Grizzly bear

The  is an animal found in Red Dead Redemption. They are arguably the toughest, meanest and most dangerous animals in the game, easily comparable to Cougars who have a speed advantage. They are large predatory animals found in Tall Trees.

Description
Like all animals, they can be killed, skinned and traded for large amounts of money at General Stores throughout the game. A bear can be identified in-game by its loud growl, and by its panting, thumping sound when running. In singleplayer, 2 strikes from a bear can kill Marston, and one strike is enough in multiplayer. After killing a bear, chances are another one to six will show up responding to the gunshots or the dead bear's scent. This can be paradise for a hunter, but when trying to get out of a bad situation this can be extremely annoying and risky. Also, the player should be well equipped with ammo, if this were to happen. This can also lead to a deadly chain reaction where possibly 20+ bears will come to the area hunting you.

There are two types of Bears in the game: a lighter colored kind (Brown bear) and a darker grey kind (Grizzly bear). The darker bears will take a few more shots than the lighter kind, sometimes taking up to three buffalo rifle shots in the body before dying. When it is dead, it is recommended to wait until two or three more come and kill them off, because even though while the player skins they are impervious to attack, the bears will sometimes wait until you are immediately done to strike and Marston will still lose health. Note that there is also a Undead Bear version that can be found in Undead Nightmare.

Locations
Bears are usually found in common locations like:
 * The snow capped area of Tall Trees.
 * Sometimes bears are found drinking from the rivers in Tall Trees.
 * Wandering around Manzanita Post during the afternoon. They will not be attacked by the residents.
 * Directly east of Manzanita Post, sometimes in packs. Also take the road north out of Manzanita Post where the land begins to flatten out on the left (west) there are usually bears (3) in that area.
 * Anywhere in the wooded area of Tall Trees.
 * Around Bearclaw Camp.
 * West of Wreck of the Serendipity. Bears can also be found in the marsh surronding the Wreck of the Serendipity with the help of bait although this is rare.
 * Grizzly Bears frequently spawn on the hill above the riverbank east of Nekoti Rock.
 * The surrounding area of Beecher's Hope.
 * Bears sometimes spawn on the little stretch of land west of the Aurora Basin cabin. If possible, retreat into the cabin, but keep a good eye on the door. The bear will not follow you inside, so you can shoot it easily.
 * When fully zoomed out of the map, there is a spot underneath the A and L of Tall Trees. In that area, when you shoot one bear, another one will spawn and try to attack you. Using a powerful gun, you can kill them repeatedly.
 * Bears have been spotted east of the Wreck of the Serendipity near the boat when using bait, though this may not be common.
 * Sometimes, while crossing the train bridge near Montana Ford, a bear can be seen chasing a man in the New Austin side.
 * Bears have been found inside the farm at Beecher's Hope, and if killed will continue to respawn untill the player either saves, leaves the area or dies, however this is rare.
 * Can be found in the Great Plains on extremely rare occasions. More commonly, if you put bait near the forest area right outside of Beecher's Hope near the Great Plains, one or two bears will come running to attack you directly.

One Shot kill
You can kill a bear in one shot, right in the middle of its eyes, using these weapons:
 * Buffalo Rifle
 * Bolt-Action Rifle
 * Carcano Rifle
 * Shotgun (The Pump-action and Semi-auto are best, and even then it's best to wait for it to get close before you shoot. Multiple panic shots to ensure it's dead are perfectly understandable in the circumstances, and if you kill it with the first you still get the challenges).
 * Tomahawk
 * Throwing Knives
 * Explosive Rifle
 * Dynamite
 * Rolling Block Rifle
 * Springfield Rifle

On foot

 * The player runs slightly faster than the bear.
 * Bears may be big, but they make almost no sound (however, they do breathe very heavily). When alone, it is recommended to turn off your music, walk slowly, and listen carefully.
 * If the player climbs onto a rock or boulder, neither bears nor cougars can reach them. However, before climbing back down, ensure there are no predatory animals in the area, as they tend to travel in packs and make almost no noise.
 * It is impossible to block a bear attack with the knife block feature

General Tips

 * Listen for their easy-to-hear growl just before the attack.
 * It may take two headshots to kill a bear.


 * For faster skinning, park your horse directly above the bear and get off. If done correctly, It should prompt you to skin animal. You will get all provisions from the bear without going into the skinning animation. It takes practice, but can drastically reduce the time it takes to skin a bear. This works for all animals and corpse, but not herbs.

(NOTE: Bears tend to spawn in 3's. Upon dispatching the first, remain still and rotate camera 360 degrees. If no more appear within 1-2 minutes, you can usually skin your kill in relative safety.)
 * Downloading the free single player outfits DLC and unlocking the Expert Hunter Outfit will double the resources you get from all animals, including bears.
 * Throwing Knives and Tomahawk are almost always a one-hit kill when hit in the face.
 * Using a stagecoach, cart or any similar vehicle ensures safety from predation, as all animals -- from beavers to bears -- will not only leave you alone, they sometimes flee.
 * After killing a bear, the chances of meeting another bear quickly (and dramatically) increase. It is quite probable that after killing one or more bears, you will be faced by almost unending waves of bears, this can be very profitable and you might be able to earn Bearly Legal in one session if this occurs. Needless to say, however, that this is also a very dangerous situation. This is probably a bug, as Rockstar obviously did not mean for bears to be "cannon fodder" so there are usually only about 3 or 4 bears at one point in the whole of Tall Trees, however in this situation they are all attacking you!
 * The situation referenced above can become incredibly dangerous when hunting more than one bear at a time. There have been several reported instances of players triggering a nearly unending rush of bears when they encountered, and subsequently killed, a small family of bears just southeast of Tanner's Reach. The end result was a pile of upwards of twenty-five grizzly bears -- and one thoroughly shaken hunter.
 * Hunting bears just south of Beecher's Hope can prove to be extremely dangerous as well, since it is an open area and bears must spawn behind the player.
 * Having a Bolt-Action Rifle can be very helpful because of 1-shot headshots in dead-eye mode. (NOTE: please refer to One Shot Kill section for other weapons)
 * When fully zoomed in near Tall Trees the 'o' of Nekoti in Nekoti Rock the part of path that goes up and then back down there should be a bear once you kill it another one will appear and so on.
 * If there are two bears kill one as fast as possible because once one knocks you down the other one will come and kill you while you are down.
 * Shotgun blasts at close range always work.
 * If there is a dead bear next to you and another one is charging you, if you skin the dead bear the charging bear will either walk away or disappear.
 * Make sure you set up camp after skinning around 10 bears, because when a bear kills you you lose all your bear provisions.
 * If you just killed a grizzly get back on your horse so when another bear comes you run to a safe distance faster and you have extra protection.
 * A good technique to safely hunt bears involves going in the Aurora Basin, which stays shallow for a fairly long way out, that way the bears cannot get you and its quick to get in and out of, which is usefulll incase others show up while skinning, and the water kills them should to come in.
 * A good way to save your progress when killing bears is to purchase 2 horse deeds (The breed doesn't matter) and after you skin every bear, select one of the deed in your satchel. This automatically saves your game.
 * During "Spare The Love, Spoil The Child", it is possible to get the bear stuck inside its cave. This allows the player to easily stab the bear and earn rank eight for the Master Hunter Challenges.

Melee killing
There are a few ways to kill a bear with a knife:
 * You can use a rifle or repeater and shoot it around three times in its body, which should in turn make them weak enough to finish them off with the hunting knife. Another great way is to shoot it once in the head (not in the eyes) with the Henry Repeater, as this should weaken it enough to allow a one-hit kill with the knife.
 * Three shots to the bear's body with the Semi-auto Shotgun should make him die with one swing of the knife.
 * This is also a usefull tactic: Place bait at Aurora Basin, equip the knife, and stand on the edge of the bank. The bear will charge you knocking both of you into the water and he can't fight or get out, just walk up and knife him. In multiplayer, a very easy way to kill a bear with a knife to get "Spartan Survival" is get on your horse and run to the side and slash with your knife. This may takes a few slashes.
 * Shooting the bear seven times in the feet with the LeMat Revolver will weaken the bear just enough to be able to kill it using the knife.
 * If you want to perform a melee kill on a bear in "true John Marston-fashion", lock on to a charging bear with your combat knife (NOTE: in this instance, timing is everything). Be patient and hold your ground. Center your screen on the bear's head. Once the bear comes just close enough to almost touch you, swing your combat knife. If done correctly, you will kill it with one clean slash across the bear's face. If not, you will most likely die, so having previously saved your game in Manzanita Post is a good idea. One may practice the required timing in multiplayer, making it easier for your single-player challenge.
 * One famous bear spawn point in multiplayer is Bearclaw Camp. This location just happens to have a large road in the middle that often has one or more persons walking or on horse back. If a bear gets too close, it will charge them. However, the horseback rider will not fight back and will attempt to outrun the bear. This becomes an excellent chance to strike. At this instance, you may sneak up on the bear while it is charging the horse. If you can get at least three quick stabs, the bear will die before it has a chance to even turn around.
 * If you are struggling to melee kill a bear for the Master Hunter challenge, be aware that there are three separate missions in West Elizabeth (At Home with Dutch, For Purely Scientific Reasons, and Spare the Love, Spoil the Child) that involve facing off versus a bear. All of these missions "checkpoint" you immediately before the appearance of the bear.
 * Bears get confused and scared when you lasso them, making them flee instead of attacking, so shoot your bear a few times to weaken it, then lasso it. While holding the rope, get up behind the bear and stab it a few times. This will allow for a relatively safe bear hunting session, and is also an easy way to complete the Master Hunter Challenge that requires you to kill a bear with a knife.
 * One good way to kill a bear involves stocking up on medicine. Get 5 medicines and then save your game. After that, go to Tall Trees and look for a bear. When you see a bear, get off your horse and let the bear hit you one time. Immediately press select/back and use medicine. As soon as you are able, run towards the bear, get behind him and start slashing. It is very easy to keep running around and stay behind the bear and slash at this point. You should be able to kill it with no problems. You probably won't need more than two doses of medicine, as bears turn slowly and only attack face-on.
 * Another way is to equip a knife while riding a horse. Simply ride around and slash at the bears. With the horse, you gain a large speed advantage, so you can ride up to the bears, slash-attack and get to a safe distance where the bear cannot attack you. Simply repeat this process of hit-and-run until the bear dies. Althought, should one attack your horse, it will die in a single attack and you will be left vunerable and unable to move for a good 2 seconds, enough to be killed.
 * Another good way to kill a bear is to be on foot and start to chase it. While it is running around call your horse and try to get close to the bear, it will attack your horse instead of you. This is another easy way to complete the Master Hunter Challenge that requires you to kill a bear with a knife.
 * To use 2 techniques in one attack try to kill the bear in one slice in the head with the right timing and if the bear pounces on you use your medicine straight away and then turn around to slice again and that should scare the bear to make it easier to kill.
 * Be aware when you knife a bear one time, he will start to run away , this makes the Master Hunter Challenge very hard.
 * Another good way is shoot the bear 5-6 times with the winchester repeater in the body, but no more as 7 WILL kill it, then knife it when ever you can

Weapon recommendation

 * Some players recommend Buffalo Rifle, Henry Repeater, Springfield Rifle, Bolt-Action Rifle, Mauser Pistol, Semi-auto Shotgun or Evans Repeater in killing Bears. Explosive Rifle can also be used but you won't be able to skin it. A good all purpose weapon to use against a bear is the LeMat Revolver. It has a good capacity and is more than powerful enough to kill a bear, if you aim for the head.


 * It is recommended to wait to skin your kills until all spawned bears (usually at least 3) have been dealt with. Once they have been slain, you will likely complete two skinnings before another grizzly shows up.


 * For the Sharpshooter Challenge, use a Buffalo Rifle, Bolt Action Rifle or a Springfield Rifle coupled with Dead-Eye to hit the bear in the head when it is dangerously close. Alternatively, equip the Carcano Rifle and find a bear in the snow-capped region of Tall Trees. Make sure to spot it at a distance. Charge toward the bear until it sees you, or if he is facing away, fire a shot into the air, which will make the bear charge. Once it does, view it through your sniper scope and enter Dead-Eye mode, making sure to target between his eyes. This should result in a one-shot kill with a direct hit.


 * In Bearclaw Camp, there is a broken house that you can visit. When you go in, bears will attack but cannot enter the house. This is a good way to snipe bears as they will often rear for a few seconds. This allows enough time to fire a shot into their forehead.


 * In multiplayer, killing enough bears releases the legendary bear, Brumas. He features lighter-brown fur and sports a scar across his right eye.

Trivia

 * Sometimes when encountering and killing a Bear, multiple others will respond and perhaps as many as 30 Bears may respond in wave-like fashion. Exploiting such occurances can give the player huge amounts of money and quickly become a curse or a blesssing.
 * When skinned, the bear has the same model as other large animals like cattle and the buffalo.
 * Bears will rear in front of you if enter a spot where they can not attack you. For example, standing on a rock or a structure. (However, there is an occasional glitch where the bear will stand on its hind legs and still not attack the player.)
 * There are undead bears in the Undead Nightmare DLC pack.
 * If confronted by two or more bears and the player kills one, the other bear(s) will flee. (Rare)
 * The goods recovered from a single Bear when skinned will sell for a total of well over $100 in Mexico.
 * Sharpshooter rank 7 of singleplayer requires you to kill 3 bears, each with 1 bullet. Some may find this confusing and believe it requires one to kill 3 bears by shooting the gun once. However, it means kill 3 bears using 1 bullet for each bear. The best way to achieve this is to visit the Tall Trees area and shoot the bear in the head with a powerful repeater or rifle. (Example: The Buffalo Rifle coupled with Dead-Eye mode also works.) NOTE: The game counts buckshot as more than one bullet.
 * If using bait to lure animals in West Elizabeth, be cautious as you may attract a bear. (NOTE: Bears do not attack only in the woods. You may get assaulted out in the Great Plains, but this is a rarity (It could be a bug, or simply the character's proximity to the woods.))
 * In real life, bears act nothing like they do in the game. In reality, bears will only attack if threatened, and are territorial (this trait does appear and is commented on in one mission, when Harold MacDougal sees a passive bear and begins shooting at it in panic, provoking the bear to attack and earning him scorn from Nastas). They are also usually seen alone.
 * Although grizzly bears are also the most aggressive form of bears in real life, they will only attack if they're starving, threatened or their cub is threatened.
 * In real life, bears will usually ignore humans and move away from them if they make loud noises. On most occasions in the game, bears will only attack the player if charged or taken by surprise in the forest. However, being taken by surprise may include walking past it without you noticing thus causing a seemingly unprovoked attack.
 * In Single Player mode, it usually takes two hits from a bear to die if your health is full. Although in Multiplayer, they can kill you in one hit every time. This is true for cougars as well.
 * In singleplayer, if someone runs into a bear in a settlement (usually Manzanita Post or Beecher's Hope) the bears will not attack, as they are scripted to be peaceful in these locations.
 * This is not only for bears; this is also true for wolves and cougars in Beecher's Hope: around the ranch there are sometimes wolves that are walking and won't attack the player and rather flee if the player gets close to them and sometimes even cougars will do so. This can continue for a full day in the game.
 * There are tons of bears in north of Manzanita Post, especially at night.
 * When completing the Master Hunter Challenge Rank 8 (Kill a bear with your melee knife and collect its pelt), it is advised to lasso the bear, then immediately charge with your knife. If hit by the Grizzly, immediate use of medicine is advisable.
 * Replay the mission "At Home with Dutch" after completing the storyline. Kill the bear and go to the checkpoint where the cougar is, kill the cougar and step in the checkpoint. Don't go to the next checkpoint but jump off to the cliff to commit suicide. Select "Retry from checkpoint" and you will now spawn back at the cougar spot. The bear however is back alive. Descend to the bear location. The bear is now tame and won't attack you, he will just stand there and walk around. The bear will not even attack you if you shoot/punch it. The bear is also heavily prone to getting stuck in this area.
 * A 100% healthy bear can survive more than 15 knife slashes, so it is definitely recommended that you shoot the bear first then knife kill it for Master Hunter Rank 8.
 * Bears will flee if they're injured too much.
 * On the road near Tanners Reach go to the point where the road splits in three directions and take the left hand junction, then carry on untill you reach a mini snowy valley opening into a large plain. Place down bait and wait on your horse untill two bears will show up. Let them kill your horse and dispatch the bears with buffalo rifle head shots and then skin the bears. After that, find a good safe vantage point to snipe from. After killing a few bears re-bait over the corpses of one of the skinned bears (trust me this works) and go back to your sniping position carry on repeating these steps until you have enough bear products. Then set up camp save then fast travel to Escalera to sell your wares. Repeat as many times as necessary.
 * In Multiplayer, if you ram a bear with a Super Bull about 20 times, you will kill the bear
 * If a player spends too long trying to kill a Bear (ex. Master Hunter Challenges), it is more than likely that another bear will spawn in the area, then another one after that, creating a domino effect, and can result in 8+ bears at once.
 * It is suggested that you hunt bears during the day, as the darker colored bears can be much harder to spot and can easily approach the player from behind.
 * Sometimes, on very rare occasions, while hunting in the day in Tall Trees, the player might come across a whole colony of bears composed of somewhere between 7 to 12 bears. Although this is rare, the player should always have a fast mount, strong weapon and lots of medicine and deadeye refilling goods like Snake Oil and Moonshine. If the player feels daring enough and lucky enough, engaging the bears and continually killing them and skinning them can yield a lot of Bear Fur and Bear teeth which can be very lucrative and profitable as the bears will continually respawn in the area. However, it is advised to always stay on your guard while skinning the bears as once Marston stands up after the animation, he may be attacked by a Bear behind him because of the high number of bears. He should also keep a close eye on his horse when dismounting as its very likely for the Horse to be killed.
 * When using bait in the place south of Blackwater on the South-east corner of West-Elizabeth, it is possible for a bear to seemingly come out of nowhere.
 * Sometimes, during multiplayer, a bear may spawn near MacFarlane's Ranch.
 * Sometimes, when you go through Tall Trees on Single Player, you will see wolves chasing and attacking a bear. Either the bear will kill all the wolves or the wolves will eventually kill the bear. If the bear kills the wolves, shoot and kill the bear, skin, and skin the wolf pack. But if the wolves kill the bear, shoot and kill the wolf pack, skin them, and then skin the bear.
 * When chasing the player, bears are programmed to stop and turn around upon reaching the border of Tall Trees. However, in some instances bears may spawn on the wrong side of the border, i.e. in the Great Plains, and Hennigan's Stead on rare occasions. This allows for the bear to chase the player anywhere within the confines of that region, which can prove to be entertaining, especially when said bear runs amok in Blackwater.
 * Sometimes in Tall Trees a group of wolves can be seen attacking and killing a bear - much to most player's suprise.

Achievements/Trophies
There are two available achievements/trophies involving the hunting of Bears.

Videos
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