Wolves, arrows, and bleeding

[slackhideo]

Hello, everybody. I hope you are well and safe.

So, I am living in Pleasant Valley to learn the map. I was going to the Pleasant Valley Outbuildings when a wolf found me. Then, I walked/ran towards Thomson's Crossing. Before we got there, the wolf got interested in a deer and killed it. While the wolf was feeding, I shot it near the neck with the only arrow I had. It started to bleed and ran away towards Thomson's Crossing, so I tried to follow the blood trail. Apparently, it crossed the river, but I could not find the trail on the other side, so I crossed back and the blood trail was gone. As I was tired and could not run, I decided to call it a day. The following day I spent looking for the wolf in a radius around Thomson's Crossing, including the place I first met it but I could not find it. My arrow was at 100% so I would love to retrieve it.

Is this perhaps a bug? Am I missing something?
Thanks in advance for any info, help, tip, etc.

[ManicManiac]

It's not a bug... it just that a wounded animal in the game can run a long distance (and end up taking some paths that don't always make sense to humans), but it's still out there and will drop dead once it's bled out.  On the occasion I lose a trail, I recommend going out after you get some rest and keeping your eyes and ears open for carrion crows.  If the player is paying attention, it's usually not too hard to find the carcass.

However, the bit about the blood trail... it's a common complaint.  As for it disappearing, the blood trail works kind of like foot prints in the snow.  After a certain interval it fades away.  To me it just adds a bit of urgency to the challenge, and I like that. 

Edited August 2, 2020 by ManicManiac

[PrincessAutumn]

I've also had this happen with deer. I shot one the other day with an arrow in Mystery Lake by the camp office and ended up on the other side of the lake by the cabins where i shot him again and ended up chasing him all the way to the deadfall area where he finally dropped. 

I started this in the morning and by the time he dropped, it was getting dark. I get that it's adrenaline but it shouldn't take all day for an animal to drop especially after shooting them twice with an arrow which creates a bigger wound than a bullet does. 

[slackhideo]

Thank you for your responses!

I checked this wiki: https://thelongdark.fandom.com/wiki/Survival_bow#Hunting and it says that a wolf will take at maximum one hour to bleed out. Assuming this is correct and since I spent one night sleeping, the wolf should be already dead, correct? Just to confirm: once an animal gets hit by (only) one arrow, it will surely bleed out?

I paid attention to the crows but found only human corpses and the deer the wolf killed. Do you think the wolf got really far away?
And if it does really bleed out and die, how many days we have until it disappears?

Once again, thank you for your inputs.

[ManicManiac]

@slackhideo
Usually 3-4 days (or however long it takes for the carcass to "rot" - as in the meat becoming 0% condition).
I don't know the exact decay rate of the top if my head, but I've successfully located/harvested carcasses in a 3-4 day window.

[Addendum]
The following is from the fandom wiki on Hunting:

"Carcasses

Bleeding animals will eventually drop dead, regardless of whether the player is there to see it or not. Finding the Carcass can be difficult if contact was lost as they fled. Carcasses no longer move about and do not leave a trail, so spotting some may be difficult. Players should take advantage of elevated spots to look down into low areas. Search every side of obstacles, and look for crows circling over an area. Carcasses will begin to freeze and meat will decay the moment the animal dies. If left alone, a carcass will disappear after a few days. Frozen carcasses can be thawed by placing campfires near them, reducing the amount of time it takes to harvest meat."

Edited August 2, 2020 by ManicManiac

[slackhideo]

Thanks @ManicManiac.
I will harvest the deer and then search again for that sneaky wolf.

Edited August 2, 2020 by slackhideo