For Purely Scientific Purposes

 is a mission in Red Dead Redemption.

Story
Nastas has set up a meeting with some of Dutch's men, for what MacDougal claims will be "a meeting of the minds: Indians and whites, academics and criminals coming together to find a common understanding!" Marston will accompany the Professor and Nastas to what turns out to be a set-up. Sadly, Nastas is killed in the ambush, and John must fight through the remaining gang members to escort MacDougal safely back to Blackwater.

Mission Prerequisites
Before this mission becomes avaialble, the player must complete:
 * Harold MacDougal mission: "At Home with Dutch"

Mission Objectives
To complete this mission, the player must:
 * Ride with Nastas and Harold MacDougal to Bearclaw Camp.
 * Kill the grizzly bear encountered en route.
 * Fight off Dutch's Gang at the cabin.
 * Defend MacDougal on the ride back to Blackwater.

Mission Details
Get on a horse and follow Nastas and the Professor to Bearclaw Camp. About halfway there, a grizzly bear attempts to cross the road. The professor begins shooting at the bear and it turns hostile, forcing the player to kill it. After taking care of the bear, move along until you reach the final destination.

Once you reach the cabin, you'll meet with three of Dutch Van Der Linde's men. They pull their guns on Marston and his companions, in spite of the Professor repeating that they've come in peace. When Nastas tries to talk to the Native American, he's called a traitor and shot in the face. Marston will pull his gun and kill all three men. The men outside will turn hostile, and Marston will have to kill them all.

Once you've finished that, get on your horse and follow MacDougal back to Blackwater. You'll be attacked by two groups of Dutch's gang on horseback. Take them out and accompany MacDougal to his office.

Mission Failure
The mission will fail if the player:
 * Assaults, kills or abandons Nastas or MacDougal.
 * Kills Nastas's or MacDougal's horse.
 * Assault or kill any gangster prematurely.
 * Breaks the law.
 * Kills a dog.
 * Commits vandalism.
 * Assaults or kills townsfolk.
 * Dies.

Tips

 * Because the bear you encounter during this mission is not initially aggressive, it is easy to approach with a knife to kill for the Master Hunter Challenges Rank 8. Let MacDougal shoot it a few times and then try to approach it from behind.
 * If you have already completed this mission and you didn't knife the bear, you can replay the mission from MENU>STATS>MISSIONS.

Trivia

 * Sometimes the bear you encounter in this mission can be Brumas the Bear (confirmed 360/PS3). However, if you skin the bear, you will get regular grizzly meat, heart etc. Not Brumas's meat, fur, teeth, claw and heart.
 * Strangely, if you shoot and kill Nastas's horse after he is killed, you will still fail the mission.
 * MacDougal and Nastas's horses are extremely fast in this mission, even faster than the American Standardbred, making it very hard to keep up with them.
 * This is one of the only times you see a character holding a gun in each hand, besides Marshal Johnson carrying a revolver in either hand much earlier in the game.
 * This is the only mission in which MacDougal will use his gun.

Video
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