There will be blood

[Drifter Man]

Day 787

Yes, there will be blood.

But before we get to that, let me briefly give you my story so far. Some time ago, I wrapped up my snowball/deadman adventures and decided to start a "real" run - one that will last for a while. I made a custom difficulty setup based on Interloper, but with some important tweaks. First, I set base loot to medium and enabled firearms - I wanted to enjoy all the gameplay and also catch up on achievements. Second, I reduced wolf condition damage to Stalker level. This was necessary - all my Interlopers have ended at the paws of a random wolf that appeared at the wrong time.

After a 60-day run from one end of the Great Bear Island to another to collect critical supplies that could expire, I settled into a slower, deliberate exploration with long "vacation" breaks in between, usually spent in ML. I made the effort to search every corner of a few regions and to make complete charcoal maps. I counted supplies and took notes where to find what, but rarely resorted to "hauling stuff" from A to B: I can always come back. I had a brush with death in FM on Day 360 when I fought two wolves in one afternoon - my mistake that I let it happen. I ended up in 8% condition and was only saved by an emergency stim, which allowed me to outrun the second wolf to safety.

Other than that, I enjoyed myself, never was in a rush (except when I was in a rush), and took pictures.

Day 103 - Battle of Milton

Day 85 (?) - Muskeg Overlook

 

Around Day 105 - Milton Basin

Day 120 - Aurora over Trapper's Homestead

Around Day 140, Pleasant Valley on a pleasant day:

Around Day 165, "He knows nothing" - somewhere in PV

Along the way, I turned from Extravagant Outfitter to a warmer, less cloth-consuming, but heavier, Reasonable Outfitter:

Much later on I also replaced my beloved Mukluks with Deerskins, but I keep the Mukluks repaired for when I go to a region with lots of rope climbing.

When Hesitant Prospect was released, around Day 380, I went to Ash Canyon and spent a good 100 days there, charting it and claiming the riches of the Gold Mine for myself.

Then I climbed the Timbwerwolf Mountain to celebrate my Will to Live on Day 500:

After that I went back down via PV to warm up in CH and DP, charting these regions.

Day 521, "Roadkill" at Heartbreak Bridge

Day 522, Sunrise over PV Farmstead

Day 554, Starry sky over Mystery Lake

Day 580, Another sunrise - Coastal Highway - photobombed by a wolf having breakfast. See if you can find it.

The price of faithfully cartographing CH proved severe at times, but I did a thorough job.

I lived "bear to bear" at Hibernia Processing - 50 days until the bear respawned - and got very familiar with this small region. I was surprised how slowly the wolves respawned there, one in about 20 days. The life was very quiet there.

Finally, I had to return to ML where I keep a stash of spare bedrolls: they were in a need for repair. I stayed in the Camp Office for some time and thought about going to the regions I have left out to visit (or re-visit) later. But I noticed that I had accumulated a few dull knives and hatchets and was running out of good ones. And because I didn't want to use whetstones (they run out quite fast and I want to leave them for later), I decided today it was time for adventure again. We are going to Bleak Inlet.

I have not been to BI in this run and I am not familiar with it. I have never been to the Cannery. I have not dealt with timberwolves - yet, ever. So it is going to be interesting. I recently got my Revolver Level 5, which should be helpful. But the first step was to drop into Trapper's and pick up what I needed: a rifle, a moose hide I kept there since the start of the run (from the only moose I killed), some ammo, and the old knives I want to fix at the milling machine. No ammo crafting supplies - they are not a priority and the lead is heavy. "Skilled Survivor" can wait.

I returned to the Camp Office and put the first hour into the moose cloak before nightfall, using one of my remaining good knives. My usual bear coat would probably do, but I want something tough for the timberwolves to sink their teeth in.

[Drifter Man]

Day 790

Three days of preparations. I spent the first one indoors, making the moose cloak. There goes another 16% of my knife. Then some repairs. The second day I went to check Southern Access. My plan is to go via the Ravine - I think that the Ravine entry is closer to the radio tower I need to get to first, although I may be wrong about that. I will go to the dam via the River and I'd prefer not having to deal with wolves on the way. I killed the Southern Access wolf a few days ago, but ML is different from DP - the wolves keep respawning at an annoying rate.

Southern Access is empty, but two wolves pull off what I call "deferred spawn" - they appear behind my back on the lake where I've just passed through. Two accurate arrows put an end to this nonsense, life is easy with Archery 5. A blizzard forces me back into Camp Office.

An Aurora appears in the night. I keep checking the computer for buffer memories, but I only have 4 out of 5 here. The fifth one stubbornly refuses to come up. I would like to learn more about bear behavior around Mystery Lake. Speaking of bears, the lake bear is scheduled to respawn on Day 791. I should watch out.

The morning of Day 790 is clear and very warm: Felt -12C, which means air temperature -40C. I start a fire and process the two carcasses from the day before.

As usual, I start by taking the meat with the knife. Then, while the meat is cooking, I take the pelt and guts by hand. This saves knife condition without me wasting time. Although I already have a pile of guts and currently no use for the wolf pelts (I am wearing expedition parka + bear coat).

In the afternoon I go to Trapper's because I forgot something there on the previous visit:

I have found 5 marine flares around the island and I'll carry two for this expedition. Finally, I check Southern Access again and then line up all the extra gear I will be taking with me tomorrow. It adds up to over 9 kg.

[Drifter Man]

Day 791

Today is the day! It begins with a blizzard, which gives me time to get everything organized. I start by putting on my brand new moose cloak.

Then I pack everything I will need. 4 bandages, 4 OMB bandages, emergency stim, a few prepared birch bark, reishi and rosehips. A loaded rifle and revolver, both cleaned to 90%+ condition, with spare ammunition. A new bow and 6 arrows - I usually carry twice as many, but I have other weapons this time and need to save weight. A loaded flare pistol plus 3 spare flare shells - the only ones that haven't expired yet. Two marine flares and one common red flare. Four knives - 3 for repair, 1 for use. One hatchet, also for repair. Hacksaw, prybar, 5 pieces of scrap metal. 8 cloth and one leather. Only 15 sticks but 7 coal, which is lighter to carry. 15 cattail stalks and a box of crackers as last ditch food.

The weather is not ideal even after the blizzard stops, but I set out in late afternoon, still in heavy snow, with 5 kg of meat. I am slightly over limit at 46-47 kg. I pass Southern Access without trouble and continue down the river.

At the dam I drop the meat and can see from the distance that the wolf is on patrol at the trailers. I sneak closer and kill it. I leave the carcass in place and pass through to the Ravine. It is still snowing and my clothes are getting wet. I go to the first cave and pick up a spare deer hide and a rabbit pelt with guts, for repairs later in BI. I collect some birch bark but drop most of it in the cave, along with all sticks. I go down the rope weighing just under 45 kg.

I reach the basin cave at nightfall. The deer carcass is still there, intact, along with all the cattails - an emergency food reserve for a time when I need it. I knock out a rabbit and process it before going to sleep.

[Drifter Man]

Day 792

In the morning I collect sticks in the Ravine Basin - I find fewer sticks than I would like, but I still have the coal. Then I am welcomed by Bleak Inlet.

I cross two fallen trees and end up on a small frozen lake. First, I follow a stream that looks like it could lead somewhere, but it is a dead end. Then I go in another direction and find an exit. The terrain is sloping downward and at the bottom I can see a pack of T-wolves.

I said, there will be blood, I just didn't expect it so soon.

First thing: I start a fire - I need to warm up. I also make water. My plan - I have no idea if it is going to work, but it's a plan - is to come closer, start a fire, and then try to snipe as many as I can with the rifle. This is the only reason why I have it with me, I normally prefer the bow, but I can't land accurate long-range shots with the bow.

Once I am warmed up, I put down the moose satchel - I don't want the wolves to tear it apart if things don't go well - and drop off some gear to stay light. I sneak closer. Not too close - I've read that they have much greater detection distance than normal wolves. The T-wolves seem to be disappearing in the fog, and I realize that the fog is getting thicker. That ruins my plans for now. I return to the fire and wait. I pass the time exploring the frozen lake above, collecting some sticks and cattails. There also is a birch sapling and a maple sapling. I leave them in place, they help my orientation in the fog.

The fog partially lifts in late afternoon. Still some time left until nightfall. I move the fire closer to the T-wolves - I can see four of them - and I take my first sniper shot. It's a kill! I am proud of myself - I have always been a poor shot. But the other T-wolves don't want to come closer and I don't want to leave the relative protection of my fire. Eventually one does approach a little closer, and I take another shot - a miss. The wolf runs away. A while later, this repeats with a third wolf. They still haven't detected me, but I need to improve my shooting.

Finally, I fire two more rounds at the fourth wolf, already at dusk - a lot of waiting is involved in a good shot. The last one is a kill. I don't see the other two wolves and don't want to get caught by them at night. I noticed a lookout tower up ahead in the fog - my next base - but for now it is time to return to the Ravine.

Edited September 23, 2021 by Drifter Man

[Drifter Man]

Day 793

A cold morning in the Ravine Basin. The stars are still up when I get up, eat my last piece of venison, and head back to BI. I approach the T-wolf area carefully, but I only see the two dead wolves. The other two are gone.

I start a fire next to the first carcass - I need the meat. I am also curious what a T-wolf looks like on the inside. Well, it's meatier than the standard wolf, over 6 kg. I drop a coal into the fire and start harvesting the carcass. Then I notice that I am still losing condition to freezing - the coal was not enough. I put in a few more sticks.

Soon the wind picks up and I need to put in more sticks to compensate for the windchill. Then the wind reduces my fire and I have to feed it stick by stick. I am low on firewood and it is still very, very cold out here. A cup of birch bark tea warms me up and helps me recover some of the lost condition.

When the wind dies down, I drop in another coal. I wonder about the pelt - is it different from the normal wolf pelt? I have no use for it, but I skin the wolf. No, it's just a normal, boring wolf pelt.

As the day slowly warms up, I make a few rounds and collect some sticks. I also get the meat of the other wolf - also over 6 kg. This will be enough for 3 days.

Soon the weather makes a U-turn. The visibility drops and heavy snow starts falling. The wind picks up again. I am still cooking, but I can't stay here - a blizzard is coming. I collect all the meat I can carry and run to the lookout tower.

Pensive Lookout it is called. It looks nice on the inside. The blizzard start as soon as I close the door. There is a rope hung on the outside, next to the door. Inside I find a cooking pot and some ruined food. The lamp on the table and the toaster on the shelf cannot be broken up for scrap.

The blizzard lasts until nightfall. The Aurora lights up the skies at night. I find I can't interact with the computer - no information to be gathered here. I look out and see the lights of the radio tower, I'll be heading there soon. Also, the bridge to the Cannery, in the distance.

[Drifter Man]

Day 794

Dawn. Clear skies, strong winds. I step out and chart the area, then look around. I can see a cabin next to a wooden bridge down below, near the edge of the map. Then another bridge, made of concrete. I search for anything I could eat down there, but nothing is moving. The T-wolf area is also empty.

I like how you can see outside of the lookout. What the weather is, if there is wildlife around. I wish I could see outside from other buildings, too.

I leave the lookout before noon, when the winds die down. It is still very cold. I walk, then run back up to collect the supplies I left behind - tools, scrap metal, meat, water. I change direction to check out one area because I have a feeling that there could be a cave. And yes, there is a cave, which lets me warm up and saves me from losing condition. Inside I find a bottle of water and a piece of cedar wood. I take both. Firewood is important here and I still don't have enough.

I dismantle two of my campfires, pickup the supplies, then start a fire at the third campfire to cook the rest of the meat. Fog descends on the region by the time I am done. I return to the lookout and drop the extra supplies in the bin. I want to use the fog to go out and explore, but the visibility drops further, and I return. I use the rest of the day to deploy the rope at a rope attachment point I found nearby, and make some water.

Another Aurora comes at night. It may be a coincidence, or perhaps Aurorae get triggered more frequently in BI. The Aurora ends before dawn, the weather looks much less friendly now.

[Drifter Man]

Day 795

The heavy snowing outside turns into a full blown blizzard by the morning. This is convenient - the mornings are too cold for me to do anything outdoors, anyway. This must be a tough region on Interloper, I am at least helped by the top-line underwear and sweaters thanks to the Stalker base loot level. I pass the time repairing my expedition parka. The blizzard ends around mid-day and gives way to light fog. I wait for a little while and set out towards the radio tower in felt -10C.

Soon I can hear the hooves of a deer, although it could also be a moose - so watch out. It's a deer, and I kill it on the spot with an arrow. I am not freezing yet, so I don't want to start a fire right away. Instead I quickly search the area and collect some sticks. I find a dead T-wolf on a cliff - I must have hit it three days ago and it bled out here. I get the meat out - already rancid at 25% condition - and return to the stag to start a fire.

I process the deer carcass while cooking the wolf meat, taking also the pelt and guts from the deer. Then I leave the fire to search the area more thoroughly. I see the access to the radio tower - I can't tell from this distance if there is a shelter as well, or if I need to walk down here during an Aurora.

I find the fourth T-wolf later in the day. I killed all four - four hits out of five shots fired. By all measures I defeated my first timberwolf pack, but I did not get the achievement. Probably because they did not detect me at all.

I choose not to harvest this decaying carcass and leave over 5 kg of its meat to rot. The weather is getting worse again. Snow starts falling, then wind picks up. I walk up a slope to find a lake with a waterfall. I think it comes from the frozen stream I tried to follow when I arrived on the first day.

At dusk I leave two venison steaks on the remaining fire to cook, then I return to the tower. I leave most of the meat in place - I will be passing through in the coming days.

[Drifter Man]

Day 796

Today I go straight to the Radio Tower. It is sunny, but still cold in the morning. I reach the tower - "Echo One" - and find the radio control hut that can serve as a shelter. I warm up inside and search it. Some ruined clothes - including combat boots, which I didn't find anywhere else on the island. They are useless now, and I will harvest them later for leather. I find the note on the desk with the access code to the cannery. I thought it would be in a computer buffer memory, but I was wrong. I assume I need to have this note to open the door to the cannery.

Other than that, the place does not look like an useful base. It offers a nice view of the region, but it is a dead end. So far the only way out of here seems to be the rope next to Pensive Lookout. If that's true, it is good that I chose to enter from the Ravine. I would not be able to reach the radio tower from below without the rope deployed.

I start a fire outside the control hut - I want to use the sun to make water - but as soon as I invest sticks, maximum wind comes and finds the one direction from which to kill my sheltered fire. I move over and start the fire elsewhere, but it takes a lot of sticks to get to positive temperatures. I do a bit of exploration at the cost of some condition. The parked cars yield no loot. I go to the waterfall and start another fire, then wait for the winds to stop. Instead the wind gets even stronger. It is constantly three arrows down. In the end I just collect some sticks and return to base. I need better weather.

Edited September 25, 2021 by Drifter Man

[Drifter Man]

Days 797-802

I spend a few days charting this area around Echo One. I confirm that there is no way out other than the rope (except to the Ravine). I visit the control hut during an Aurora and find that the computers are dead - no information there.

The weather is getting worse over time, regular blizzards, strong winds. I struggle to maintain my firewood supply. Any fires started outdoors are soon extinguished by winds, which change direction frequently. Eventually, when I am running low on food, I take the rope down and go to the cabin I saw from above - at the Lower Raven Falls. The problems with weather and fire continue - blizzards ruin multiple days. I manage to kill a deer and see another deer nearby, so at least food is here. But on Day 802 a new enemy appears - cabin fever risk. It is hard to spend much time outdoors when there are blizzards all the time.

Day 803

In slightly better weather - the winds take occasional breaks - I take a walk across the wooden bridge to the next, concrete bridge near the edge of the map. I collect a good amount of sticks, although it costs some condition. I have set condition recovery to Low when asleep and to None when awake - to make my run a little more challenging - and in times like this, juggling condition is difficult. I can recover 16% in 10 hours of sleep, as long as I am tired enough.

In the afternoon I go after the second deer and run into a pack of T-wolves instead. Are there more packs - or are they the same wolves as before, respawned 10-11 days later in another area? They are close enough for a shot, but I don't want to spend the ammo.

I return to the cabin and kill the deer. Right after the kill I see a T-wolf nearby, howling. Calling the pack to go after me? I make a run for the cabin, but it seems I avoided detection again. When I return to the deer carcass, no wolves are in sight. I start a fire and harvest the carcass until the night. I keep the cabin fever risk subdued for now.

[Drifter Man]

Days 804-806

For two more days I had weather I could work with. On Day 804, a sunny afternoon with the usual strong winds, but I managed to find a sheltered position near the concrete bridge ("Raven Crossing") and warm up by the fire for an hour before the wind turned around and killed the fire again. For some condition loss, I charted the surroundings of the bridge and the Landslide, and found a nice new hatchet lying in the snow.

On Day 805 I got fog in the morning - normally I stay in in the morning until the air gets warmer, but this fog was a rare opportunity to go somewhere and have a fire going. I went to the collapse at the Coast Mountain Road and again build a fire in a sheltered spot in the rubble, where it was protected from all directions... all but one. The fog lasted for an hour or two before the skies cleared up. The wind came almost immediately from that one direction and soon I was forced to go back. I found no shelter or food in the area.

Day 806 was ruined by a blizzard.

The T-wolves did not reappear near Lower Raven Falls.

I am running low on food - the two deer are running out - and will have to move tomorrow. The nearest known shelter is probably the fishing cabin on the shore, but I would prefer going straight to the trailer near the Cannery. There I could drop off all the extra gear and go to FM to restock on coal.

[stratvox]

So happy to see you here chronicling again, @Drifter Man.

[BareSkin]

3 hours ago, stratvox said:

So happy to see you here chronicling again, @Drifter Man.

A real pleasure for me too!

I'm a bit confused... are custom modes runs counted towards achievments now? I missed some of them, mainly about reading and firearms...

[Drifter Man]

It's good to be back! An 800-day run offers much less to write about, but exploring a new and dangerous region is fun - so I wanted to share some of it.

14 hours ago, BareSkin said:

A real pleasure for me too!

I'm a bit confused... are custom modes runs counted towards achievments now? I missed some of them, mainly about reading and firearms...

I think they do, I got my "Will to Live" on this run (is there an "Astrid to Live" achievement for the female survivor character?)

What my custom run does not seem to count towards are badges. No progress on my Trapper and Blizz Walker badges, although I've done plenty of both.

[Drifter Man]

Day 807

... starts with a blizzard. I arrange my gear to make sure that I don't leave anything important behind - an at the same time that I don't end up hauling too much. I find a cooking pot hung above the fireplace, I had not noticed it before. Then I repair my clothes, every degree counts, plus it means that I don't have to take the material with me.

The blizzard ends in the afternoon. I take a look outside. Still heavy snow and wind. I wait for another hour and get rewarded - light fog. Felt -7C. Dream weather everywhere and especially in BI.

I can see a deer in the direction I'm going. That's great, I'm getting some food for the way. As I approach the deer, I notice T-wolves in the area. Soon one attacks the deer and kills it. I forget my hunting plans, quietly back off and take the route via Raven Crossing.

At the Long Bridge (I think that's how it is called) I am running out of warmth, but I press on - I don't want to take a break here. I search the cars. The inside of the cars is now just warm enough to keep me from losing condition. I am rewarded with a box of salty crackers, a wool toque (ruined, but still pronounced "tuke") and some matches. In addition, two of the cars have batteries, bringing the total to 8 batteries that I've found so far on Great Bear. Enough for almost 300 bullets. I could craft a machine gun.

As I pass the Cannery - I think this is the Cannery, I've never been inside - I catch a glimpse of a T-wolf patrolling the yard. So there must be at least two packs of T-wolves. Maybe one stationed permanently at the Cannery and another rotating through the region.

When I reach the trailer, I finally start a fire and make water. I am disappointed that there is no bed in the trailer, and that there is no fire barrel outside - somehow I expected both. On the good side, the trailer is full of metal shelves. No need to bring scrap to BI for a long time.

I take a look around to see if I can find anything to eat, but there isn't anything apart from the T-wolves and two rabbits too close to the Cannery for my liking. I eat crackers and cattails for dinner and go to sleep. I lost more condition than I can recover in one night.

[Drifter Man]

Day 808

Clearly, my priority is to get food. I can't eat cattails for long - I have about one day's worth and I should start rationing them in case I can't find anything to kill. I check out the area behind the trailer and decide to keep walking until I find something to eat. I don't have to go far - I find a T-wolf on the river close to the trailer. Does this region have anything else? Do I have to fight T-wolves at every corner? I have seen a few deer here and there, but otherwise it's just these grey beasts everywhere.

I am a bit surprised it did not see me - maybe I overestimated their detection range. I start a protective fire in a bout of panic, then calm down and shoot the wolf. While warming by the fire - my temp bar has run out long ago, it is felt -35C - I watch for more wolves, but none are coming. My fire is very exposed and within an hour, the wind picks up and kills it. I can't even feed it stick by stick, which, as I have noticed, is normal in BI. It is always "too windy to sustain this fire".

Nevertheless, I have enough warmth to approach the carcass - I find it is on thin ice. I'm getting no food from it. Before turning back, I notice another T-wolf in the area. The pack is here.

I return to the spot later during a lull in the wind. Two T-wolves are crossing the river and walking towards the trailer. I shoot one - bad shot, it runs off. The other one is not scared away - strange evolutionary trait of the T-wolves. I shoot it and kill it on the spot. I start a fire next to the carcass - only 4 kg, but it will do for now. I cook the first two steaks, but while the other two are cooking, the winds return in full force and kill the fire. Another wolf approaches me but wolf fear takes over - it runs away. Is it the one I fired at, which then ran away? Or is it another wolf?

I manage to keep the fire alive this time, stick by stick, but the winds won't stop. After a few hours I give up. I take a look for the other wolf - I see it but don't get an opportunity for a shot.

BI is a tiring region. Too many predators, too little food, not much firewood, and WIND WIND WIND WIND WIND.

[stratvox]

BI is challenging. I have managed to live there for months, but it's not easy and where you are is extremely important... and as far as I can tell you haven't yet found some of the good spots.

Are you interested in some suggestions about how to manage the timberwolves?

[Drifter Man]

18 hours ago, stratvox said:

BI is challenging. I have managed to live there for months, but it's not easy and where you are is extremely important... and as far as I can tell you haven't yet found some of the good spots.

Are you interested in some suggestions about how to manage the timberwolves?

Yes, I am interested to hear your timberwolf management tips!

So far they have been manageable, they don't seem to see me even at relatively close distances. I may be able to switch to bow. What gets me is that there is nothing else to eat.

[Drifter Man]

Day 809

I gulp the last wolf steak in the morning. There are two more carcasses, but one is on thin ice and the other is who knows where. So, no food for me. I have spent all my coal and am down to 15 sticks. In this situation, I decide the best course of action is to bolt out of here and find something to kill. But the morning has thick fog for me. I can't go in this weather, but I can wait - eventually heavy fog will turn into light fog.

When it happens, it is still felt -17C, but I set out towards Frozen Delta. Mindful of the math (17 degrees, 15 sticks), I collect the first sticks I see. Navigation through the Frozen Delta is tricky, so I turn around and seek out the edge of the map. Freezing, I find a cave waiting for me. I approach it with the flare gun in hand, standard precaution when I find a new cave, but it is uninhabited. I claim it for myself.

Once I am warmed up, the fog has lifted and the superstrong winds have started blowing again. It's too cold to be there now. I wait in the cave for over 2 hours before the winds back off a notch. This, plus the warmer afternoon temperatures, will allow me to keep my warmth for a little longer.

With an eye on the radio tower as a reference point, I walk by the edge of the map, struggling against the wind. Nothing moves - no deer, no rabbits, not even wolves in sight. I find a patch of birch trees and make a stop with a fire. I collect some bark and also make birch bark tea from my supplies. Then I visit a hunter's blind I can see from here - I find a marine flare and a few empty cartridges. Fitting for a blind.

Then I pull torches to recover some of my firewood and walk on. Right around the corner, I find potential food... a moose. Should I take on the beast? Or is it too late in the day already? It is in my way, so I take some long range shots with my bow. The fourth one is a hit. The moose runs away, which gives me the chance to collect the other three arrows.

I conclude it is too late - I still need to find shelter for the night. Soon I find the exit to FM. There is a wolf carcass next to it. I strike a match to get the meat. 0.5 kg. I struck a match for 0.5 kg of wolf meat.

I collect coal in the transition cave, eat a few cattails and go to sleep. I am nearly exhausted.

Tomorrow I will let my well fed buff lapse. I don't carry a heavy load - I left the tools and scrap metal in the trailer - so I am travelling light. But I need to be careful. With only 16% condition recovery per night, I cannot afford to lose much condition during the day. If the weather is good and the moose is still there, we will have a moose hunt. If not, I will hurry to FM to find something to eat.

[stratvox]

The trick to dealing with Timberwolves is using all the tricks. That cave you found in your latest post here is one of the good spots to live because of the wildlife around the edge of the Delta; as you've noticed there's a moose... it turns out there are a lot of moose there, compared to most other places on Great Bear. After you take one, you'll want to get a bunch of meat to the three blinds around the Delta. Use the meat to pull the timberwolves on the delta to you inside the blind. I found it worked best to crouch and face the "doorway" and fire arrows at them as they pass the opening while they circle the blind figuring out where the meat smell is coming from; if you're crouched they can't see you, can't tell you've pulled the bow and therefore will not attempt to dodge. Then take them out. Just shoot 'em once and let 'em bleed out and then recover any arrows you may use later. 

There are also other places where you can restrict access to you so that the wolves have to follow a path you can cover with your bow and/or rifle; up on the promontory the leaning tree is a good one; they will come up the tree but while they're on their way up to you you can just fire down the trunk and you WILL hit them. They're more like moose or bears that way; proper positioning when hunting those animals is key to avoid getting curb stomped. The locations that have timberwolf spawns all have places that are good positions for hunting them from. 

At the cannery, the trick is to RUN; once you get inside that fence you need to run to where the rope climb is that will get you up on the high path that will take you around so you can get into the workshop.

Once you've broken the morale of a pack it will be a LONG time before the pack recovers enough for them to be willing to tangle with you again; once you've broken the will of all of the packs you will have a lot of time where you can walk around basically unmolested as the wolves will run away from you unless you get too close before they become aware of you.

I've only really ever dealt with them using the bow rather than the rifle, but that's more a me thing than a game thing; both weapons (or the revolver for that matter) should be adequate for dealing with them.

[Stone]

I ventured to BI once but as you say - too many predators. It seems to be the gun region. If you like guns, there's bullets to be crafted and wolf packs to kill. Certainly keeping you busy Drifter! Good luck!

[Drifter Man]

Thanks for the tips @stratvox. I think I'll continue sniping them with the rifle - it is kind of fun and it gives me some use for the rifle, which otherwise collects dust in Trapper's cabin. But I should look for some good hunting places. I thought animals will track you down and attack you in a blind - or is it only when they can actually see you (as opposed ) that they can path to it?

[Drifter Man]

Day 810

Disclaimer: The following entry is not a recommendation on how to hunt moose, rather the opposite. Certainly not with your 800-day survivor

I wake up with ~100 calories in my stomach. I stand still and prepare some birch bark, waiting for the counter to run out. When it hits zero, I head out. Felt -14C, light fog, moose is on station, one arrow stuck in its massive body. Ideal conditions.

I begin by starting a fire to warm up. Initially, charging moose were afraid of fire, but I believe this has changed and fire is of no use for protection against them. I wait for the moose to come closer and take a long shot. It nearly misses and the moose runs away.

While I wait by the fire, my concerns grow for the weather. I need to get the kill fast. The sky is clearing up. My next shot is a miss again, so I let the moose come closer and take a third one. A hit. Mr. Moose has seen me and is not pleased. My plan for the situation was to switch the bow for the flare gun - I dropped the rifle for this reason, so that the switch is quick by pressing 2 - but I make a mistake and holster the bow.

I panic and run, with the angry moose in pursuit. I jump off a steep bank of the delta, hoping that this will break off its pathing. It maybe works, for a second, as the moose seems to have paused, but soon it attacks again. In addition, I sprained an ankle and landed on weak ice. Now I am a candidate for an icy bath plus broken ribs in one package.

I limp out of weak ice onto the bank, moose charging towards me, and remember that I also have a revolver. I fire three shots, which turn the moose around. Crisis averted.

I return to the fire and check my status. Clothes ok. Wrists are not sprained - I can shoot. Condition ok. I reload the revolver - a life saver today. I warm up and wait for the moose to return, then repeat the procedure but this time I use the flare gun. I miss the flare gun shot - I never hit anything with this thing - but avoid the attack. The moose now has three arrows in it - two in the torso and one in the leg. For the next shot I want to get behind it and from a longer distance. It is hard because the moose keeps returning close to my fire, and I have to sneak around a lot. Eventually I find the right angle ... only to find out that I am out of arrows! I only took six with me from the Camp Office. One broke a few days ago, the moose has three, and there are two more lying somewhere in the snow.

I tiptoe back to the fire, pick up my rifle and finally kill the beast with one shot.

35 kg meat. I prefer taking what I need piece by piece to quartering the carcass, especially in a region with such unpredictable weather. I fill my stomach with the first two steaks and work on the carcass until nightfall, taking also the hide. During a break I collect the two arrows that missed. I leave all the raw meat next to the carcass and return to the cave for the night.

This was the second moose I got on this run. The first one was comfortably with the rifle from a long distance. I normally avoid them - too much trouble, better get a couple four deer instead. But this time I was desperate for food and there was nothing else.

Edit: I just realized I used all four weapons in this hunt - bow, rifle, revolver, flare gun...

Edited October 2, 2021 by Drifter Man

[stratvox]

I like the moose because I like the cloak and the bag, not to mention that it's a bear sized meal package without the parasites. However, six arrows are not enough; I'd much rather have at least a dozen, and twenty is better. I don't want to have to sneak around to pick up arrows I've missed with in the middle of the hunt because keeping your distance is important with the moose.

Of course, you know that

Nice account.

There are two caves on the Delta that are decently positioned for living in, though one is pretty isolated and a bad choice if you're thinking of making an aurora run to the workshop. There is a house which is pretty much the right place to live if you're waiting for an aurora to get to the workshop; in that house you'll be living on bear rather than on moose.

BI is all about the big game.

[Drifter Man]

9 hours ago, stratvox said:

I like the moose because I like the cloak and the bag, not to mention that it's a bear sized meal package without the parasites. However, six arrows are not enough; I'd much rather have at least a dozen, and twenty is better. I don't want to have to sneak around to pick up arrows I've missed with in the middle of the hunt because keeping your distance is important with the moose.

I agree that 6 (in my case only 5) arrows are not enough... I was out of options, so I had to kill it with whatever I had. I like the bag, but I got mine from the Signal Fire and it only asks for a piece of leather once in a year or so. And I prefer the Bear Coat to the cloak. For meat, I'd rather hunt 4 deer than 1 moose - for the same usage of arrows and the same amount of meat, but with much less risk. But in BI I may need to change some habits.

[Drifter Man]

Days 811-812

Two days of blizzards. I notice an interesting phenomenon: blizzard without snow. Then I realize that it only happens when I am at the cave exit (which is a transition to another region). When I leave the exit zone, the snow reappears.

There are brief moments at dusk when I can leave, so I take a few short trips for the meat, sticks and some charcoal surveys. I am surprised how close the FM exit is to the Ravine exit. They should be much farther apart, in my opinion. But there are many more issues in the geography of Great Bear.

Day 813

No blizzard this time, clear skies, but the wind is not tolerable. I wait until the afternoon, then drop my rifle and marine flares and pass through the cave to FM. I want to visit Trapper's Homestead and the Camp Office and bring more supplies - arrows and material for ammunition.

FM inherits the ridiculous weather of BI and I have to walk in the wind, freezing. At least it blows in my back. I make a fire at the rail tunnel and try to bring down a wolf, but it runs away with my arrow stuck in it. I let it go and continue to Trapper's. I didn't bring any food with me (I rarely travel with any meat on me), so I place snares and hope for a good catch.

Day 814

I kill a deer in early morning near Max's Last Stand. I process the carcass and add two rabbits to the lot from the snares. I want to go to Camp Office for the arrows and also look for the wolf I killed yesterday, but the weather looks like a blizzard might be coming. I stay near the Homestead and spend another night there. The blizzard does not come.