You've finally lassoed that slippery ranch hand, Chick Matthews. He’s terrified, babbling about a debt he owes the Van der Linde gang, and he hands you a crumpled piece of paper. This is the chicks treasure map location clue, and if you’re like most players, you probably looked at the sketch and thought, "Great, another tree in a forest of ten thousand trees."
Honestly, it’s kinda frustrating.
Red Dead Redemption 2 loves to be vague, but this map is your introduction to the entire treasure hunting mechanic. If you don't find it, you don't get the debt money for Strauss, and you definitely don't get that satisfying "mission complete" notification. Most people get turned around because the map doesn't have a waypoint. You have to actually use your eyes. Imagine that.
Where is Chick's Treasure Map Location Exactly?
The "treasure" isn't gold bars like the Jack Hall Gang or High Stakes maps. It’s a debt payment. To find the chicks treasure map location, you need to head just a bit north of where you caught Chick. Specifically, you're looking for a spot in the Heartlands, New Hanover.
Basically, look for Guthrie Farm. It’s south of the Heartland Overflow. Once you have the map, a yellow search area appears on your radar, but it's pretty wide. You’re looking for a very specific, very large tree with a hollowed-out knot in the trunk.
It’s tucked away in a small cluster of trees. If you’re riding toward Moonstone Pond from the farm, you'll see it. It looks exactly like the drawing: a massive, thick-trunked tree that stands out from the skinnier ones around it. Walk up to the northern side of that trunk. You should see a prompt to "Search." Arthur will reach into the hole and pull out a bundle of cash. Debt settled.
The Glitch That Confuses Everyone
There is a huge misconception that this map leads to a secret stash of gold. It doesn't. Because this is a mission-specific item for "Money Lending and Other Sins," the map often stays in your inventory even after you’ve grabbed the money.
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This leads to players coming back hours later, looking at the map, and thinking they missed something. "Why is the map still here?" they ask on Reddit. "Is there a second treasure?"
Nope.
If you already searched the tree during the mission, the hole will be empty. The game just doesn't always clear the map from your satchel. It’s one of those weird RDR2 quirks. Also, if you wait too long to go to the chicks treasure map location, some players have reported the mission can "grey out" or become unavailable until you reload a save. Don't sit on it. Just go get the cash immediately after Chick gives you the slip of paper.
Decoding the Sketch: What You’re Looking For
The drawing itself is pretty simple, but the landmarks are what matter. It shows a large tree with a hole, a smaller tree nearby, and some rolling hills in the background.
- The Region: The Heartlands (New Hanover).
- The Landmark: A massive, ancient-looking tree.
- The Specific Spot: The hollow is on the back side of the tree (away from the farm).
If you’re having trouble, use your Eagle Eye. Sometimes the "interaction" spark is hard to see in the bright daylight of the plains. I’ve seen people walk around that tree for ten minutes straight without the prompt popping up because they weren't standing at the exact right angle.
Why This Map Actually Matters for Your Playthrough
While this isn't the most lucrative hunt in the game—you're only getting a few bucks to cover a debt—it’s the tutorial for the big stuff. Understanding how to match the horizon lines in a sketch to the actual horizon in the game world is a skill you’ll need for the Poisonous Trail and the Otis Miller maps later on.
One thing to keep in mind: if you're playing as John in the Epilogue and you never finished this mission as Arthur, you might be out of luck. Most of Strauss’s debt missions are locked to the early chapters. If you missed it, you missed it.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Hunt
- Don't kill Chick immediately: Lasso him, loot him, then decide his fate. If you kill him too early without getting the map, you might have to search his body, which feels way less cool than a high-speed chase.
- Check your satchel: If you think you’ve lost the map, it’s under the "Documents" tab, then "Treasure Maps."
- Watch the weather: The Heartlands get foggy. If it’s soup out there, wait until noon. It’s much easier to spot a specific tree when you can actually see more than ten feet in front of your horse.
Once you’ve cleared the chicks treasure map location, you’ve officially started your career as a treasure hunter. From here, you should head up to Cairn Lake to start the Poisonous Trail or find the strange map at Reed’s Map. The world is full of hidden loot, and most of it is worth a lot more than Chick Matthews’ lunch money.
Go back to camp and put that debt money in the tithing box. It’s the only way to get those camp upgrades moving so you can finally get fast travel and better supplies.