Bear Hunting with the Survival Bow

[tnbp]

I have killed a few bears in my time in TLD.  I have the coat and the bedroll and I (currently) play on Voyageur so the meat is plentiful and won't give you parasites.  Each bear I have killed, however, has only ever been killed with the rifle.  It usually takes me two shots and I just try to be cool and collected to make sure to hit him in the head during his charge after the first shot.

But about that survival bow...

For those of you who hunt bear with the bow, how do you do it?  I can't imagine two arrows would kill him (without a lucky hit on one of them.)  So I have never even tried to hunt with the bow assuming that it would automatically lead to a mauling and/or death.  What is the trick to hunting bear with the bow and managing the risk of it?

[Shane Retter]

I'm sure there will be some better tips than mine arriving shortly, but this is my strategy. I take my shots when the bear is at right angles to me, and I'm slightly more to it's rear as it's moving away ... this angle seems to make them run, and not charge after being hit. I put a single arrow in the Head / neck / shoulder area, then crouch down out of his way, and watch his behavior as he runs around wailing. Once he calms down, follow him slowly at a good distance, staying out of the wind to avoid chill when you can, and eventually he'll bleed out. This can take quite a few minutes, so plan ahead for a long hunt.

This is only my tactic for hunting bear without getting mauled ... There are probably some better ones out there, but it works for me as I'm not that great with the bow, and prefer to aim for a bigger target, in case I miss that vital instant kill shot.

[AZHockeyNut]

Without specific spoilers generally I target from above on rocks where I can jump down to a ledge he cannot reach just bring pain meds. 

If there is a fishing hut I lure him near it and shoot. Go in and hide then wait til he goes a few places away and fire again until he runs off or dies.  Try that technique on wolves for practice. Just have a lot of arrows as hitting the ice with them tends to break the arrows. 

Head shots are the best for instant kill but real tough. If u get him to stand u will hit him but ya better have a hiding spot one step away.

 

If u can get him near a porch that he cannot access same a s wolves fire at will from there

I wish reload would get faster as you level up though

[mattyboi]

GELtaz has a how-to video on youtube for hunting bear in TLD; probably the most comprehensive I've seen. I'd recommend it. Otherwise it's a lot of trial and error. You may want to try in pilgrim a few times to get the hang of it.

[mic]

I did only one time, but I could get a bear with my bow, I was in quonset gas station, ready to go out and when I opened the door this bear was walking by the road, I couldn't let pass, so I shot him an arrow , was to easy , so I put an arrow in that beautifull bear, he raise with an huge roar and come to me, I get into the gas station, get out from back door, and I put a new arrow in the bear, when it comes, I did the same but now I came out from the front door, It take's 3 or 4 shoots, all shots where from very close position.

Take a pill for your heart before, you will be pee in your pants..

[tnbp]

I will look for GELTaz's video.  I love his stuff.

But basically, it sounds like the answer is to learn which environment can be exploited?  Get him to track you to a door you can shoot him from and run into, get him to wander to a rock you can drop down where he can't follow, get him to follow you to a porch or an ice fishing hut, etc.  Is that basically the deal?

[AZHockeyNut]

1 hour ago, tnbp said:

I will look for GELTaz's video.  I love his stuff.

But basically, it sounds like the answer is to learn which environment can be exploited?  Get him to track you to a door you can shoot him from and run into, get him to wander to a rock you can drop down where he can't follow, get him to follow you to a porch or an ice fishing hut, etc.  Is that basically the deal?

Pretty much because unless you insta-kill him or you get lucky and he goes in the other direction. You are gonna get mauled if he catches you. It takes too long to equip a second arrow so you probably cannot get of two shots fast enough without getting caught too often.

[MueckE]

I also use a ledge on a rock (or something equal) where he can't reach me. The best place in my opinion is a car.

To save arrows, i have to admit that i, if possible, also abuse the resting mechanic. Place a small campfire and the bedroll on the ledge, shoot the bear and than "pass time" for 2h. The bear won't run away but will bleed out within that time. This only works with "passing time". If you go inside a building or sleep, this won't work. So the ideal way to do this is at a car. Shoot, the bear starts to chase you, go inside the car, pass time, voila - the bear is right next to the car and you only used 1 arrow.

You can also use fallen trees (you will need multible arrows most likely).

Don't use a hunting blind! It's a bug, the bear can reach you there!

I am not so good with the bow, but you also can just train to hit the bear from a longer distance and than track him down

[SteveP]

Using a car is a good tactic because it keeps him interested and he stays local until it bleeds out. Try to keep the bear in a spot where there is wind shelter because you are going to be very busy harvesting for a long time and you will need shelter. Crafting a snow shelter might be a good plan so  you can duck in to warm up and keep a fire nearby. There is lots to think about when planning a bear hunt. I would check out the Interloper Let's Plays by GELtaz which should be featuring a bear hunt near Episode 13. There is plenty of discussion of strategy in the YouTube comments!

GELtaz on Facebook

Steve P