XP and they teach you the map. Do them in order on a new reserve and you'll discover a lot of need zones along the way. In Peru, the Notice Board lets you pick mission types.

Mission tips:

• Read the objective carefully. Some require a specific shot, weapon, or gender.
• Hotfix 9.2.1 fixed several Peru missions (for example, Brother's Tall Tale #3 and Brother's Gift). If a mission seemed bugged before July 2026, try it again.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Using the wrong ammo class. This is the most common beginner mistake.
• Running everywhere. You'll spook every animal in the area. Walk or crouch near game.
• Ignoring the wind. One gust behind you and the whole herd leaves.
• Shooting the first animal you see. Glass the whole group and pick the best trophy.
• Chasing a spooked animal. Let it settle. Hunt a different zone or come back later.
• Overhunting one need zone. Rotate between zones.
• Rushing to a wounded animal. Give it a moment, then follow the blood trail.
• Buying lots of DLC before learning the base reserves. Skill carries over. Reserves are just new places to use it.

Advanced Tips

• Plan by the clock. Note the active times of the need zones you care about, then fast-travel or walk there before that time.
• Use the harvest screen to improve. It shows the entry and exit point and the organs hit. Adjust your aim based on it.
• Shoot broadside or quartering-away. Those angles expose the heart and lungs best.
• Bank on callers plus blinds. A caller used from a blind near an active zone is the most reliable way to get a trophy close.
• Diamond hunting is patience. Top trophies are rare. Scan lots of animals at busy zones and pass on average ones.
• Great Ones are a project. Build up the species population, follow current community guides, and expect it to take a long time.
• Hunt at dawn and dusk. Many species are more active then, and visibility is fine.
• Keep your trophy lodge light if you crash. Patch 9.3 fixed a crash when teleporting to heavily customized lodges, but big lodges are still heavier to load.

FAQ

Is theHunter: Call of the Wild free? No. As of September 2026 the Steam store lists the base game as a paid purchase, with many optional DLCs on top.

What's the best reserve for beginners? The two base reserves, Layton Lake District and Hirschfelden. They teach tracking, need zones, and deer hunting without DLC.

Do all my friends need the same DLC to play together? No. You can access any paid DLC reserve as long as one member of your hunting party owns it.

Why do animals keep running before I see them? Usually wind (they smell you) or noise (running or walking through brush). Approach into the wind, crouch, and stop often.

How do I get Great Ones? Great Ones are rare, special trophies for certain species. They generally need a population build-up on a reserve before they appear. The newest Great Ones are the Jaguar (Peru, Patch 9.2) and Taruca (Patch 9.3).

What's new in Patch 9.3? Remastered fallow deer antlers with more TruRACS variety, a Taruca Great One in Intisuyu, Borderless Windowed mode on PC, and bug fixes (for example, fleeing waterfowl and lodge teleport crashes).

What does the Old West Weapon Pack add? The Hween .45-90 Buffalo rifle, Humphrey 10G Coach Gun, and Maijo .44-40 Special revolver, all black powder, with their own ammo types.

Sources

• theHunter: Call of the Wild on Steam
• Steam news hub for theHunter: Call of the Wild — Patch 9.3 notes, Old West Weapon Pack, Peru Hunting Reserve, Patch 9.2, Hotfix 9.2.1
• theHunter series on Wikipedia