Electric Nightmares

Our four part series about generative AI and its use in video games

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Red Dead Redemption 2: Master Hunter guide

How to complete every rank of the Master Hunter challenge in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Once you've finished up the story and fancy sinking your teeth into a new challenge, there are quite a few side activities in Red Dead Redemption 2 that allow you to embrace your inner cowboy and live life like the olden days.

For the Master Hunter challenge, this means tracking down, killing and skinning named animals that exist in the single-player world. Although things start off pretty easy, it's not long before you'll have to find some far trickier creatures to dispatch into the next life.

In our Master Hunter guide we explain how to progress through all ten Master Hunter ranks, and also provide some tips on how you can go about completing each one:

Master Hunter Ranks and Requirements

As you reach each rank, you'll be given a fresh hunting challenge to complete if you want to progress onto the next one. Here's what's involved at each stage:

  • Rank 1 - Kill and skin 5 Coyotes
  • Rank 2 - Kill and skin 5 Deer
  • Rank 3 - Kill 5 Wolves with your knife and skin them
  • Rank 4 - Skin 5 Boars and 3 Armadillos
  • Rank 5 - Kill 2 Cougars with your knife and skin them
  • Rank 6 - Skin 5 Raccoons, 5 Skunks and 5 Foxes
  • Rank 7 - Skin 5 Elk and 5 Bighorn Sheep
  • Rank 8 - Kill a Bear with your knife and skin it for a Bear Pelt
  • Rank 9 - Search Ojo Del Diablo for Khan - Legendary Jaguar - and collect his pelt
  • Rank 10 - Search Aurora Basis for Lobo the Legendary Wolf, Stillwater Creek for Gordo the Legendary Boar, and Nekoto Rock for Brumas the Legendary Bear. Collect their pelts.

Those are the challenges, then, but in the next section of our Master Hunter guide we'll explain how to work your way through the ranks. We've also got a Legendary Animals guide if you want help tracking down the rest of the game's mightiest creatures.

Rank 1 - Kill and skin 5 Coyotes

Coyotes are not difficult to find in Red Dead Redemption 2, and it's highly recommended that you scout around New Austin and Nuevo Paraiso. That should get you through the first rank in no time at all.

Rank 2 - Kill and skin 5 Deer

This is another pretty simple challenge, and these creatures are arguably more common than the Coyotes you killed earlier on. Check the Great Plains, Tall Trees and Cholla Springs locations for a really easy time of things.

Rank 3 - Kill 5 Wolves with your knife and skin them

For this rank you're going to have to use your knife, but note that you only need to land the killing blow with the weapon to clock a kill. If you want to whittle the creature's health down with something else, then go for it - just make sure you stab the last life out of it!

Just keep in mind that you must kill and skin all five Wolves without dying in-between kills. Consider damaging your targets from a horse for better survivability, then dismount and go in for the knife-kill.

You can find plenty of Wolves by searching the area to the north of MacFarlane's Ranch, Repentance Rock, Riley's Charge or to the south of Armadillo.

Rank 4 - Skin 5 Boars and 3 Armadillos

Plenty of Boars can be found in the eastern plains area of New Austin, north of MacFarlane Ranch, Stillwater Creek and towards the south-east of West Elizabeth. If you're struggling to complete the tally, this latter location is by far and away your best bet.

Use a weak weapon on the Armadillos as they don't have a huge amount of health and will be obliterated otherwise - you won't be able to skin them. Armadillos can be found at Hanging Rock, Odd Fellow's Rest, Riley's Charge, to the west of Armadillo, Twin Rocks, Crooked Toes and Gaptooth Ridge.

Rank 5 - Kill 2 Cougars with your knife and skin them

Again, this is another situation where you must land the killing blow with your knife, but you're free to use any other weapon to damage the target. Consider using your horse once again for greater odds of survival.

North Gaptooth Ride, north-west Cholla Springs, south-west Rio Bravo and Tall Trees are all good hunting spots for Cougars.

Related Guides:

Rank 6 - Skin 5 Raccoons, 5 Skunks and 5 Foxes

Simply head to Beecher's Hope and have a good hunt around for these creatures - you'll find them at this location in abundance.

Rank 7 - Skin 5 Elk and 5 Bighorn Sheep

Head to Tall Trees to complete the Elk component of this rank nice and easily. Head right into the thick of the forest though.

You can also find Bighorn Sheep in the same area, and particularly to the south-west of Manzanita Post.

Rank 8 - Kill a Bear with your knife and skin it for a Bear Pelt

Once again you must land the killing blow with your knife to complete this ranking up challenge. Note, however, that you can get the pelt from one bear and the kill from another.

Lasoo the damaged bear and then let it go so that it runs away. This will give you a good chance to stab it with your knife, although you might struggle to keep up with it on foot. Jump on your horse and give chase if that's the case.

Rank 9 - Search Ojo Del Diablo for Khan - Legendary Jaguar - and collect his pelt

Head to the named area and then keep hunting around for Khan. When you meet him, he'll be marked on your UI which should make it easier to track him. Once you've killed him using whatever means works for you, skin him and bag his pelt.

Rank 10 - Multiple Legendary Animals

We have a Legendary Animals guide elsewhere on the site, so do make use of that if you want to hunt any of the 15 such creatures that exist in the game.

Otherwise just repeat the process that you completed for Rank 9. Head to the area, scout out your prey, and then kill and skin the beast once you've taken it down.

Rock Paper Shotgun is the home of PC gaming

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

In this article

Red Dead Redemption 2

PS4, Xbox One, PC

Related topics
About the Author

MetaBomb Staff

Contributor

MetaBomb was a video game website dedicated to guides and reporting on esports and live service games and staffed by experts.

Comments