Five Things Way of the Hunter Taught Me About Hunting

Way of the Hunter is an interesting example of the hunting simulator genre. While not unique, it does offer a view into the ethics of the pastime and how it can be a force for good for the environment. While the success of this goal is not clear-cut,  as I discussed in my review, playing the game did give me insight into hunting as a whole. To put these insights into practice, here are five things the game taught me, a complete hunting novice, about the vocation:

1. Patience, Patience, Patie- oooh a squirrel

There are no two ways about it, if you want to hunt something in the wild, you will need to be patient. Though we humans pretend to be the superior race with our bipedal legs and our big brains, animals can be pretty crafty: even the smallest crunch of leaves or crack of twigs will clear out most of your immediate area. If you want to be successful, you may find that the best approach is no approach. Find yourself an elevated spot, sit down, and wait. If you're lucky, your target may come to you!

2. Use The Right Weapon

The choice of weapon may seem obvious to some; just pick anything that goes pew, and you're good to go! The reality can be vastly different, as the animal you are hunting goes a long way to determining what kind of arms you'll need. For example, if you are hunting ducks or other fowl, a shotgun is your friend, but try it on a deer, and you may end up with less-than-stellar results. If that wasn't difficult enough, choosing within a weapon group may be a Heraclean task in itself: in addition to pure stopping power (yes, one rifle may topple a deer, but not a moose), but also the type of ammunition used is a major factor that I learned to my detriment. In the game, I bought a really expensive and cool rifle, only to realise the type of ammo was meant for very close quarters, much closer than I got to anything alive. Whoops. So, consider what you are hunting and what you need out of it: do you want it dead, for dinner, or in the den?

3. AIM

Look, this one should be obvious, right? Wrong. If there is one thing Way of the Hunter is specific about, it's how an animal reacts to a hit; hit an animal in the heart, and it's down in an instant. Miss by a hair, and it's running off into the wilderness before finally giving up the ghost, so to speak. As ethical hunting is a big theme in the game, a lot of emphasis is placed on minimising the suffering of your quarry. If you puncture a lung, you will have to experience how far an animal will get. When it first happened to me, I was shocked and felt horrible. While not fun, it did teach me to think about what I'm aiming at, and if you feel the deer, digital or otherwise, shouldn't matter, there is also the fact that you may never find where the critter ran in its final moments. Take aim, shoot true.

4. Look, Listen, Learn

This point is more of a companion to #1 than an independent point in its own right, but it's important nonetheless. When roaming your preferred hunting grounds, it is important to keep all your senses active; as discussed, it is very likely any animal you are hunting will know about you before you see a single tuft of fur or feather. However, if you keep your eyes open, you will see signs of their passing, be it a sapling stripped of its bark, some droppings, or even just fresh footprints! In addition to telling you about what you may have as company, it will also tell you about the animals' habits: where they sleep, where they eat, and so on. Additionally, keep a sharp ear out for the sounds of the forest, as birdsong and the lack of it may be an indicator in itself. That or you accidentally pulled the trigger while threatening and aggressive shrubbery.

5. Not Everything is a Target

Finally, not every animal you see needs to be conquered. This is a point I appreciated in Way of the Hunter: sometimes it's better to let a promising young buck turn into a magnificent adult instead of taking it down as is. Additionally, picking out the weaker members of a herd can help keep their health and gene pool at a higher level, encouraging positive development! It probably won't be a matter of high-speed eugenics like in the game, but considering more than the size of the trophy when hunting can lead to more positive results down the line. That and if you hunt every male within the local environment, I have bad news about your future hunting endeavours.

And there you have it, five (hopefully) more or less interesting tips and concepts I picked up by playing a fun little game about hunting meese. I hope you found these insights interesting or at least laughed at one of my awful jokes. Were the things I learned correct, or am I spouting nonsense like a high-speed game of Scrabble? Let us know in the comments!