discussion Wildlife evasion tactics

[bush_amb]

I'm trying to validate various tactics and ideas for interacting with wildlife I came across in the web or tested myself. Below is a compilation of tactics (starting with tactics against wolves) - I'd love to hear if they are valid or learn some new ones - please help me out  

Wolves

• baits - if you have smelly items on you the detection radius is larger and wolf does not need to see you
  • cured guts/skins are not smelly (correct me if I'm wrong since I tend to be detected a bit easier when carrying those around...)
  • meat is smelly - the more decayed the better
    • leftover tactic - haven't seen it on youtube playthroughs for a while now - you cancel eating your meat just when you're almost finished to get a 0.01kg meat and let it rot for a while for extra smelliness
  • pre-processed food is not smelly
  • if the wolf is too close to you the bait won't work - a couple of meters that is
  • on non-interloper you can drop bait and manouver to a side - wolf should still follow the bait and you will be able to shoot it from the side (easier to aim - bigger hitbox)
  • if the wolf is following bait it won't charge you if you aim your gun at it
  • if the wolf is close enough it will eat the bait (so using freshly cooked 1kg moose meat is not the best bait choice  ) - this includes guts (??)
• detection - if you are detected you will hear growling
  • do not run - identify where the wolf is coming from and slowly back off to break the line of sight (this reminds me of MGSV); then back off to seek some shelter
    • if you break line of sight and run away wolf will try to catch up to you by running - as soon as you slow down so will the wolf
  • if you aim a weapon at the wolf it will immediately attack (it barks and starts to run towards you)
    • decoy/bait won't (?) work anymore at this point
    • there is no/less (?) chance to scare the wolf with firearms / no chance to scare it with flares
    • wolf will still back off when it sees fire (seeing fire is getting into certain radius around the fire); on interloper the radius seems to be so small the only efficient way is to stand on the other side of the fire
    • if you shoot and hit the charging wolf there is a high chance to scare it off
  • wolves can detect (and attack) you during time accelerated actions and sleep, unless you have a fire going on
• evasion
  • throwing rocks can attract a wolf - if he has not detected you; this way you can throw a rock and force the wolf to move away
  • crouching makes you very stealthy in Long Dark  it's a good thing to crouch before doing any time-accelerated actions (wood chopping etc)
  • I recall in older builds of LD it was possible to hear wolf steps - I did not observe this in recent build - can anyone confirm?
  • good old advice - find yourself a high ground and take some time to observe an area that is treacherously non-flat (CH gas station whereabouts); good luck if you are in HRV though - it's a wolf deathtrap  
  • chasing a non predatory animal like a deer or rabbit into wolf path will keep the wolf preoccupied with eating
    • when wolf is eating the animal it's detection radius is much smaller (??)
• scaring off
  • gunfire (including shooting flares) scares wolves if not in attack mode (apparently in some radius around the player)
  • throwing a flare at wolf is the oldest (?) way of scaring it off; it's not certain it will work and player needs to throw the flare precisely in front of the animal - I find this really tedious to pull of;
  • throwing torches can scare a wolf but there is much lower chance of doing so (??)
  • arrow landing near the animal works kinda like gunfire but for a single wolf
  • starting a fire is the most dependable and predictable way to scare wolves
  • scared wolf is still dangerous if it has no way to flee and circles back to you it might change it's mind and bite your a** off
  • wolfskin/bearskin cloaks have a slim chance of scaring the approaching wolf if it sees you
  • if they meet bear/moose they will run away - it's possible to scare those predators to run into wolves but impractical due to risk and gunfire usage
• hunting
  • luring the wolf with a bait and shooting with bow/rifle seems the most reliable way to hunt them
    • chasing a non predatory animal is also a viable tactics
  • when scaring off a wolf with revolver do check the ground for blood trail to know if it was hit
• struggles
  • if you have revolver equipped it will be the first choice for struggle with a wolf; it is completely useless and you will get yourself killed if you use it - since it's used for bashing the wolf; if you have maxed out revolver skill you will be able to shoot the wolf this way
  • cut weapons are (?) more efficient in struggles than blunt ones
  • hatchet seems to be the best choice for surviving a struggle?
• aurora
  • fire/flare does not scare them at all (what about gunfire??)
  • they are scared of bright artificial lights (streetlamps) - so it's a viable tactic to stick to those areas that are enlightened 
  • the uber-heavy 1kg battery powered torch from hunting lodge can deter aurora wolves if you point high power mode beam at them
  • they have a much better detection radius than during daylight
  • they go into attack mode much earlier
  • if you kill them they remain green even in daylight
  • baiting still (????) works on aurora wolves?

Edited July 25, 2019 by bush_amb

[ManicManiac]

On ‎5‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 4:21 AM, ManicManiac said:

Practice throwing stones at everything.  Rabbits... Wolves... Bears... Deer... doesn't matter.  The more you pitch stones the more naturally your estimation of the throw will be.  We all know by now that a stalking wolf will charge as soon as you aim... well you don't have to aim to pitch a stone.  If you are practiced, you can always send them running any time they start to stalk you with a well placed throw.

Also, pitching stones to annoy bears is funny   ... until it's not.

@bush_amb
You mentioned about throwing stones to distract a wolf... but you can also get them to flee if you hit them with the stone.  This also works for getting a wolf off of a carcass.

Edited July 25, 2019 by ManicManiac

[ManicManiac]

On ‎6‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 12:54 AM, ManicManiac said:

As far as being able to control what you drop... (anyone in the community please correct me if I am mistaken) As I understand it, the decoy drop hotkey will prioritize guts over meat (raw/cooked), and will also prioritize decoy items with lowest condition.

My suggestion: leave one raw gut sitting outside and let the condition drop really low (yes it will make it a bit more stinky - but if you are using it as a decoy for hunting, being a little attractive is not necessarily a bad thing).  This way, when you are ready to go out hunting, you know that old piece of raw gut will always be the thing that gets dropped regardless of what else you have in the inventory (this has been working for me anyways).

@bush_amb
You do talk about decoys a little bit, but you can also control what will drop when you use the hot key.

Edited July 25, 2019 by ManicManiac

[ajb1978]

Regarding hitting a wolf with a thrown stone, I've noticed it does not need to be a direct hit.  A ricochet counts as well, so I tend to aim a little low on purpose, so that the stone rolls or bounces into them.  Wolf Bowling, basically.  However a wolf scared by a stone strike will not run as far as  if it were scared off by say a gunshot.  Oftentimes when it stops the flee animation, you will still be within its detection range if you aren't crouched.  So it's a good way to get a wolf off a deer, or to get it to back off for a few seconds so you can engage your cloaking device crouch if it's on your tail.

[Ice Hole]

On 7/25/2019 at 3:31 AM, bush_amb said:

older builds of LD it was possible to hear wolf steps

Yes it is still audible.  Happened not too long ago and at the time I was wearing headphones.

 

Climb a fallen tree will discourage a following wolf.  Crouching in the tree will cause the wolf to lose interest.  This evasion tactic was something very important in the first iteration of Milton. 

On an interloper survival start at the crashed plane meant an encounter with a wolf.  Usually the wolf would sneak over by the plane wreckage while looting.  The nearby trees around could be scaled and this action would deescalate the situation.  Stones might have made this area much easier.

Now there is literally a wall placed in between the spot where the wolf patrols and the plane wreckage loot.  

[Deadly Shadow]

@bush_amb you kind of mentioned this but scaring (for example a deer) into a wolf and having the deer get killed by the wolf and then killing the wolf is a great way to conserve ammo and get more food. also, yes locating the wolf is important, but running away is good, it will jog (if you will) to keep up with you but you are able to outrun it if you conserve your sprint into one big dash away from it. also one thing important about struggles is that hatchets are good for killing the wolf asap after the struggle, while knives are good at killing, they make the wolf bleed out and have (I believe but correct me if I'm wrong) a tiny bit shorter struggle times, while blunt weapons (hammer, revolver, prybar, etc.) just scare the wolf away which I believe has the shortest struggle. and with areas to shoot the animal, as any game with a gun go's, aim for the head. but a body shot can be a instant kill as well if you a bit on luck, and much easier to do, but like I mentioned, using a deer is a good way to conserve ammo and get more food. but if you don't have a rifle or revolver and get desperate then purposely getting into a struggle is not the worst idea, I play easier difficulty's, and when i get low on food and i know there's some wolves nearby, i might just get into a struggle and use my knife, sacrificing a bit of condition of myself and clothing isn't the worst price to pay for some food (along with a hide and some guts!) these are just a few tips i can come up with off the top of my head. i hope even one can help someone with their experience

[Guest Marcurios]

i noticed they keep their distance too when you carry a torch, then when it stops to growl at you throw the torch in his face, he'll run just like a gunshot.
then you can pick up the torch and do it again and again, after a few times the wolf scrambles just like with a gunshot.
flare does the same thing, only when you throw it it tends to be less effective when it hits the wolf, he might charge when you throw the flare.
haven't had this with a torch yet.
i currently play on Stalker, and it works everytime, run around making fires with sticks, take torch and walk on, and so on..to keep a fire burning to conserve matches. And get wolves of my back..

Edited August 21, 2019 by Marcurios

[Jimmy]

As above, tactical use of torches can greatly increase wolf encounter survival.

Besides adding 3°C to your "feels like" temperature, a torch in hand will deter a wolf from attacking. A wolf will normally bark when the player is detected, enter stalking mode to close distance, and then bark before charging to attack. With a torch in hand, a wolf will halt their charge, standing and growling at the player. At this stage, the charge is still active, but paused while the torch is in hand.

Moving closer to the wolf at this point will initiate the charge. Moving away from the wolf will cause it to continue to chase you, still in paused charge mode. To scare the wolf away, you must either light a fire, which is guaranteed to cause the wolf to flee, even if the fire is not successful, or throw your torch at the wolf, which has a chance of failure depending on aiming as well as luck.

[Lancja]

yesterday, it happened that to hunt a deer .. I had two wolves on my left side at medium distance.  I frighten the deer not wanting and I begin to follow him.  the deer runs off towards the wolves ... too late.  the wolf charges and begins to eat the prey on the ground.  I approach and with the arrow I get two beautiful carcasses. Good tactic.

[ManicManiac]

24 minutes ago, Lancja said:

 I approach and with the arrow I get two beautiful carcasses.  Good tactic.

It is, I never pass up a two for one buffet.  The Deer & Wolf banquet is always worth the trouble.

Edited September 16, 2019 by ManicManiac

[Stone]

It's worth noting that wolves make a bee-line to the point they detect your scent. If you travel with max scent, any wolves not directly in your path will head towards where they detected you, which but you're moving, won't be where you are. Not so useful in the less open maps mind.

Edited September 23, 2019 by Stone
Typo

[ManicManiac]

@Stone,

True, if their detection radius overlaps with the character's "scent" radius, then the wolves will begin tracking the scent.  I find that as long as their detection radius does not overlap with the character's actual detectable radius... the wolf will track but not stalk.  It's easy enough to throw a stone to draw them off your sent, or if you are a good throw you can send them running with a well placed stone.   

I really do enjoy playing with the wolves... probably much more than is healthy. 

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by ManicManiac

[past caring]

On 7/25/2019 at 8:31 AM, bush_amb said:

• hunting
  • luring the wolf with a bait and shooting with bow/rifle seems the most reliable way to hunt them
    • chasing a non predatory animal is also a viable tactics
  • when scaring off a wolf with revolver do check the ground for blood trail to know if it was hit

I am new at the game and fairly rubbish - but my best success at hunting wolves is waiting around in the vicinity until a wolf kills a deer or rabbit. Then sneak up and pop the wolf - two kills for the price of one. Advantages are that a) you can get that much closer to the wolf and b) best of all - the bloody thing stays still. 😂

[Stone]

@past caring when you start playing interloper (because it and you are awesome 😉), you can chase deer into a wolf and then get close enough to start a fire that will keep you warm by the carcass and rid you of the wolf.

Back on the OP evasion issue: herding prey is really useful when traversing blind spots. Chase a rabbit over a low rise hill and the wolf that's waiting for you will announce themselves.

[past caring]

@Stone - whilst I am sure you're right about Interloper being awesome, at current progress we're some way off from the same being true of me. 

More seriously, are you saying that only works (mechanically) with Interloper - or is it that the lack of firearms and the need to craft bow and arrows in Interloper makes that strategy viable/necessary? 

[RegentRelic]

If you are good enough with stones it is worth while in any game mode to pick one up just before going into a rabbit grove, kill one and keep going on journey. Just as long as you aren't worried about the scent attracting wildlife.

[Guest jeffpeng]

Let me unpack/clarify a few (While confident I do not give any guarantees on accuracy):

• cured guts/skins are not smelly
   Correct, while skins are not smelly, period.
• meat is smelly - the more decayed the better
  The state of decay does not play into this. 
• on non-interloper you can drop bait and manouver to a side
  You can do that on interloper just as well.
• easier to aim - bigger hitbox
  ... but harder to hit the head which has the best chancee of a critical hit. 
• if you break line of sight and run away wolf will try to catch up to you by running
  If you break line of sight, the wolf cannot smell you and you are outside of charge radius it will cease to pursue
• there is no/less (?) chance to scare the wolf with firearms / no chance to scare it with flares 
  At this point the only deterrant is a fatal hit. Damage inflicted to the wolf, however, will be taken into account in the following struggle
• on interloper the radius seems to be so small the only efficient way is to stand on the other side of the fire
  It's smaller, but not that small. Standing right in front of a fire will act as a sufficient deterrant from any direction.
• when wolf is eating the animal it's detection radius is much smaller (??)
  So small you have to come into touching distance to make it charge you. Also it will not pursue you if you move away. It's just defending its prey, and not particularly interested in you.
• I find this really tedious to pull of
  aim flares and torches to land and bounce right under the wolves nose. The chance for flares is higher, correct.
• cut weapons are (?) more efficient in struggles than blunt ones, hatchet seems to be the best choice for surviving a struggle?
  My experience suggests otherwise:
  - The knife does the least damage, but lets the wolf bleed out the fastest
  - The hammer/prybar works best in struggles, but while it does cause a lot of damage, it does not let the wolf bleed out
  - The hatchet is a sort of middle ground between both as it does a fair amount of damage, and also guarantees bleeding out, just half as fast
  - There seems to be no difference between the prybar and the hammer, and also no difference between different versions of a knife or hatchet
  In general I would always advise to use blunt weapons unless the goal is to actively kill the wolf.
• uber-heavy 1kg battery powered torch
  Us mundanes call this device a flashlight

As for the aurora in general in think/feel like everything just works technically as it usually does, just the agression modifier is multiplied by 2 (or more?) when the aurora is active. So anything you do has a much lower chance of working, which is why the best way to use an aurora .... is to read or craft indoors.

[Carbon]

I often just keep walking. I've strolled right through a pack of 3 wolves and they all start growling and following, but I just keep on truckin' and sure enough, at a point they are either scripted away or they just give up.

Breaking line of sight helps, but yeah...I just kind of ignore them most of the time.