How to hunt panthers & cougars : IN DETAIL
I highly recommend that you read this thoroughly if you're new to hunting in RDR2 and/or simply don't know how to hunt these animals specifically!(To view as intended, open this link on a PC. Some things may be confusing otherwise.)
Cougars: Where to find them?
And what you can craft with it
^ Annesburg above Brandywinde Drop. (NORTH, NORTHEAST.)They spawn near the Legendary Moose location, and will typically load in between the train tracks and main trail.
Additionally, they can sometimes be located on the opposite side of the Legendary Moose Spawn, but don't initially spawn there.
You can also find them near the trail leading up from Annesburg.Be sure to AVOID BEAVERS HOLLOW until Chapter 6!
^ The second trustworthy cougar spawn is in West Elizabeth.
It's NorthWest of Strawberry and SouthWest of Big Valley, directly along the spindly river going up off of the Owanjila Lake.
The cougar spawn is near a Trapper, so I advise that you be wary when visiting him.
The spawn is directly located near the first bend in the trail that separates off of the river, which is emphasized with a darker green in the attatched image.BE CAUTIOUS: Aside from cougars, Grizzly Bears spawn here, too.
There is another, less reliable spawn along the middle of the 3 paths leading from Annesburg up to the right side of Brandywine Drop, which connects to the previously mentioned, lightly highlighted trail.
What you can make with a perfect cougar pelt:
THE TRAPPER: Cougar McClelland Saddle (x1 pelt)THE TRAPPERS "THE NIGHT WRANGLER" SET: Cougar Cutaway Coat (x2 pelts)
Panthers: Where to find them?
And what you can craft with it
My most frequently visited Panther spawn is South of Brathewaite Manor in the thicket of trees directly behind it. Panthers spawn near the trail that borders the forest, closest to the water. You'll find luck standing closer to the fork in the road, just where it splits off into two different paths.
Secondly, shown in blue at the top half of the image above, is another Panther spawn location. I personally prefer the other, safer option.
This one is located in Lemoyne near the Kamassa River. It's above the "Y" and to the bottom right of the "O" in "Lemoyne" on the map. You may find more luck searching around the black dotted line on the map, which I don't visit enough to know exactly what it is.Lastly, to the upper right of the first Panther spawn we covered, or the Braithewaite Manor, is the Legendary Panther spawn, shown by the purple star in the image above. You can only access this once you've completed all 10 Master Hunter missions.
What you can make with a perfect panther pelt:
THE TRAPPER: Panther Trail Saddle (1x pelt)
THE TRAPPERS "THE WRANGLER" SET: No-Man's Vest (1x pelt)
THE TRAPPERS "THE NIGHT WRANGER" SET: Wilderness Vest (1x pelt)
How to hunt them?
TIPS:
1. If you need it, turn on: "Aim Assist" and "Lock-on Mode" in the Controls section of your settings. This, i believe, is usually on by default.
2. I typically like to have my map on while hunting stalking predators like cougars and panthers, as they are difficult to spot otherwise. If you feel more comfortable, turn on the expanded map for a higher range of sight.
3. MOUNT UP! Hunt these predators on horseback, and do not get off unless you are bucked off or setting bait. Your horse is good at sensing nearby predators and will put a red blip on the map when a cougar or panther has spotted you and is nearby. You can TELL it's a panther or cougar because the red dot will:
Be a good distance away, follow you from a distance, and won't leave if you start walking away, unlike a black bear or snake.
4. For bait, much like all large predators, you need Potent Predator Bait. I typically, however, don't find that I need this!WEAPONS:
1. I prefer a bow with Improved Arrows or Poison Arrows. One shot and it's a clean kill.
2. You may use a long-scope rifle, but in my experience, these are annoying and have gotten me killed more often than not. Also, they may damage the quality of the animal, especially if you miss the head or chest, which may be likely considering these animals move fast.HOW TO HUNT:
Approach the spawn point on horseback with your weapon of choice. I would suggest traversing the spawn point to increase the likelihood of the animal noticing you, and therefore alerting your horse that you are being hunted. This will place a red blip on the map.
Move away from the enemy. It will follow you unless you sprint out of the general vicinity, therefore causing it to despawn. If you can't immediately see the animal, move away until it reveals itself in an open area, and shoot ONCE. If you shoot the animal more than once, it will damage the pelt.IF YOU NEED HELP/MORE TIME TO AIM:
Enter Eagle Eye. This will help you locate the animal, and give you time to fix your aim, especially if it's in the process of sprinting at you.
Do not aim until you're ready to shoot. Aiming in Eagle Eye will disable it.
When you're ready, aim, and enter Dead Eye immediately afterwards. Remember to only shoot once if you intend to preserve the pelt.
Legendary Panther "Giaguaro" :
And what you can craft with it
Like all legendary animals, you must hunt it via gradual clues. It will not spawn until the third clue.
You most likely will have to do this on foot, and may die the first few attempts. I believe it spawns in front of you and is very difficult to spot, considering it's dark and you'll be surrounded by trees and bushes. It might be helpful to use Eagle Eye or even Dead Eye.
The hunting process is similar, except you need to shoot it THREE TIMES with a bow and arrow to kill it. It only needs to attack you twice.
If you fail to kill the panther, it'll despawn, so leave the area and wait for ~37 in-game hours before returning to try again. You cannot camp nearby, or it might not spawn.
What you can make with a Legendary Panther Pelt:
THE TRAPPER'S "THE DEATH ROLL" SET : Panther Cloak, Panther Range Gloves
CRAFT AT A FENCE : Panther's Eye Trinket
What to do if your horse bucks you off?
Being bucked off your horse while hunting any predator on horseback, unfortunately, is likely.
Cougars and panthers have a tendency to sprint towards you and pounce, which usually spooks the horse, making it hard to run away, and causing it to buck you off.Cougars and panthers have the same attack style. It is as follows:
1. Stalking slowly in shrubbery from a safe distance. Without a horse, 9 times out of 10, you will not see it.
2. Sprinting towards you and attacking.
3. Running away to continue circling and stalking you, making it difficult to attack in return.
4. The process repeats. You WILL DIE if it attacks you twice, unless you manage to revive your health.Keeping this in mind,
I suggest that you do NOT unequip your trustworthy weapon so that you can immediately equip it again upon falling off your horse.So, fall off, and as soon as possible, equip your weapon. You have roughly 3-4 seconds before it pounces at you again, from what I remember. So use this as your opportunity to kill it. (Or maybe it just seems that way under pressure. But point is; you don't have a lot of time.)If you do not have your weapon of choice on you when you fall off, and failed to equip it just AS you were falling off, grab a pistol and enter Eagle Eye. Then, immediately as you aim, enter Dead Eye, and shoot a bunch.
How to study them?
Honestly, studying both panthers and cougars can be especially difficult. Out of all predators in game, they're the hardest to locate without it noticing you first.If you're good at running away and aiming without crashing into everything, try your luck at simply aiming at the animal to study it while on horseback.
If you can't:1. place bait in an open area near a known spawn point. Do not approach your desired bait spot on horseback! Being on your horse greatly increases the chance of a cougar or panther spawning in and seeing you first!!
2. If you have a tendency to forget where you placed bait, use a marker on the map to pinpoint its exact location.
3. Move far away, so that the animal you're hunting wont see you at all.
4. Use binoculars or a long scope rifle to study.Another method is to:Use an improved arrow to shoot the enemy, however do NOT aim for a lethal location. This would be anything below the chest, which you can see in more detail using dead eye. This has a good chance of causing it to bleed out, giving you the option to kill it with a dagger. You can study it this way.^TIP: if you're doing the master hunter missions and this happens, DO NOT kill it with a dagger! You MUST kill it with a bow and arrow for it to count.
