You've probably spent hours staring at that hand-drawn map Hosea gave Arthur back in Chapter 2, squinting at the little scribbles of bears and elk. It's a nice touch for immersion, sure, but as a navigational tool? It's kind of garbage. If you're trying to figure out where are all the legendary animals in rdr2, you’ve likely realized that the game doesn’t exactly hold your hand once you ride into the general vicinity.
There are 16 of these beasts in total. Most people think they can just ride to a icon and start shooting. Nope. You’ll often get that annoying notification saying "there is too much activity in the area" because a random NPC decided to ride by on a donkey, or you’ll wander in circles for twenty minutes because you can’t find the first yellow "pollen" cloud in Eagle Eye.
Hunting these isn't just about the pelt. Honestly, it’s about the trinkets. You want that Buck Antler Trinket as early as possible because it literally saves your skin—well, the animal’s skin—by giving you a better chance at higher-quality pelts from regular hunts.
Let's break down where these things are actually hiding.
The Early Game Heavy Hitters
Most of these are available the moment you finish "Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego" in Chapter 2. You don’t need to wait.
The Bharati Grizzly Bear is the one that nearly turned Arthur into a rug during that mission with Hosea. He's up in Grizzlies East, just north of O'Creagh's Run. If you didn't kill him during the mission, he's still there. He is massive. Use a shotgun with slugs or a high-powered rifle. Don't try to be fancy with a bow unless you're a masochist.
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Down in Big Valley, northwest of Strawberry, you'll find the Legendary Buck. This is the one I mentioned earlier. It’s tucked away in the Black Bone Forest. It’s skittish. If it catches your scent, it's gone, and you’ll be tracking it through thick trees which is a total nightmare.
Over by Lake Isabella in the snow, you’ve got the White Bison. Everyone goes here for the White Arabian horse, but the Bison is the real prize for that Stamina Core trinket. It usually hangs out on the northern shore. Since everything is white, finding the yellow tracks in Eagle Eye is actually easier than in the forest, but the cold will drain your health if you aren't wearing that heavy bear-skin coat you hopefully made.
The Swamp and the Woods
- Legendary Beaver: South of the Elysian Pool, west of Van Horn. It’s basically at a dam. It’s the easiest kill in the game. You could probably kick it to death, but just use a Varmint Rifle.
- Legendary Boar: North of Saint Denis in Bluewater Marsh. It’s a bright, almost white-looking pig. It doesn't really fight back, it just runs into the mud.
- Legendary Wolf: Right in the middle of the geysers at Cotorra Springs. This area is cool because of the steam, but the wolf is aggressive. It'll come for your throat the second you find the third clue.
- Legendary Elk: East of Bacchus Station in the woods. It’s huge and white. Easy to spot, but it has a massive flight radius.
The Ones That Make You Wait
You can’t just 100% this list in Chapter 2. Rockstar locked some of these behind story progression or specific challenges, which is a bit of a bummer if you're trying to be a completionist early on.
The Legendary Bullgator is the big one. Literally. You cannot hunt this monster until you reach Chapter 6. People will tell you it's Chapter 4—they're wrong. You see it in Chapter 4 during a mission, but it won't spawn for hunting until later. It's in the swamps of Bayou Nwa, just west of Lakay. Bring explosive slugs. I'm serious. This thing is a tank and will kill you in one hit.
Then there’s the Legendary Panther (Giaguaro). This is the hardest one to get. It won't even show up on your map until you complete Master Hunter Challenge 9. Once you've done that, it spawns in the woods south of Bolger Glade (near Shady Belle). This thing doesn't wait for you to find it. It hunts you. The second you investigate that third clue, it's usually mid-air leaping at your neck.
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The New Austin Trio
If you're playing as Arthur and trying to get into New Austin, you're going to have a bad time. The "invisible sniper" or the endless waves of Lawmen will get you. These three are intended for the Epilogue.
The Legendary Cougar is out in Gaptooth Ridge, west of Tumbleweed. Like the panther, it’s fast. Like, really fast. Use Dead Eye the second you hear a hiss.
The Legendary Tatanka Bison is in Hennigan's Stead, south of Stillwater Creek. It looks like the bison from the first game. It’s a tank, but it’s not aggressive.
The Legendary Pronghorn is roaming Rio Del Lobo Rock. It’s basically a fancy goat. It’s the fastest animal on this list, so if you don't drop it with a long-range rifle shot immediately, you'll be chasing it halfway to Mexico.
Why You Keep Getting "Too Much Activity"
This is the most frustrating part of the hunt. You ride all the way to the top of the map for the Legendary Moose (which is at the tip-top of Roanoke Ridge, by the waterfall), and the game tells you that you can't hunt it.
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Usually, it's because there's a random encounter nearby. Maybe a Murfree Brood trap or a camper. Sometimes it’s just because your horse is too close to the clue site. Ride away, sleep at a camp for 24 hours, and come back. Also, check if there's a bounty on your head. Hunters in the area will block the legendary animal from spawning every single time.
Quick Reference for the Rest
- Legendary Coyote: Scarlett Meadows, north of Rhodes. It’s in the red dirt hills.
- Legendary Fox: Just north of the fence in Rhodes, near Mattock Pond.
- Legendary Bighorn Ram: West of Valentine, right by Cattail Pond. It likes the rocky hillsides.
Actionable Tips for the Hunt
If you want to actually survive these encounters and get the pelts to the Trapper, keep these things in mind:
- Weaponry doesn't matter for quality: This is the biggest misconception. You cannot "ruin" a legendary pelt. You can blast the Legendary Wolf with a dynamite arrow and the pelt will still be "Legendary" and perfect. Use your strongest guns.
- The Trapper is your best friend: If you kill the animal but lose the pelt (like if you die or drop it in a river), don't panic. The pelt automatically goes to the Trapper. You lose the money from selling it, but you can still craft the gear.
- Trinkets vs. Talismans: Kill the animal, skin it, then go to a Fence. They are the ones who turn the "Legendary Heart" or "Legendary Tooth" into trinkets that give you permanent stat boosts.
- Manual Save: Before you enter the territory, save your game. If you mess up the hunt or the animal kills you, it can take several in-game days for it to "respawn" in the area. Loading a save is much faster.
Once you've cleared the map of these 16, head over to the Trapper near Saint Denis or the one in the woods of West Elizabeth. The "Legendary Bear Head Hat" is a classic, but the "Legendary Panther Cloak" is the real flex.
Go grab the Buck Antler Trinket first. It makes every other hunt in the game significantly less frustrating because it effectively "rolls up" the quality of pelts you harvest from 2-star animals.