6 for 6 Bear trapping

[Tom H]

I've found extraordinary luck when I've stumbled across bears while traveling. My method is to retreat to the point that I can go to the strategic map, then to go back to the tactical map, build a large deadfall and bait it. Six times I've done this, and with different characters, and EVERY time I came back the next day to find the bear trapped.

I think it works so well because the trap is well within the bear's range. I carry uncooked meat/fish and always have at least one cord on hand so I can build a trap when opportunity knocks.

[Ara D.]

I was just thinking about trying an "active" trapper. Roam around with some bulls and dead fall supplies, couple of turnips and meat. And do almost the same strategy zoom in one tile away set traps and check back for a couple of days. Might make processing deer herds less waste full than active hunting

[Bedlam]

That's a very effective "in range" strategy for trapping, if you have the foresight to bring everything needed. You can catch elk and reindeer the same way if you bring a couple turnips for bait.  The bear trap or trap-pit will catch those big elks for you too.  Berries if you're catching birds.

I caught some runaway foxes this way with no trap at all, by setting up a piece of meat when I thought I was in range of the hiding fox, and then hiding myself a good distance away with a loaded crossbow. With some luck and patience (passing time with the "." key held down till you see movement)  the foxes do come to sniff the meat after they calm down from the chase you gave them before, so you can get that perfect straight line shot.

Btw if you ever wondered like me, what happens to animals when you leave the area - I can confirm that they don't just despawn. I went seal hunting recently near the sea area and been peppering this one poor seal with arrows over 4 days in roughly the same neighbourhood where I first found him. I felt like giving up several times, thinking for sure he just despawned and it's fruitless. After many days, it was a triumph to finally down him with a lucky shot - I got a seal that had 8 different arrows in him, so for sure it was the same one!  Each time I'd hit him, he would dive and then I could only rarely find him the same day a secodn time, but I'd go back to camp and sleep, then return when it was bright morningtime again and start looking for him all over again. I was finding that seal on zoomed-in map mode, even though a lot of the time he could not be seen when zoomed out.

So my theory is that animals won't just de-spawn, they may wander off though. But they're still there on the global map, and there's a chance you might find your wounded elk some day still even if they get away on you in the chase the first time.

[Tom H]

Ara- I'm not sure that one tile away works. I'm actually pretty close to the sighting, sometimes still WITHIN sight. Sometimes I have to retreat a bit and then come back to finish the deadfall. It's very helpful to see a few tree trunks lying around, free.

Bedlam- Aye! I can confirm that the deadfall is effective for elk, as well. In every deadfall I've set after sighting a bear, I've also eventually taken down an elk, sometimes several. I have a trap fence with a single elk to its credit. At the end of that fence is a deadfall I set because the season changed and hardened the ground. That has two elk to its credit. Turnips is the bait for them.

There was a lynx around when I was building my homestead. He carried a couple arrows for at least a week before he succumbed to a deadfall within view of my cabin. I have found lynx and badgers quite annoying because I won't try to chase them and I won't send dogs to run them down, fearing injuries. They seem to be wary of traps, too.

I have absolutely no success trying to trap wild sows/boars with either large or small deadfalls. Turnips, raspberries, lingonberries and raw meat don't interest them. There's a lot of those running around with an arrow or javelin in them...heh. Otoh, foxes, if I hit them with an arrow, seem to die from blood loss. Just follow the tracks.

Btw, I'm 7 for 7 now!

[Ara D.]

I've had good success a tile a away with wolves. Ended up catching  8 of 9 wolves over the course of a week with a pit trap and a dead fall, villagers with pitchforks and torches got number 9

[Tom H]

I try to avoid wolves (well, usually). I chased a loner today and he led me to a pack! I bugged out!

Btw, 8 for 8 now.

Addendum: Missed on #9!