Hunting in Skyrim is great fun

[Nord85]

I've hunted almost every wild animal in the game, save foxes, hawks and bunnies, and have found it to be very entertaining so I thought to start this topic. Up to now I've used bow and a one-handed weapon, but with my latest character I have used exclusively spells. I have to say that hunting deer is ridiculously easy with fireballs and ice spikes, so it's no fun. With a bow, on the other hand, it's very satisfying because one really needs to be good at both sneaking and shooting.

The big game, however, is a different story. Today I needed some grand souls, so I went to hunt some mammoths. Near the Swindlers' Den I found one. No giants were in sight so I assumed it to be wild. So I hurled a fireball into its side. Suddenly, there were not one, but five red dots in my compass! Turned out I had forgotten to check the beast's tusks for carvings and it was owned by giants! So, I had two [&@%!]-off giants and three mammoths rushing to rip a new one for my character. The giants had been behind a cliff so I hadn't seen them. My char would have been a goner, but there was a tall rock formation nearby. A mad rush there, and I could pelt the enraged mob with fireballs with impunity. There were some hair-raising moments when I had to jump down to cast Soul Traps on the mammoths (that spell has a really short range), but in a few minutes all were taken care of.

Directly afterwards, near the ruins with the Lunar Forge, I found two more. This time I checked the tusks. No carvings, so fireball to the side again. There were two giant-owned mammoths nearby, however, and those joined into the fray, too. Well, there was nothing to do but to run again. Luckily, no giants joined the fun this time around. I ran towards the ruin, where a bandit tried to skewer me with her dagger. I ran on, and the raging mammoths close to my heels made short work of her. That gave me time to find another rock formation, where I repeated the procedure with fireballs and soul traps. One of the beasts quit the chase, so I let it live since I had no more soul gems. Quite and adventure, really, but in the end I strolled into Whiterun dragging five mammoth tusks plus the dead bandit's gear with me. Made me a fair bit of gold.

I really admire the way Bethesda made hunting thrilling in this game, as compared to Oblivion and Morrowind. My only gripe is that there should be more big game to bag. Why can't there e.g. be wisents roaming the forests of Falkreath? That would be in keeping with the Ice Age theme, and would give some variation in addition to the ubiquitous wolves and bears.

So, other hunters here? Any good stories to tell?

[Norva]

I have always thought about doing a hunter character. No quests or anything, just hunt for pelts and whatnot and sell them in town. I thought about doing it with a hardcore mode type restriction too. Set the game on high difficulty, and force myself to have to eat everyday to sustain myself. Maybe like one or two meals a day. I haven't thought out everything yet but it seems fun and I agree that the way animals spawn makes hunting seem more fun and realistic then in earlier games.

Your story has inspired me to work on it again. I'd also like to find some good abandoned cabins or campsites to live at and do the hunting from. Is there any area you use? Skyrim is a great game for enjoying the natural beauty of the environment and I like the idea of living off the land in the wilderness, only going into town once a week or so to sell my wears.

[Dohva.]

My Bosmer is a hunter and she always takes her dog with her. Just she and him when they go into the woods. And then there's the matter of hunting live prey in werewolf mode...

Anyway, I like playing a hunter character. One of the funnest things I did with Lieth is she collected a handful of treasure hunting maps and with her dog, slowly made her way across Skyrim, feeding off her hunts and finding treasures. That was hella tight. I should do that with her again someday.

[Hrolf Alfblod]

Wow, I've been playing all this time, and I've never realized that giant owned mammoths have carvings on their tusks. That just made this game that much better.

I enjoy the hunting in Skyrim as well, and just started a hunter character. If I think of any tales to share, I'll post them here.

[FORKFARM]

I started my latest character -- an alchemist wood elf -- with the intent of making it much like Norva laid out. Eating, sleeping, and on Legendary difficulty. I started out with what I had from Helgan and went from there. Because I had virtually no money -- I started hunting to make some cash and to craft leather to outfit myself. I have to say -- there is something hypnoticly pleasing about letting loose the trigger and seeing the kill cam come on. BAM.. right in the deer butt.. BAM... right in the wolf hunch... awww yeeeeeea.

After I had gained some cash and had some snazzy new leather armour -- I made my way to all the major holds to the alchemy shops and set up a little loop. I would hunt the whole way across and got a little trade going. I travelled to all corners of the map collecting ingredients and discovered a wonderfully expensive, yet mostly useless variation of a carry weight potion that not only allowed me to rake in the cash -- but also train alchemy at a smooth scale inkeeping with my archery. Soon I had enough to afford a little plot of land and I set out all over collecting the furs and ores I needed to build a little home stead.

The pace is slow, but I have to tell you -- after playing sword and board demi-gods and insanely overpowered mages -- I have never got so much enjoyment out of this game as I have with this character. Ive now built up a little alchemy business, and have researched and found a lot of affective poisons and have started doing a few quests -- being careful to never overstep my limitations -- and to run like crazy if I get in trouble.

There's something about being steps away from death anytime you leave the house that makes you truely appreciate the little victories.

oh, and Norva -- I used Anise's Cabin as a first place. I didn't have the heart to put an arrow through her -- but I also didn't feel bad about not lending a hand when those bandits attacked her by her doorstep. Maybe when a half-naked and scared wood elf stumbles out of the woods and asks for help in the afterlife -- she'll think twice about brushing her off.

[Nord85]

I'd also like to find some good abandoned cabins or campsites to live at and do the hunting from. Is there any area you use?

Well, I don't have exclusive hunter characters. I hunt for utilities such as souls and leather, sometimes for pure sport, and do it when I feel like free-roaming instead of doing quests. This far I've used Breezehome, the house from Build Your Own Home mod, and Gypsy Eyes Caravan (a mobile wagon mod).

BYOH house is nice, since the interior decoration options include warrior/hunter style. Also, one can build all smithing stuff (including a tanning rack) and it's situated just between the best hunting grounds, i.e. Whiterun tundra and the Fall Forest. I stopped using the mod, however, since it apparently makes my problem with the game sometimes freezing worse. However, it's worth a try since just building the place needs dozens of deer hides. With every character I made it a point of pride to hunt all those myself.

The caravan, I'd imagine, could be a boon for hunters. It can be parked anywhere with near level ground, and includes smithing equipment, food storage and a cooking pot.

In the vanilla game, you could try Alchemist's Shack (respawns, unfortunately), or if you like something grand, Nortwatch Keep. Lots of horkers, wolves and other arctic beasts around and the place never respawns after the quest Missing in Action.

My Bosmer is a hunter and she always takes her dog with her. Just she and him when they go into the woods.

That sounds nice. But how do you keep the dog alive? I once took a stray with me, and it died in the first fight.

One of the funnest things I did with Lieth is she collected a handful of treasure hunting maps and with her dog, slowly made her way across Skyrim, feeding off her hunts and finding treasures.

I once did something similar when I had five or so treasure maps accumulated. That was quite an adventure.

Wow, I've been playing all this time, and I've never realized that giant owned mammoths have carvings on their tusks.

Yep, you must be pretty near to see them. I think I first read about it from the wiki.

Ive now built up a little alchemy business, and have researched and found a lot of affective poison

That's another thing I make long wilderness tours for. Gathering ingredients, mixing potions and discovering new nice mixtures (invisibility and health regenaration for quick getaways, for instance) is always fun.

[Snail's Pace]

I'd also like to find some good abandoned cabins or campsites to live at and do the hunting from. Is there any area you use? Skyrim is a great game for enjoying the natural beauty of the environment and I like the idea of living off the land in the wilderness, only going into town once a week or so to sell my wears.

In addition to the above suggestions:

Greenspring Hollow might fit the bill, if you don't mind that it is a bloody mess (if I recall correctly). It has a lean-to, but I don't recall if you can sleep in it, offhand. It also has a chest and even a tanning rack. Storage isn't safe, but it *shouldn't* respawn if you visit it frequently.

Riverside Shack in Eastmarch Hold has some safe storage, but the nearby areas aren't the most fertile hunting grounds.

I haven't played a hunter in Skyrim, but my first TES character ever (Morrowind) was for role-playing a hunter/explorer with few possessions, no affiliations, and minimal questing. It does seem like Skyrim would be a lot better for playing such a character.

[Ebony Dragon]

I've actually built an entire class around hunting. I've had some pretty cool moments with it, but it's difficult. Hunting does make for great immersion, though.

[Pisik]

I'm not very good hunter but I like it too. btw, can I get a companion dog like other hunters?

[Br3admax]

I'm not very good hunter but I like it too. btw, can I get a companion dog like other hunters?

Sure. Stray dogs, Vigilance, Meeko(my personal favorite), Dawnguard huskies, Death Hounds, etc. Tons of dog companions.

[Pisik]

Could you please tell me, how can I get one?

[Emzi 43]

I've had a few hunters, my favourite was called Irya the Bowman, a bit of a milk drinker but he was trained by Angi to use bows, so he's pretty deadly. His best story was tracking a deer or an elk through the fall forest, I lost it briefly but got back on the trail, then I saw what I thought was a deer through the trees, so I let loose an arrow, and BAM, it was a troll not a deer, chased me a bit and on expert difficulty with no HUD my iron arrows were doing little damage, whenever I had the space to turn around and shoot. In the end I lost it and went back to his home, the alchemist's shack and stayed there for the rest of the day.

[The SheoDovah]

Could you please tell me, how can I get one?

For the stray dogs and Meeko, you talk to them. An option comes up for them to follow you. If you have Hearthfire, you can adopt them.

I've not played a hunter character yet so i can't really comment on hunting due to me not really doing any,

[Pisik]

For the stray dogs and Meeko, you talk to them. An option comes up for them to follow you. If you have Hearthfire, you can adopt them.

I've not played a hunter character yet so i can't really comment on hunting due to me not really doing any,

Thank you, sir. =)

[Br3admax]

Could you please tell me, how can I get one?

You want a normal dog, go to Meeko's shack just south of Solitude. You want a Death Hound, join the Volkihar with the Dawnguard dlc. And if you want huskies, join the Dawnguard. Vigilance can be rented just outside of Markarth but he can be kept if your children adopt him in Hearthfire.

[K Candyman]

I have a Khajiit and is name is The Hunter, you can always fine him around falkreath a very nice hunting ground also the plains of whiterun are good to hunt

[CBR JGWRR]

Hidden:

2 mammoths and 2 giants.

At around level 10.

Formatting edit.

[Mattbott]

Clavicus Vile's dog will also tag along whilst you are doing a daedric lord quest if you want an immortal hound. He has been known to attack npcs though so i am not sure if he'd be a good friend to other hunters you might meet

[The SheoDovah]

He is infamous for accidentally knocking you off a cliff.

[Torapa]

I find rabbits the hardest to kill but so very satisfying when I do. Also, has anyone been attacked by the herd of elk in the foothills of SE Whiterun, kind of by the giant mudcrab?

[Finn Wolfshorn]

CBR: kudos to your fighting prowess, but you should be ashamed of yourself, killing peaceful giants who did nothing but protect their livestock.

My fourth or fifth character was a Bosmer ranger/druid/shaman (main skills: archery, conjuration, alteration, restoration and one-handed for dual daggers) who as a rule only entered settlements to do business and never spent a night within a walled town but mostly slept rough and lived off the land, eating only what he could kill; never used a horse or carriage either but always travelled through the wilderness on foot, used Kyne's Peace to pacify animals so he could move among them as one of them when exploring (but not when hunting, because he believed a beast should always have a fair chance). That was my first character who ate and slept on a regular basis (long before I tried Realistic Needs), and being a Bosmer and a religious mer he was of course strictly carnivorous. Naturally a werewolf too and deeply devoted to Hircine. Great fun to roleplay.

[Jabberdave]

My current character is not just a hunter. He's a warrior and likes to adventure. But I also RP him and eating (especially stews) is a normal routine. Because of that, he hunts. Deer and elk mainly. I don't know if bear and saber cat make good meals, but I've often wondered why they don't produce any meat. I mean, if I can eat a horker, why not a bear?

I'm always looking for salt piles to make my stews, venison chops and salmon steaks (salmon is for Marcurio because that just fits him in my opinion). I also collect ales and wines and will have at least two meals a day, if possible. Before heading out on an adventure, I make sure I have plenty of food for Marcurio and I.

I enjoy hunting. I live in Heljarchen Hall and the hunting in that area is fantastic. I sell many of the pelts because I'm already loaded with hides and leather, but the meat goes in the cooking pot. Nothing is left behind from any animal that I kill.

[Finn Wolfshorn]

I don't know if bear and saber cat make good meals, but I've often wondered why they don't produce any meat.

I was about to go "what're you talking about, of course they do", then realized I've been playing with wildlife-changing mods for so long that I don't remember what they do and don't drop in vanilla . Anyway, it's kind of realistic - the meat of carnivores is said to have a very strong and pungent taste; I suppose you'd eat them rather than starve, but they're not exactly stuff for the Gourmet's cooking book.

I'm always looking for salt piles to make my stews, venison chops and salmon steaks

Me too; I tend to run out of salt all the time because I use it for alchemy too, so I collect all I can get,

Nothing is left behind from any animal that I kill.

That's what I try to do, although it's not always feasible these days with Requiem reducing my natural carry weight to about a third of vanilla, and even my faithful friend Frost protests when I try to squeeze 72 lumps of raw meat from a mammoth into his saddlebags (in addition to all my armour, loot and stuff he's already carrying); still, it's an ideal I strive to come as close to as I can.

[Dohva.]

Salt is limited to cooking in my games. Its a precious ingredient. Speaking of hunting, does anyone's character(s) have a favorite animal they like to hunt? Not that there's much choice in Skyrim, but my Bosmer likes hunting caribou because she has to stalk them in the woods. She also likes hunting hagravens...hey, they're not real people.

[Jabberdave]

Salt is limited to cooking in my games. Its a precious ingredient. Speaking of hunting, does anyone's character(s) have a favorite animal they like to hunt? Not that there's much choice in Skyrim, but my Bosmer likes hunting caribou because she has to stalk them in the woods. She also likes hunting hagravens...hey, they're not real people.

Elk and deer. I don't hunt rabbit, fox or goat. However, if I find rabbit, quail or fish whilst frolicking around Skyrim, I'll harvest it for the cook pot.

The fox is your helper. In an area and you aren't sure where to go? Follow the fox.