Hunter



Hunter is a members-only skill that allows players to catch animals all over RuneScape. Hunter was released on 21 November 2006. Although Hunter is a non-combat skill, players can still be damaged while hunting. Using hunting equipment bought from hunter stores, players can hunt specific creatures, obtaining such rewards as bones, butterflies, animal furs, etc. Only two Hunter stores exist: one in Yanille; another one in Nardah. The current minimum requirement to be ranked (at approximately rank 926,171) on the hiscores for Hunter is level 30. There are 14,469 people who have achieved 99 hunter as of 20 February 2010.

Hunter shops
Aleck's Hunter Emporium in Yanille and another in Nardah.



Other useful items are as follows:

Crossbows and bolts
Leon inside the Hunter shop in Yanille sells a Hunter's crossbow for 1,300 coins and makes bolts for a small fee. Note that you can make your own bolts by using a chisel on a kebbit spike. The Hunter's crossbow is a fast crossbow (as fast as any shortbow) requiring 50 Ranged to wield.
 * 6 Kebbit bolts costs a spike (Prickly Kebbit) and 20 coins.
 * 6 Long bolts costs a long spike (Razor-backed Kebbit) and 40 coins.

Fancy Dress Shop


You receive many types of furs while hunting and all of these may be traded in at the fancy-dress shop in south-east Varrock for different types of hunter gear. The costume maker requires a few coins to make sets of hunter gear as well.

Select Talk-to Fancy Dress Shop Owner, then select the option that includes hunting, which depends whether the player has fur in their inventory, "Could you make anything out of this fur that I got from hunting?" or "Can you make clothing suitable for hunting?"

The kebbit, weasel and devil gear is what makes camouflage clothing. Kyatt, Graahk and Larupia are an improved form of camouflage for the area(s) the clothing's fur came from. Wearing camouflage improves your chances of capturing your prey.

Prices for the clothes range from 20 to 200 coins. You need 2 furs per cape made, and 3 furs for every camouflage clothing made.

Other rewards
Other rewards include coloured feathers, spikes for vambraces and bolts, wieldable harpoons, ingredients for Hunter potions, creature ranged weapons, and butterflies which raise other players' combat bonuses.

Hunter areas
Hunter areas are places where players can hunt. Most of the hunter areas, including the hunter shops, are close to a Fairy ring. The central ring in Zanaris is close to a bank which can be used to deposit rewards. Other methods of transportation are listed below.

After completing the Eagles' Peak quest, a player can use the Eagle transport system to fly an eagle from Eagles' Peak in the woodland area to 3 of the other training areas: snow, jungle and desert.

Training areas
There are five main training areas with many creatures to hunt. The training areas also allow a player to use many Hunter trapping methods: tracking, netting, box trapping, snaring and pit-falling.

Jungle


The Feldip Hunter area is located in the southern-most part of the Feldip Hills. Players may trap Crimson Swifts here as well as Tropical Wagtails, Feldip Weasels, Spined Larupias, Barb-tailed Kebbits and Carnivorous Chinchompas. The area can be reached by walking from Yanille (Watchtower teleport) or from Castle Wars bank (Ring of duelling teleport). A good method to get to the area is using the Fairy ring transportation system. From Zanaris, use the code AKS. Also, gnome gliders bring players just north of the hunting area after completing One Small Favour, or with level 10 Magic you can use the Mobilising Armies Teleport and walk north.

Snow


The Trollweiss Hunter area is located north of Rellekka. A hunter's targets here are Polar kebbits, Cerulean twitches, Sapphire glacialis, Snowy knights, Sabre-toothed kebbits, and Sabre-toothed kyatts. A method to get to the area is using the Fairy ring transportation system. From the central Fairy ring use code DKS and go north to the hunter area. Walking from Rellekka also is a good option as there are several teleports to Rellekka. Also, hunting Polar Kebbits for Polar Kebbit fur is a great way to make money. Burying the bones and dropping the meat can save inventory space for the fur. A Polar Kebbit fur sells at around 3,600 gp on the Grand Exchange, meaning a full inventory is just 100,000 gp. The closest bank is in Keldagrim, or Zanaris if the player uses the nearby fairy ring.

Woodland
The Piscatoris Hunter area area is located northwest of the Tree Gnome Stronghold. It is a long walk from the entrance of the Stronghold. The northern part of the area is close to the Piscatoris region, so to shorten the trip you may want to take the boat east of the Eagles' Peak. This hunter region also can be conveniently reached using the Fairy ring transport system with access code AKQ.

Desert
The Uzer Hunter area is located west of the Ruins of Uzer and north of Nardah. It can be reached by walking from the Al Kharid Bank to Shantay Pass, then walking southeast to the bridge across the River Elid. The hunter area is east of the bridge and allows hunters to prey on Golden Warblers, Desert Devils, and Orange Salamanders. There are several alternative access methods such as the Fairy ring teleport with code DLQ, a Pharaoh's sceptre teleport and the Flying Carpet transport system. Bring desert robes, a knife, and either waterskins or an Enchanted water tiara to survive in the desert.

Puro-Puro
Puro-Puro, the homeland of the Imps and Implings, can be accessed by entering the centre of a crop circle. These crop circles appear randomly across all wheat fields in RuneScape. The only permanent one is located in the centre of the Zanaris wheat field. Those who have completed the Lost City quest and are wielding either a Dramen staff or a Lunar staff may enter Zanaris by opening the door of the shed in Lumbridge swamp, or if they have completed enough of the quest "Fairytale part 2,"They may enter Zanaris by using any fairy rings not in Zanaris to get to Zanaris' rings. Alternatively, if you have access to the abyssal space, and have completed the lost city quest you may enter Zanaris via the Cosmic rift. Once inside Zanaris, go either northeast (if you came by rings), southwest (if you came by the shed), or follow the winding path to the rings and then head northeast (if you took the abyssal route). Once in Puro-Puro, you can chat with either the Impling by the entrance, or Elnock the gnome to learn how to play Impetuous Impulses. There are many different implings to catch and either loot or trade in, and trying to hunt these flying critters while running through the wheat field maze makes it a very enjoyable minigame for some players. This form of hunting is not as fast experience as other forms, but it definitely is the most profitable way to train the hunting skill with the most useful loots (food, seeds, runes, weaponry, etc.).

Swamp
Swamp lizards are located southeast of Canifis. They are a good choice for making money until hunters can hunt Carnivourious Chinchompas at level 63 Hunter. As swamp lizards are oftentimes bought, they sell on average for 760-1,873 coins each. The banks in Canifis and Port Phasmatys are the only banks that are fairly close to the lizards.

Lava
There are 2 Lava locations:
 * Red Salamanders are located near the Ourania Cave, which is southwest of West Ardougne, reasonably close to the Khazard Battlefield Spirit Tree.
 * Black salamanders are located in level 20 Wilderness, north of the Varrock lumber yard. The Varrock Balloon transport system location is just south of the lumber yard.

Falconer

 * Note: World map label is Falconer and the Hunter activity, Falconry

The Falconer area is east of the Woodland Training Area near Piscatoris. The area is where Falconry is used to catch Spotted kebbits, Dark kebbits and Dashing kebbits. From the Fairy ring AKQ teleport location, walk east. The fenced Falconry area has its entrance on the northern side of the fence. The fee for using a falcon is 500 coins; a player cannot take falcons outside this area.

Karamja
The Horned Graahks are north of Cairn Isle, on the west coast of Karamja. It is very close to the Fairy ring teleport location with access code CKR.

Isafdar
There are several hunter locations to be found in Isafdar. Two of these are southwest of Lletya and east of Tyras Camp, respectively. Pawyas and Grenwalls can be hunted in this area.

Hunting Styles
There are several methods that a Hunter can use to catch prey. More advanced hunting styles are only available to more experienced hunters. They are described in more detail in the sections below.

It is possible to set more than one Bird snare, Rabbit snare, Box trap, Magic box, Net Trap, or Pit-fall trap. The number of such simultaneous traps increases with skill level. Hunters can only place a single Deadfall trap.

Tracking

 * Level 1+ Bring Noose wand

Tracking requires a noosing wand which can be purchased from the hunter shops for about 4 coins.

Some Kebbits live in burrows. To hunt them, search their burrows to find some tracks, which will lead away from the burrows. Search the nearby bushes, snow drifts, logs, tunnels, etc., until you discover more tracks. At the end of the track, which can extend for 4-5 searches, you will receive a message suggesting that a Kebbit is inside the object. Right-click 'Attack' while wielding a noosing wand to receive loot and experience.

Each player follows a unique track and does not compete with other players to get kebbits.

Catching a Kebbit gives the player Bones, raw beast meat, and kebbit fur. The hides obtained from Kebbit Tracking can be used to make Camouflage costumes. All camouflage outfits can be put in the armour case in the costume room. You can also use polar kebbit fur for summoning.

Bird Snaring

 * Level 1+

Using bird snares, available from the hunter shops for about 6 coins, you can trap birds. After setting up a trap, if a bird flies over and attempts to perch on top of it, it may catch the bird. If it fails to catch the bird, or if the trap falls over by itself (it will after a set amount of time), the trap will have to be dismantled and set up again; or, you can just right-click 'Lay bird snare' to reset the trap. You receive experience when taking the ensnared bird from the trap. You also get bones, raw bird meat, and coloured feathers.

At Level 39 Hunter, a player is able to smoke a trap. Smoking traps removes a player's scent and increases the chance of snaring a bird. Torches are available at hunter shops and can be lit with a Tinderbox.

A player needs to set the snare where the birds will fly over it and wait for one to come. Only one snare can be placed on one tile, so players compete with each other to get a spot. A higher hunter skill level gives a better bird catch rate. Players who are not patient might wish to combine bird snaring with the more active Kebbit Tracking. It should be noted that the traps should not be left unattended, as they may fall over and become dropped items visible to other players a short period after falling over.

Butterfly Netting

 * Level 15+



A player wielding a butterfly net and carrying a butterfly jar may catch a butterfly by clicking on it. In fact, with a horizontal camera angle, players may click on the space below the butterfly; this may be easier as the butterflies are quite small. A butterfly can be netted by only one player, the one who started first. The butterfly may be released from the jar immediately, allowing you to hunt another. They yield low experience, and are best combined with some form of trapping. Although players can't move while releasing a butterfly, they can perform other actions at the same time, such as laying a box trap. Butterflies have a more practical use than just gaining experience; they can be released on other players in multiple combat areas to enhance the Melee Combat Skills Attack, Strength, Defence, or Hitpoints.

Barehanded Butterfly Catching
With high Hunter and Agility levels, butterflies can be caught without a butterfly jar or butterfly net. While this rewards you with significantly higher Hunter experience, as well as some Agility experience, the butterfly is released immediately afterwards and cannot be kept for personal use.

Barehanded butterfly catching presents players a choice of power training their hunter while gaining no profit. Catching Ruby Harvests with bare hands, a player can receive up to 70-90k Hunter experience and 11-15k Agility experience per hour depending on the player's hunter level.

Impling Netting

 * Level 17+

Impling netting is quite similar to butterfly netting. However, players are hunting implings and therefore require a jar treated with impling repellent. The repellent is made by crushing 8 cooked anchovies with a pestle and mortar, pouring them into a vial through a sieve, mixing it with flowers such as Rosemary or Marigold, then refining it at the Rimmington lamp oil distillery.

See Impetuous Impulses.

Deadfall Trapping

 * Level 23+

Some Kebbits need to be trapped using a deadfall trap. You will need a knife and a log in your inventory, and you will need to set up a trap in the appropriate, specified locations (click around the boulders). These seem to be excellent experience, and taking a hatchet with you to the locations is recommended.

Baiting a deadfall trap does increase the chances of catching prey drastically. The bait is not returned to the inventory after catching an animal. Other ways to increase success rate are wearing the appropriate hunting attire and smoking the deadfall trap with a Torch (requires a Hunter level of 39).

Box Trapping

 * Level 53+ (27+ after completing Eagles' Peak quest or with 10+ Summoning )

Similar to bird snaring, box-trapping involves laying a box trap on the ground and waiting for your prey to come. After a certain period of time, the box trap will collapse, requiring the player to pick it back up or lay it again. Experience is only gained after the player retrieves the trapped animal or monster.

Box traps can be baited or smoked, both of which increases the rates of success for catching chinchompas (although most players report the rate is not significant). Normal chinchompas like spicy chopped tomatoes, while red chinchompas prefer spicy minced meat. The bait for Ferrets is raw meat. The bait disappears after a successful trap. When using four box traps, a Hunter has just enough time to set all the traps.

The trapped ferrets appear in your inventory. They can be used during Rabbit Snaring. Left clicking the ferret in the inventory will release the trapped animal. Trapped Chinchompas are stackable and can be used as a multi-target ranged weapon.

Hunting Red Chinchompas yield 20K Experience per hour at 63. At 80 Hunting Red Chinchompas give about 50k-70k Experience per hour. At 95 Hunting Red Chinchompas will give constant 80k-100k Experience per hour as well as making a fair amount of money. At 95 Hunter accompanied by the Arctic Bear (71 Summoning; invisible +7 Hunter level boost) some players have been able to catch upwards of 450 Red Chinchompas per hour consistently which is 120k+ xp per hour. Red chinchompas sell for quite a bit (currently coins each) as well as being stackable, so you won't have to go to and from to the bank, which is a great time saver.

Rabbit Snaring

 * Level 27+



As a reward from the Eagles' Peak quest, hunters can use a Rabbit snare to catch Rabbits. Also bring box traps to capture ferrets to chase rabbits from their burrows.

Rabbits can be found in the far south part of the Woodland hunter area. Six rabbit holes are arranged in a circle pattern. Ferrets are just south of the rabbit holes.

To be able to catch Rabbits, a hunter needs as many Rabbit snares as the Hunter level permits. Perhaps a little more as Rabbit snares disappear quite rapidly. Bring about 3 or 4 box traps for the ferrets to capture 3 or 4 ferrets.

Place a Rabbit snare in front of the rabbit holes. Then left click a Rabbit hole (Flush Rabbit hole) and a ferret will chase the Rabbits out another rabbit hole which can then be caught in a Rabbit snare.

Messages: ''You place a ferret down the rabbit hole. A second later, a rabbit runs out from the other side of the warren.'' A ferret can be used several times until it runs away. ''There is no sign of your ferret. It seems to have run away. No ferret: I'm too big to get in there to scare the rabbits out myself. When trapped: You've caught a white rabbit.''

From the snare a hunter obtains bones, Raw rabbit meat and a Rabbit foot. A campfire is available to cook the raw rabbit.

Stringing a Rabbit foot gives 4 Crafting experience. The Strung Rabbit foot provides a small increase in probability to get a Bird's nest drop if it is worn during Woodcutting.

Net Trapping

 * Level 29+

Net trapping is used to trap lizards, salamanders, and squirrels. With a rope and small fishing net in the inventory, clicking on a young tree will set the trap. When the lizard or salamander passes, it may be caught. Bait may increase the catch rate for lizards and salamanders and is made by using the herb with 15 swamp tar and a pestle and mortar. If you do not use bait for a trapping squirrels, they will only trip the trap and you will not catch one. If your Summoning level is 60, you can drop the squirrel and it will remain as a pet.



Creature ranged weapon reward
The caught creature can be turned into a 2-handed ranged weapon which is loaded with 15 lots of herb tar.

Attack style will increase selected skill experience.

Ammunition for Salamander range weapons
The production of the various type of ammunition for the Salamander ranged weapons is done using the Herblore skill. The required herblore levels and associated experience are:

Pitfall Trapping

 * Level 31+

Pit-fall hunting involves building a pit, using logs and a knife in special spots in the Jungle, near Cairn Isle and Trollweiss Hunting Area. Build the pit-fall trap, then tease the relevant monster with a teasing stick. Now run back to the pit and jump over it. The creature will often jump over the pit and attack you. Unlike most other hunted creatures, pitfall trapping creatures will do damage, so food may be a good idea. Since creatures will not jump the same pit twice in a row, you must move to another nearby hot-spot to build another pit-fall and try again. The pit-fall trap will collapse after a certain amount of time. You collect furs when emptying the trap, which can be made into hunter gear in the Varrock fancy-dress shop. You can buy them from the Grand Exchange for a fine price, too. The furs may be tattered or "perfect"; tattered furs are only suitable for bodies or legs, but perfect furs are suitable for headpieces, bodies and legs. One receives perfect fur approximately one-fourth of the time. It takes 3 furs plus coins to make a set. Alternatively, you may sell the furs in Ardougne or on the Grand Exchange to other players who wish to use them to train Summoning.

Falconry

 * Level 43+



At the northern part of the Falconer area, hunters can borrow a Gyr Falcon and a Falconer's glove from the falcon expert Matthias for a fee of 500 coins. Random events can result in loss of the Falcon and Glove, so additional coins might be useful. Both hands must be free for falconry. With a falcon, players can hunt for Spotted kebbits, Dark kebbits and Dashing kebbits. During the flight of the falcon, the kebbit may move resulting in a miss after which the falcon will return to the glove of the hunter. During the falcon flight, hunters cannot move. When the falcon catches the kebbit, the hunter needs to retrieve both the falcon and the drops. A yellow arrow marks the location of the falcon with its catch. If the falcon is not retrieved within a short time, the player will get this message, "Your falcon has left its prey. You see it heading back toward the falconer." A player can talk with the falcon expert Matthias to get the falcon back without cost; however, no experience is given as the prey has gone and it takes extra time.



The kebbits have a relatively fast respawn, which gives impressive training speed. However, competition from other falcon hunters can substantially reduce speed and adversely impact training. Although the success rate is supposedly not affected by proximity, running up to the target before catching it may improve success rate. This is because success is strongly affected by whether or not the target is moving. Falcons travel at a definitive speed, so if it is further away then it is harder to predict when the target will be moving or not. Another reason is that if it fails, it takes much less time to return to the hunter which can seriously affect training time. Of course, the success rate is also based on the player's Hunter level.

The hides from the kebbits can be converted into fancy clothing items in the Varrock fancy clothing store. Level 40 Hunter is able to make all 3 sets. However, a higher level is required for wearing some of the clothing. With the Boots of lightness coupled with the Spottier cape and Penance gloves players can reduce their weight by 10–13 kg.

A level 60 hunter can expect to catch 20 Dark Kebbits in approximately 4 minutes, targeting a single respawn location. Using multiple respawns is possible but leaves almost no time to drop the bones and furs. The time to drop all items yields adds a further 20 seconds; hence, the average experience per hour is around 35,000.

Magical Imp Boxes

 * Level 71+

Place a magic box trap where imps are found:


 * Edgeville, south
 * Falador, south and west
 * Karamja
 * Lumbridge
 * Varrock
 * Yanille
 * On the path between Lumbridge and Draynor

In addition, beads from killing imps (Imp Catcher quest) may be used for bait. Beads may be taken by the imp without getting trapped requiring the trap to be reset.

Boxed imps can take 1-2 items from the inventory to the bank in exchange for being released. Imps will not bank for you once you're past level 30 Wilderness. Players can have more than 1 boxed imp. An imp can also be found wandering around the exit at the Soul Wars Minigame.

Eagle transport system
After completing the Eagle's Peak quest, a player has access to use the eagle transport system from Eagles' Peak to the other 3 Hunter training areas - snow, jungle, and desert. After completing Back to my Roots you will have access to a new eagle.

Temporary Boosts
The following boosts do not affect what you can catch. They only affect the rate at which you catch.
 * Hunter potions require level 53 Herblore to make using Avantoe and Kebbit teeth dust (from Sabre-tooth kebbit) for 120 Herblore experience; they temporarily raise the player's Hunter level by 3.
 * Yellow Spicy stews can alter your level by up to +6, but also to -6. There is only a 1/60 chance of receiving a +6 bonus, whilst a 1/20 chance of a +5 bonus.
 * Using the Mud Bath in Oo'glog after completing As a First Resort will give you a +7 temporary Hunter boost. At level 50, it will increase it by 8 levels. The Mud Bath also eliminates your scent, saving you from using a torch.
 * The spirit graahk, spirit kyatt and spirit larupia familiars (57 Summoning) all provide an invisible +5 to your Hunter level.
 * The Arctic bear familiar (71 Summoning) gives an invisible +7 boost to your Hunter level.
 * The Wolpertinger familiar (92 Summoning) gives an invisible +5 to your Hunter level.
 * Operating the Hunter skillcape will temporarily boost the hunter's level to 100.

Hunter items used in other skills
There are a number of items that only can be obtained by meaning of hunting:
 * Red chinchompas are popular for power training ranged in multi-target areas, often with prayer protection.
 * Chinchompas are a less powerful alternative for multi-target ranged training. Also used to make a Giant chinchompa pouch.
 * Larupia fur is used to make Spirit larupia pouches. The summoned familiar has a teleport that is close to Feldip Hills for more hunting.
 * Kyatt fur is used to make Spirit Kyatt pouches. These are often used to train Summoning faster by teleporting to close to Piscatoris for the Summoning altar there.
 * Graahk fur is used to make Spirit graahk pouches. The summoned familiar has a teleport that is very close to the Nature altar and allows very fast runecrafting of Nature runes.
 * Polar kebbit fur is required to make the Arctic bear pouch. This is the highest level pouch that can be made from a Gold charm.
 * Ruby harvests are used in Summoning to make a Forge regent pouch.
 * Swamp lizards are used to make Swamp titan pouches with level 85 summoning and a Crimson charm.
 * Grenwall spikes are used to make Extreme Ranging Potions with level 92 herblore and a ranging potion(3)

Cape of Achievement


For players with level 99 Hunter, a Hunter cape can be bought from the Hunting expert in the Jungle Training Area. The cape will cost 99,000 coins, like all other Capes of Achievement.

Trivia

 * The Hunter skillcape emote resembles the board game 'Mouse Trap'.
 * While doing Falconry, if you pick up your falcon or bury a bone, your glove will temporarily disappear.
 * The falconer mentions that some noblemen consider falconry a suitably refined sport for them. Hunting and falconry in particular was indeed an extremely popular sport among European nobility during the middle ages
 * On 1 April 2009 (April Fools' Day), "Seagulls have now been added to the Hunter skill and can be found along some coastlines. You'll need to wave your butterfly net in a gullible fashion to catch these birds", was added to the patch notes. This resulted in a team of players searching for gulls to catch, only to realise how gullible they had been.

Main Page Changes
On the day of the skill's release, the two rock pillars on each side of the RuneScape main page were replaced with totem poles, on which were drawings of imps, lizards, and razorbacked kebbits. A few pawprints were also scattered around the tiled background.



Login Screen Changes


The login screen was changed as well. A piece of graahk fur was hung on each side of the screen, and a pair of orange salamanders clung onto the pillars. A box trap appeared below the login box, while a butterfly was placed on the top-left corner of the login box. A patch of grass grew on the bottom of the screen, parting at the middle. The burning rune symbols were replaced with pawprints, dinosaurs, kebbits, and butterflies. It has now been changed back to its normal screen. There was a supposed hidden monster.

In-game changes


A cave was placed in three of the hunting grounds, where those who have completed the Eagle's Peak quest may fly to and from the Eagle's Peak mountain.

Though unconfirmed, the rate at which random event occurs seems to increase while hunting (especially at the red chinchompa's located just south of Yanille.)

Money
Most hunters who continue hunting to level 99 (who are not power training) end up with 0 coins from selling about 47,796 Red chinchompas whilst progressing from level 63 to level 99, selling the red chins at market price. However, Hunter is still a very profitable skill and it is possible to make money using various other Hunter training methods.