Overview
Showing what animals are attracted to what callers, with and without hidden animals perk.
Chapter One: The art of attraction
I have listed empirical probability numbers for each animal. Please note that this probability is for the lowest level, dumbest animals, in a calm psychological state. Be aware of this when going after animals that are usually high-level (intelligent). This list assumes low level across the board.
These empirical numbers only serve to give an idea of caller effectiveness. The animal AI system is more complex than I have been able to deduce. For example, in addition to variables like intelligence, curiosity, senses, psychological state, etc., the animals actually affect eachother. I believe this “hivemind”-like behavior extends beyond spooking, perhaps causing non-attracted animals to tag along when other herd members respond to a call.
The point is, when I show you a probability number for each animal, this is only for comparison, and in order to show what callers can be used for a given animal.
Bottom listed animals are hidden and await activation by a skill in the ambusher tree. See chapter 3 of this guide.
Antler rattler
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Reindeer 80%
Kudu 80%
Fallow 80%
Gemsbok 80%
Blackbuck 80%
Caribou 80%
Brownbear 20%
Red deer 20%
Jackrabbit predator caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Graywolf 40%
Lynx 80%
Red Fox 80%
Coyote 80%
Lion 20%
StripeJacal 80%
IberianWolf 40%
Blackbear 20%
Snort-Wheese Caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Gender-speciffic: Only male.
Springbok 80%
Kudu 80%
Gemsbok 40%
BlueW.Beest 80%
Whitetail 80%
Blacktail 20%
Moose Caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Moose 80%
Reindeer 20%
Blacktail 20%
Distressed fawn predator lure
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
BlackBear 80%
Gray Wolf 40%
Brown Bear 80%
Grizzly 20%
Lion 80%
Puma 80% (Mountain Lion counts as Puma)
IberianWolf 40%
Red fox 20%
Coyote 20%
Roe deer caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Roe deer 80%
Wild boar 20%
Musk deer 20%
Deer bleat box
Max range: 150m
Duration: 90s
Whitetail 100%
Mule deer 40%
Blacktail 100%
Sika 40%
Jackrabbit 20%
Moose 20%
Red Deer Caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Red deer 80%
Sika 20%
Roe Deer 20%
Wild boar caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Feral Pig 80%
Wild Boar 80%
Warthog 80%
Lynx 20%
Fallow 20%
Elk caller
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
RoosElk 80%
RockElk 80%
Musk Deer 20%
Whitetail 20%
Deer grunt caller
Max range: 250m
Duration: 90s
Blacktail 80%
Sika deer 80%
Whitetail 50%
RoosElk 20%
RockElk 80%
Jackrabbit 50%
Deer screamer
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Axis deer 80%
Puma 20%
Turkey Mouth Caller
(for attracting turkeys)
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Wild Turkey 80% [attract]
Crow immitation caller
(for locating turkeys)
Max range: 200m
Duration: 90s
Wild turkey 55% [speak]
Duck caller and Goose caller
The duck and goose callers only work on their respective species. You can use these more repetitively without penalty for “over calling”. Should be used with decoys.
Max range: 500m
Duration: 25s
+As previously mentioned, these numbers are only an indication of the best case scenario. Higher level animals will be more cautious.
More cautious animals will be less likely to respond to a call. If they do, they will take longer to arrive at the location. In addition, a more cautious animal will have a lower threshold for “over calling” (using a caller too often) and may spook as a result.
+Apex predators (Wolves and African Lion) have additional AI characteristics that complicate their behavior. They will therefore be less predictable.
+Sometimes a group of animals will be too stubborn to respond to calls because they’re busy eating or drinking. This can occur even if the preferred caller is used. Animals in traveling mode seem to be more responsive to calls and scents.
+One tactic I use to get animals attention, is to stand up, jump, and quickly go back to prone. This creates enough noise for the animals to go into attentive psychological state, in which they most definitely will pay attention to calls.
+Never use a caller while the animal is in a nervous state. This can either extend the nervousness or even cause them to spook.
+Animals have varying degrees of curiosity. Bears will sometimes investigate foliage noises to look for prey, even after issuing a warning call.
+You can get lucky with animal curiosity in use of callers. Curious animals may investigate unknown animal sounds even if they’re not supposed to respond to a given caller. I have been able to attract Moose with the Jackrabbit Predator Caller, several times, even though Moose is not supposed to respond to this caller. I also got the attention of a flock of Bighorn Sheep, using the Deer Bleat and the Elk Caller. This animal is not supposed to be attracted to any caller.
Chapter Two: Scents
Scents work with the wind and are best suited to attract animals downwind. Manage your own smell in these cases. Use the scent eliminator, often. and be aware that it doesn’t fully remove your smell. Ten million years of evolution has taught these animals one thing: The foul stench godfearing men means that death is coming.
Mule deer scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Mule deer 80%
Puma 20%
Roe deer scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Roe Deer 80%
Fallow 20%
Blacktail scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Blacktail 80%
Coyote 20%
Jackrabbit 50%
Red Deer scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Red deer 80%
EuroBison 20%
Red Fox 20%
Sika deer 20%
Moose scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Moose 80%
BrownBear 20%
Whitetail 20%
Boar scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Wild Boar 80%
Feral Pig 20%
Musk deer 20%
Roe deer 20%
Whitetail scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Whitetail 80%
Reindeer 20%
RoosElk 20%
RockElk 80%
Musk deer musk
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
Musk deer 80%
Lynx 20%
Elk scent
Max range: 200m
Duration: 300s
RoosElk 80%
RockElk 80%
black bear 20%
+ The shape of the scent cone, and its effective range, is heavily affected by wind speed.
A high wind speed will create a narrow cone that travels further.
+ Use Scent Eliminator.
+ You can combine scents and callers, for example use the caller to attract an animal into range of the scent cone when the wind is a bit off.
+ You can use the Windage perk from the rifle tree to estimate the wind speed where you are, and use the compass to see the direction. Don’t worry about the tiny arrow above the wind speed indication. It is currently broken.
+ It doesn’t hurt to spray twice in the same area.
+ You can set up a scent trail aimed at a Need Zone right before the animals show up. With a bit of luck, you can draw out the “dumb” animals from the crowd, (leaving the stubborn, high-level buck in the Need Zone with no female body-guards).
+ Use Scent Eliminator.
Example:
Chapter Three: Ambusher skill buffs
Scent Tinkerer
This is an underestimated bonus trait that upgrades your scents in various ways.
Default values: Originally, the range of your scents will be 200 meters. Duration is 300 seconds ( 5 min) of real-time.With no upgrades you’ll get 10 scent doses per purchase.
Level 1: You now get 20 doses out of each bottle.
Level 2: Each scent dose now lasts an additional 5 min. Total of 10min realtime.
Level 3: The (maximum) range of the scents is increased by 50m
Level 4: Increase the strength (attraction chance) of each dose. I believe this is a relatively drastic increase but I don’t know exactly how the attraction chance factors in with animal level and species, as well as the base attraction chance as specified for each type of scent.
Recommendations: If you use scents at all, get these traits activated. Level one is a good thing for new players with little money. I believe you can get the Roe Deer scent unlocked early by playing hirchfelden missions.
Dazed and Confused
Scents have a hidden category of animals they can attract. This skill activates that potential.
I believe the name is a reference to the 1993 cult classic film by the same name.
Fatal Attraction
Level 1: Seems to roughly double the effectiveness of a caller, in its ability to attract animals.
Level 2: Seems to roughly double the probability of getting a response from an animal when using a caller such as the elk caller. Not all animals call back though, so dont expect to hear a coyote howl back at you.
Keep in mind the probability of getting a response, as well as the attraction chance is highly affected by the animal psychological state. Nervous animals may actually spook instead of beeing drawn in.
Who’s Deer
It has a gimicky name but don’t let that fool you. This trait unlocks the full potential of the callers you have at your disposal. It’s a bit like Dazed and Confused, because callers also have hidden animal categories they can attract.
Level 1: Unlocks full attraction ability of callers.
Level 2: Unlocks full caller ability to provoke a vocal response from the animals that wouldn’t otherwise respond to this.
Recommendations: I think this is a worthwile skill to unlock but you need to know what animals you can attract with the given callers. The game doesn’t tell you.
Hill Caller
This skill is a passive trait that increases the range of your callers by 100 meters when used near a lookout point. However, you have to be within 10m of the actual lookout point for this to work.
Recommendations: This is a very specialized trait that is only going to be useful if you plan to use the lookout tower as a hunting stand. Lookout towers are not well suited for this purpose in my opinion. Also, I don’t really want my animals to have to travel >400meters to get to me. One possible exception is foxes, cayotes and similar animals, because they’re a bit tricky to sneak up on.