burgingham wrote:Did you even try to hunt bigger game yourself?
You should really come up with proper solutions then. While the hunting mechanics may be flawed animals just always running away so you never ever hunt anything certainly isn't a good solution either, now is it?
Alright then.
Hunting would now have multiple forms of hunting, one of them would be snare hunting, the other active hunting.
TrappingSnare HuntingSnare hunting would only be viable for smaller game, would have a relatively low success rate, and would be fueled primarily by Survival to gauge quality of trap. The quality of the trap determines the efficacy (Though it would only be a viable trap in those biomes where the critters spawn). Stealth would enable you to hide the traps, but there'd be no guarantee someone with a high enough perception wouldn't find it. With the advent of Badgers, it's possible that a strong enough trap would catch one, (possibly after your rabbits), and also a possibility that it will still be there, angry and pissed off, when you come to check the trap. With the possibly inclusion of squirrels and other small fauna, there are multiple possible results for this trap.
Live TrapOccasionally you may want to acquire certain animals for breeding, in this instance it isn't likely that a snare trap will get you what you want. Too much possibility for being harmed by the snare, and too much possibility of being found as prey. In this instance you'd need to build and place a live bait trap. Like other traps these are gauged by survival, and hidden with stealth.
An animal caught in this trap is still alive, though its worth noting that you may not have caught what you hoped to. Bait (See below) can have some effect on this. While the chances are much higher with a snare trap, the longer a trap of this sort goes unvisited, the more likely any animal caught in it would be found dead. Not a tragedy in a snare, but not precisely what you're shooting for in a live trap.
BaitBait can be used to catch animals of many types, and what kind of bait you choose (including what biome the trap is laid in) will determine the efficacy and what you attract. Bait can be stolen before you check the trap, can be snagged by some animal without triggering it, etc.
All Traps decay, and certain events can cause them to decay faster.PlacementPlacing traps too close together results in too much human scent being involved (mechanically just a decline in success rate), and human activity in an area also reduces the efficacy. Placing one near a settlement is just asking for an empty trap. Trappers have to go far and wide to find their prey, away from prying eyes.
Persistence HuntingWith the advent of bows and slings, persistence hunting is a viable option. Rare is it that a hunter brings down their prey with a single shaft from their bow or slingstone from their sling, instead they cause a grievous wound with a carefully placed arrow. In game terms this means that the animal leaves a 'blood scent', and flees, its stamina slowly (or quickly) draining. The hunter must continue tracking the animal until it collapses in the wilderness. It is possible for the hunter to lose the trail (such as if the animal crosses a river). Rarely an animal will put up a fight at the end when the hunter closes, but generally its too exhausted (especially with deer and the like).
Bears and Boars are trickier critters due to their ferocity, and their tendency to charge AT danger rather than away from it. But Foxes and Deer are particularly susceptible to persistence hunting.
Bear and Boar are typically hunting down with long spears, with multiple attackers keeping the animal busy and unable to focus on a single target. In short "Want a Bear? Want a Boar? Bring friends, otherwise you're probably toast." Or be ready for a long, carefully managed, and highly perilous fight.
In shortHunting should be more involved, and definitely free of the 'Common' one shot kills normally associated with higher equipment and such. Animals in general will protect their own life, evading the enemy when there is little to no chance they can safely get to it. Remember, animals are primal, survival is key, only rarely do we see the stereotypical bear-rage in action, if they feel truly in danger, they flee.
Basically, make hunting HUNTING, and not shooting from a boat. Give Bears and Boars the respect they're due as adversaries.
