To survive longer in DayZ, you need to familiarise yourself with some of the game’s key mechanics. Finding food can initially be challenging, and canned food isn’t always easy to come by on well-populated servers. Therefore, your best source of food is nature itself. As in many other survival games, wild animals are your best chance to obtain rich and tasty food. But how can you successfully hunt in DayZ? Today, we’ll examine all the important points on this topic so that you too can become a pro and never go hungry again.
Which Animals to Hunt?
DayZ is rich in various animals that you can find and kill. While some are very easy to find, for others, you need to venture deep into the woods and face significant challenges. Initially, you should focus on domesticated animals, but a specific hunt in the forest becomes a better solution later on.
Domesticated Animals: After the zombie apocalypse, there are still plenty of farm animals that call the world of DayZ their home. You can find cows, goats, chickens, pigs, and sheep in villages, fields, or towns. They are less shy and therefore easy to find and kill. However, they become rarer the longer a server is online. Cows are by far the best animals to hunt in this category.
Wild Animals: A bit further from human civilisation, you’ll find wild animals. These predominantly live in forests and are not as easy to hunt. These include wild boars, deer, and stags, rabbits, foxes, and reindeer (only Frostline). Focus on wild boars and later on deer.
Aggressive Animals: Deeper in the forests of Chernarus, you’ll find wolves and bears. Definitely stay away from these two predators! They will attack you and can kill you faster than you’d like. Nowadays, their meat is no longer worth it, as it has a 50% chance of giving you salmonella, even when cooked.
Preparing for a Successful Hunt
Of course, you shouldn’t go hunting unprepared, as an animal can quickly slip through your fingers. The weapons you take into the forest to search for your food are particularly important.
Knife: A knife is necessary to gut the animal later. It doesn’t really matter which knife you use; they all work equally well, though they last for varying durations. Knives can also be handy if a bear or wolf surprises you.
Sniper: For accurate shots, you need a good and reliable weapon. There are many excellent rifles in DayZ, and you should use the one that suits you best. Higher calibres are more lethal. An additional attachment for better zoom is also beneficial to spot animals from even greater distances. The Mosin 91/30 and M70 Tundra are best suited. For the very brave, the crossbow is also a fantastic weapon! But at the end of the day, it’s your decision what you want to hunt with.
Efficiently Identifying Animal Locations
The hunt can now begin, but it’s not that easy. Animals only spawn in certain regions and have a limited number. So, you won’t find heaps of deer in one spot. Additionally, animals wander, making it more challenging to spot them. The best points are, for example, abandoned farms for domesticated animals or water sources for wild animals in the forest.
Your ears are your best tool; it’s best to use good headphones and stereo sound to play DayZ. This way, you can hear the cries and sounds of animals in the distance and follow them. Each animal makes its own noises that you can hear and learn. Study these and try to differentiate them, then follow the sounds. This will likely yield the most success in a hunt.
If you’re still not finding anything, then the iZurvive Map is a good resource for you. It lists all current spawn points for each animal. These are marked with their corresponding symbols and can also be individually selected in the legend.
Effective Hunting Methods for DayZ
Now you’ve spotted an animal and want to kill it. It’s best to proceed quietly and calmly so the animal doesn’t spot you and run away. Observe the animal for a while and learn how it moves. It might be that you shoot at the wrong moment, and the animal moves just at that time.
We recommend focusing directly on a good headshot. This kills most animals with one shot and ensures you get the most meat. The rest is a matter of practice!
Efficiently Processing and Using Your Catch
After a successful hunt, the dead animal lies before you, and you must gut it to make use of your catch. You receive various items that can aid you during your time in DayZ. Hunting offers you much more than just meat! With a knife or an axe, you can skin and quarter the animal. What you get depends on the condition of your tool.
Make sure to wash your hands afterwards or wear gloves. You can learn more about this in our post on illnesses (DayZ: Ultimate Guide to Health and Healing)
Pelt: Can be processed into leather with garden lime, which you might need for a leather backpack.
Meat: Suitable for consumption, but only if cooked, roasted, or dried (Ultimate Guide: Finding Food in DayZ and Surviving)
Innards: Should not be eaten due to the risk of salmonella. However, they can be processed into ropes and cords.
Fat: Fat can be eaten but is also used as a cooking ingredient. Additionally, it’s practical for making torches.
Bones: Especially useful initially for fish hooks or bone knives.
Conclusion: Master Hunting in DayZ
Hunting is one of the fundamental skills you need to master in DayZ. It’s essential for survival and ensures you can live without pre-outbreak food. With a bit of practice, you’ll surely find and process several animals. You can rent your own server for DayZ with us and roam the woods with your friends to find animals. Of course, you can share the meat!
