Hunter

Hunter is a non-combat skill that allows players to track and trap animals and beasts all over RuneScape. Using hunting equipment bought from hunter stores, players are able to hunt specific creatures, obtaining rewards such as bones, butterflies, animal parts, or even imps to do your bidding. It was released on November 21, 2006.

This is a members-only skill.

Hunter Shops
There are two shops selling hunter equipment, one in Yanille and one in Nardah.



The shop carries from left to right:

Other items needed are:

Crossbows and bolts
Leon at the Hunter shop in Yanille sells a Hunter's crossbow for 1300 coins and makes bolts: (Note: You can make your own bolts by using a chisel on the kebbit spikes.)
 * Kebbit bolts: 1 spike (Prickly Kebbit) + 20 coins
 * 6 Long bolts: 1 long spike (Razor-backed Kebbit) + 40 coins

Fancy Dress Shop
You receive many types of furs whilst training hunting, all of these may be traded in at the fancy-dress shop in south-east Varrock for different types of hunter armour. The costume maker requires a few coins to make sets of armour as well.

Select Talk-to Fancy Dress Shop Owner, not Trade option. Then select the option that includes hunting (different if player has furs in the inventory "Could you make anything out of this fur that I got from hunting?" or not "Can you make clothing suitable for hunting?").



Prices for the clothes may range anywhere from 20 coins all the way up to 200 coins. For capes, you need two furs to make a single cape.

Other rewards
Other rewards include colored feathers, spikes for vambraces and bolts, wieldable harpoon, ingredients for Hunter potions, creature ranged weapons, and butterflies which raises another player's combat bonuses. See below for more information.

Hunter Areas
The Hunter areas are where players can hunt monsters. The in-game names in the Hunter guide (Interface Statistics screen) are different from RuneScape's Knowledge Base. The in-game Hunter guide location names are used in this article because they:
 * are simple to remember
 * describe the type of environment
 * match the type of camouflage outfit for the training area terrain

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 bank some of the hunted drops. Other methods of transportation are listed in the area articles.

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

Training areas
There are four training areas with many Hunter creatures. The training areas also allow a player to use many Hunter trapping methods: tracking, netting, snaring and pitfalling.

Jungle
The Feldip Jungle Hunter area is located in the southern-most part of the Feldip Hills. Players may trap Crimson Swifts here as well as Feldip Weasels, Spined Larupias, Barbtailed Kebbits, and Red Chinchompas. The area can be reached by walking from Yanille (Watchtower teleport) or from Castle Wars bank (Ring of Dueling teleport). A good method to get to the area is using the Fairy ring transportation system. From Fairy central use code AKS. Also, gnome gliders bring players just north of the hunting area.

Snow


The Trollweiss Hunter Area is located North of Rellekka. The hunter's targets here are Polar Kebbits, Cerulean Twitchs, and Snowy Knights. 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.

Woodland
The Piscatoris Woodland area is located west of the 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 which has a boat trip to shorten the trip. 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 Al Kharid Bank to Shantay Pass and walk South East to the bridge across 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, knife, and waterskins to survive in the desert.

Other Hunting Areas
There are 4 other hunting areas outside of the Hunter Training Areas. There is only one type of creature found in these locations. The Falconry has 3 types of kebbits.

While the Hunter skill may be non-combat, in some of these areas you may receive damage from some of the beasts or other dangerous monsters in the areas, especially the Wilderness area. So be careful!

Swamp
Swamp lizards are located south-east of Canifis.

Lava
There are 2 Lava locations:
 * Red Salamanders are located near the Chaos temple which is south-west 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.
 * (Note:Orange salamanders are found in the Desert Training Area.)

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 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 the falcons is 500 coins, a player cannot take them outside the 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.

Hunting Styles
There are several methods that a Hunter can use to catch prey. More advanced hunting styles are only available to more exprienced 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 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, what you do is search one of the burrows and you should see some tracks leading away from the burrow. Search nearby bushes, snow drifts, logs, tunnels, etc nearby to the end of the track. This will extend the track 4-5 times, at the end of it you will receive a message suggesting a kebbit is inside. Attack the object concerned whilst wielding a noosing wand to receive experience.

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

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 also get bones and raw beast meat.

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 lands 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 just right click lay trap again. You receive experience when taking the ensnared bird from the trap. You also get bones, raw bird meat, and colored feathers.

Right click Investigate trap - "This trap is not smoked." Level 39 hunter is needed to be 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.

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 in any one spot, 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 cannot be left unattended as they may fall over and become dropped items visible to other player a short period after falling over.

Butterfly Netting

 * Level 15+



All you need for butterfly netting, is a butterfly jar and a wielded butterfly net. 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 are low experience and best combined with some form of trapping. They have a more practical use than just gaining experience, they can be used on another players in multiple combat areas to enhance the "Warrior Combat Skills" ie. Hitpoints, Strength, Attack, Defence but only certain types increase the said skill.

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 set up a trap in the appropriate location. These seem to be excellent experience, and taking a woodcutting axe with you to the locations is recommended.

It is not yet clear if baiting a deadfall trap actually increases the success rate of the trap. If it does increase the success rate, it seems to be with a very small percentage. The bait is 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 skill level of 39).

Rabbit Snaring

 * Level 27+

As a reward from the Eagles' Peak quest, hunters can use a Rabbit snare to catch Rabbits.

Rabbits can be found just north of the Ferrets, which are in the far south part of the Woodland hunter area.

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.

An essential inventory item is a captured Ferret. First a hunter places several Rabbit snares near the Rabbit mount. Then left click a Rabbit hole and the Ferret will chase the Rabbits which can then be caught in a Rabbit snare. From the snare a hunter obtains bones, Rabbit meat and a Rabbit foot. Stringing a Rabbit foot gives 4 Crafting experience. The Strung Rabbit foot provides a significant increase in probablity to get a Bird's nest drop if it is worn during Woodcutting.

Net Trapping

 * Level 29+

Net trapping is used to trap lizards and salamanders. With a rope and 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 and is made by using the herb with 15 swamp tar with a pestle and mortar. A torch at level 39 Hunter removes the player scent from the trap to increase the catch rate.

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 Island and Trollweiss Hunting Area. Build the pit-fall trap, and then tease the relevant monster with a teasing stick. Then run back to the pit and jump over it. The creature will occasionally jump over the pit and attack you. Since creatures will not jump the same pit twice in a row, you must move to another nearby hotspot 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 armour in the Varrock fancy-dress shop. The furs may be tattered or "perfect", tattered is only suitable for bodies or legs, but perfect is suitable for head, bodies and legs. It takes 3 furs plus coins to make a set, alternatively you may sell the furs in Ardougne.

Falconry

 * Level 43+



At the northern part of the Falconer area Hunter Players can lend a Grey Falcon and a glove from the Falcon expert Matthias for a small fee of 500 coins. Random events can result in loss of the Falcon and Glove, so additional coins might be useful. With the 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 drop. 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.

The kebbits have a relatively fast respawn, which gives impressive training speed. However, competition from other falcon hunters can substantially reduce the hunter speed and adversely impact training.

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. Adding the time to drop all items yields, adds a further 20 seconds. Hence the average experience per hour is around 35,000.

Box Trapping

 * Level 53+ (27+ after completing Eagles' Peak quest)

Similar to bird snaring, box-trapping involves laying a box trap on the ground and waiting for chinchompas 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 chinchompa.

Box traps can be baited or smoked, both of which increases the rates of success for catching chinchompas. 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 during Rabbit Snaring. Left clicking the Ferret in the inventory will release the trapped animal. Trapped Chinchompa's are stackable and can be used as a multi-target ranged weapon.

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

Optional 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 exchanged for being released. Imps will not bank for you once you're past level 30 Wilderness. Players can have more than 1 boxed imp.

Creatures
Creatures by level needed to hunt.

Training
To increase your hunter effectiveness a player needs to consider:
 * Proximity -  has no effect (Noted by Jagex)
 * Clothing - wear camouflage outfits
 * Bait - may help attract prey
 * Smoke - at level 39, use a torch so prey will not smell hunter's scent on trap

There are several ways to get experience fast. These are offered as suggestions.

Quests

 * Eagles' Peak - 2500 experience

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.

Temporary Boosts

 * Hunter potion - level 53 Herblore is required. It is made with Avantoe and Kebbit teeth dust (from Sabretooth kebbit, Hunter level 51) with 120 herblore experience, temporarily raises hunter level by 3 levels.
 * Yellow Spicy stews

Cape of Achievement
For players with level 99 Hunter, a Cape of Achievement can be bought from the Hunting expert in the Jungle Training Area.

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, lizards, kebbits, and butterflies. It has now been changed back to its normal screen.



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.



Hiscores
After the first day, about 23,000 players made the Hunter hiscores with at least level 30 (13,363 xp). The highest levels were 73, 70, and 69.

After the first week, about 124,000 were on the hiscores with one 93, four 92s, one 91, and one 90.

Level 99 (13,034,431 xp) was first achieved by Darkforest67 on December 2, the 12th day after the release of the Hunter skill.

After the second week (Dec 5), about 151,000 were on the hiscores with six 99s, three 98s, one 97, five 96s, and seven 95s.

On December 8 (18th day of release), Thehate was the 14th to get to Hunter level 99 and first to get all skills level 99 with the total maximum level of 2,277.

After 7 weeks (Jan 9), about 189,400 were on hiscores with 149 level 99s.