v.301 Bear stops bleeding, returns home, and dies

[Drifter Man]

I went three times to the Unnamed Pond to hunt for the bear (Pilgrim mode). I hit with a rifle shot from the safety of the hunting blind, then followed its blood trail as it sprinted away. In all cases, the blood trail suddenly ended far away, in the middle of nowhere, and I found the bear back at the pond - alive in one case, dead in two.

So I repeated it a couple of times, but without 'follow the blood trail' part - I remained at the pond instead. When some time passed, the bear always returned, without any signs of injury and leaving no blood trail, and resumed its patrol routine. I assume this is correct behavior as long as the bear has survived the wound.

But then the bear suddenly collapsed on the pond before my eyes :shock:

Repro steps:

- go to the Unnamed Pond, wait for the bear and good weather

- shoot the bear with a rifle without killing it on the spot

- go to some place from where you can watch the bear approach from the general direction to which it escaped

- once it comes back, give it some time as it resumes its routine - either it keeps walking, or it dies.

Visibility:

The bear always returns, but it may die while still walking back to the pond, before reaching it.

I have a saved setup ready in case you need it.

[SteveP]

I have read information concerning the blood trails. Wolves and bears must be pursued in order to continue leaving a blood trail. I also have heard that they return to their patrol region when they are not pursued and will often die there. It's best to pursue with a torch. This is Pilgrim level so perhaps that is affecting the bear's behaviour too. It seems pretty much as designed but perhaps Support will clarify.

Good bear hunting!

[Drifter Man]

It did occur to me that it might be design rather than a bug, but I could not figure out why the animals should be programmed like this.

I will try in Voyageur next time, with a torch. I did pursue the first three bears, but generally I am unable to keep up with escaping prey - it can cross any terrain at constant running speed, while my character quickly runs out of breath. I have been able to trace wolves and eventually catch up with them before they died. Not so with deer - whenever I found the carcass, it was more or less by accident.

Thanks for the input!

[chipinthedark]

In Pilgrim mode, blood trails disappear too fast, even when followed, making tracking fast-movers like deer difficult. Perhaps that is why the wounded animals often return to their origins? For bears this can be used as a hunting tactic, taking longer shots from more protected vantages (to avoid their wrath!) and then checking the area a few hours later for the carcass. I've bagged 4 bears this way so far, only had to chase one for any real distance.