Runt's Rant Page

Catch and Release, Virtual Hunting

The worst problem in this game is your own scent. The scent sprays don't work, so don't use them. I discovered a long time ago that if you stayed out over night that your scent disappears completely. It wasn't until I was thinking about advice I could put on this site, to help others, that it dawned on me how to best apply this fact. You can set the start time for your hunt in the Location menu. Set it for 3-4 p.m.. Get a good distance from your horse and setup in a well used travel area. The game stops at 6 p.m.. Select to continue hunting the next day and you are scentless for as long as you hunted the day before. Sit still and you are invisible.

I've tried the published cheats and they don't help because you can no longer tag a downed deer. There are cheats to change your skill points, which helps if you have some. Skill points should be applied to Presents, first. Then applied to Stealth, Tracking and Calling as you see fit.

In the Location menu you can select to scout an area. In scout mode you can set up blinds and feeders. Use blinds on sloped areas to keep you from sliding down the hill. Carefully place feeders in open areas or you will scare more deer than you will attract.

The easiest way to collect skill points is to move from location to location collecting deer necessary to receive the skill point you are trying to acquire. I collected 3 record book deer on normal difficulty then had to go to hard before I started to run into record book deer again. The game gets tougher the close you get to collecting a skill point.

I applied my second skill point to Presents. Oregon seems to be my hardest region to hunt. You should get it out of the way as early as possible. If you stay out over night you loose your scent. You can stand still and they will walk right through you. This can be useful in difficult areas.

I received my first gold skin around 60 points. I've been trying to get specific deer to fulfill skill point requirements but it still seemed a long time coming.

I just scored my sixth skill point in "Deer Hunter 2005" by Atari. The pursuit took five months. The original version had 14 weapons. The upgrade patch added 2 more for a total of 16 weapon skins to achieve the final skill point.

To keep track of your weapon skins, create a new weapon. A new weapon can be sighted in for your comfort range and chambered for different bullets. The finish can also be changed. A gold finish indicates that a weapon skin has been awarded. A New Weapon is just a copy of a standard weapon, that can be modified. Deer taken with a standard weapon do apply to the New Weapon.

My skill points were used to increase my skill in presence, stealth, calling, and tracking to 80%. Strength and shooting were untouched, as the beginning skills are adequate. The order you place them in, will depend on the area you are hunting the most, as well as your abilities. This distribution will provide adequate skill levels for all areas.

When having trouble finding a downed animal, use the "V" key to change you perspective. The third person perspective is from behind and above, which allows for better visibility in heavy cover. I used two skill points to improve tracking. The second one was of little help and may be better used elsewhere. A wounded animal is intolerable for me, so I'll live with what I have chosen. Calling is a questionable area also. I've heard of hunters that never call. I think it can set up a good shot, as well as entice an unwilling old buck. However, it should not be over used, as a blown call is a disaster. A blown call, now and then, is realistic.

Skill points are awarded, one point for each of the following:

10 hours of play

100 points scored

A buck in all 5 species

A Record Book in all 5 species

A World record in all 5 species

16 Gold Weapon Skins, which require at least 10 bucks per weapon.

Not necessarily in this order.

In the Expert mode, don't shoot a Doe. It just costs you points. Turn the sound off and rattle constantly. Big deer seem to have a short attention span and will drift off if you stop for too long. If you see a buck before you start to rattle, only rattle to change his direction or to bring him closer. The wind is your biggest problem. Scent blockers do little, if anything. Skill points in stealth allow you to maneuver down wind of an incoming animal. Any fast movements, will still be noticed.

My equipment includes; a compound bow, a single shot rifle, binoculars, rattling horns, GPS, a doe in heat call, a grunt call, and a Tripod stand. The last three are used sparingly.

The Cabala's version of Deer Hunter 2005 was a little too realistic. The shopping and eating are a part of hunting, but not a part I want in a game. I died just walking along. Obviously, that has never happened to me.

My only major criticism of the Atari version, is that the wind penalties are not realistic. The scent area is too broad and no compensation is given for elevation. This is why we use tree stands. A 10 foot tree stand has always been my best scent eliminator.

Happy Hunting

The Runt