Grizzly (RDR 2)

The Grizzly is a species of bear found in Red Dead Redemption 2. Excluding Legendary Animals and the lion, it is arguably the most dangerous animal in the game.

Description[]

The Grizzly is a very large mammal. Grizzly bears are omnivores, and their diet can vary widely. They may eat seeds, berries, roots, grasses, fungi, deer, elk, fish, dead animals and insects.

Each spring the bear marks the boundary of its territory by rubbing trees, scratching bark, or even biting large pieces from the trunks of trees.

Grizzly bears are specially adapted to survive the changing seasons. During warmer months, they eat a massive amount of food so they can live off body fat during the winter, when food is scarce.

Grizzlies are massive animals. They have concave faces, a distinctive hump on their shoulders, and long claws about two to four inches long. Both the hump and the claws are traits associated with a grizzly bear's exceptional digging ability. Grizzlies are often dark brown, but can vary from very light cream to black. The long guard hairs on their backs and shoulders frequently have white tips and give the bears a "grizzled" appearance, hence the name "grizzly."

Behavior[]

Unlike the timid Black Bear, Grizzlies are extremely territorial and aggressive, usually charging at the player even if they are on horseback. If on foot, the bear will sometimes tackle the player before killing them, and initiating button prompts that must be pressed in order to survive.

While both species of bears are extremely solitary, it is especially rare to come across two Grizzlies near each other, possibly as a result of their own territorial nature.

Location[]

Big Valley
- Hawks Eye Creek
- Little Creek River^[1]
- Vetter's Echo: one will attack the player as soon as they enter the shack for the first time.
- Wallace Station (northwest of)
Grizzlies West
- Barrow Lagoon
- Cairn Lake: a random encounter south of it involves a Hunter who lost his friend to a bear. The player will be asked to search for the friend and find the body pinned to a rock. Upon returning and informing the hunter, he will go see himself and be attacked by the bear.
Cattail Pond^[2]
- Whinyard Strait
Grizzlies East
- Dakota River (west of Valentine and south of Granite Pass)
- Donner Falls (east of): a random encounter of a man who is hunting a Grizzly; after about a minute, the bear will appear and attack the Hunter.
- O'Creagh's Run
- Fairvale Shanty
Tall Trees

Challenges[]

The Rank 5 Master Hunter Challenge requires the player to skin three Black or Grizzly Bears.
The Rank 10 Weapons Expert Challenge requires killing a Grizzly Bear with only throwing knives.

Tips[]

The easiest way to take down an animal of this size is with a rifle with either High Velocity or Express Bullets.
Bear meat, fat and claws can be used for food or materials to craft with. These can also be sold to the Trapper or any butcher.
You can cook the Big Game meal from hunting it.
At the trapper with the perfect pelt of a Grizzly Bear you can craft a Bear Dakota Saddle and a Bear Batwing Chaps.
If a Grizzly charges the player while on foot, one option is to simply stand still without moving, aiming or shooting. The bear will mock-charge, stop short to roar at them, and eventually lose interest. This is actually similar to how most survival experts recommend avoiding a Black Bear attack in real life, but not a Grizzly attack.

Compendium[]

Grizzly Bears are endemic to Grizzlies East. As an omnivore, its diet ranges from berries, roots, and grasses to deer, elk, fish, and carrion. The easiest way to take down an animal of this size is with a rifle with either High Velocity or Express Bullets. Bear meat, fat and claws can be used for food or materials to craft with.^[3]

Trivia[]

The "minigame" required to survive a bear attack is a possible reference to the 2015 film The Revenant, in which Leonardo DiCaprio's character gets brutally assaulted by a grizzly bear but survives by stabbing it in the neck, in the same manner as portrayed in-game.