RDR2 Master Hunter Challenges: How to Complete All 10
Use the Varmint Rifle for rabbits, the Owanjila route for cougars, shallow water for fish and hunt opossums at night. Giaguaro unlocks after the first nine ranks.
- Challenges
- 10
- Perfect rabbits
- Varmint Rifle
- Master Hunter 6
- Owanjila route
- Master Hunter 7
- Predator bait
- Master Roshi Technique
- Quick and easy
What these labels mean
- Master Roshi Technique
The best trick for completing that objective.
- Quick and easy
The quick route, with the steps needed to keep it simple.
Master Hunter starts easily and gets more specific in the second half.
The common roadblocks are:
| Challenge | Fast method |
|---|---|
| Master Hunter 2 | 3-star rabbits + Varmint Rifle |
| Master Hunter 6 | Owanjila → Trapper route |
| Master Hunter 7 | Do the predator bait first |
| Master Hunter 8 | Shallow water or Granite Pass |
| Master Hunter 9 | Ringneck Creek or Riggs Station at night |
| Master Hunter 10 | Giaguaro south of Bolger Glade |
The ranks unlock in order.
Killing cougars with a bow before Master Hunter 6 is active does not bank progress for later.
Master Hunter 1 — skin three deer
Pelt quality does not matter.
Just:
- find a deer;
- kill it;
- skin it;
- repeat three times.
The Heartlands has deer everywhere.
You will probably finish this naturally.
Master Hunter 2 — collect three perfect rabbit pelts
Quality matters here.
You need:
3 perfect rabbit pelts.
Weapon
Varmint Rifle.
Where
The Heartlands is easy.
Ride through open ground and watch for rabbits crossing the road.
Method
- Find a 3-star rabbit.
- Equip the Varmint Rifle.
- Use Dead Eye if needed.
- Make a clean shot.
- Pick it up and skin it.
- Repeat until you have three perfect pelts.
Ignore one- and two-star rabbits.
The Challenge specifically wants perfect pelts.
Legendary Buck Trinket
If you already have the Buck Antler Trinket, it can help preserve pelt quality in some cases.
Still use the correct weapon.
The trinket does not guarantee a perfect pelt from a bad hunt.
Master Hunter 3 — track ten different animal species with binoculars
The important word is:
different.
Tracking ten deer does not work.
Method
- Equip the binoculars.
- Find a wild animal.
- Focus on it.
- Select Track.
- Find another species.
- Repeat until ten.
The Heartlands and Big Valley provide plenty of variety.
You do not need to kill anything.
If it does not count
Make sure you actually use Track.
Studying an animal and tracking it are separate actions.
Master Hunter 4 — call an animal and get a clean kill five times
Deer make this simple.
Method
- Find a deer.
- Bring the correct weapon.
- Aim.
- Use Call.
- Wait for it to lift its head.
- Shoot the head.
- Repeat five times.
It needs to be a clean kill.
Keep it simple
One familiar animal.
Correct weapon.
Headshot.
One shot.
Master Hunter 5 — skin three black or grizzly bears
Pelt quality does not matter.
Skin:
3 black bears or grizzlies.
Big Valley can provide both.
Grizzlies also appear around Wallace Station and Black Bone Forest.
Easier option
Black bears generally run away.
Kill one.
Skin it.
Keep looking.
You do not need to fight three angry grizzlies.
Master Hunter 6 — kill five cougars with a bow, then skin them
You need both parts:
kill with a bow
and
skin the cougar.
Five times.
Owanjila → Trapper.
Bow.
Five cougars.
Skin all five.
Recommended route
Go to Owanjila.
Follow the road north toward the Big Valley Trapper.
This stretch contains one of the game’s most reliable cougar spawn areas. If you also need a perfect pelt, use the perfect cougar guide.
Bring
- bow;
- Improved Arrows;
- full Dead Eye;
- tonics if needed.
Method
- Make a manual save before entering the area.
- Keep the bow ready.
- Follow the road north of Owanjila.
- Watch the minimap.
- When the red dot appears, get ready.
- Use Dead Eye.
- Kill the cougar with the bow.
- Skin it.
Pelt quality does not matter.
The Challenge wants:
bow kill + skin.
Getting the other four
Do not expect five cougars to spawn back-to-back.
After one kill:
- leave the area;
- sleep;
- do something else;
- return later.
Run the route again.
If the cougar finds you first
That is normal.
Keep the bow equipped before entering the spawn area.
When the horse reacts, find the red dot and enter Dead Eye.
Do not start searching through the weapon wheel after the cougar is already charging.
Master Hunter 7 — use bait to lure and kill a herbivore and predator
You need:
- one herbivore;
- one predator.
Each must be lured with the correct bait.
Do the predator first
It is less predictable.
- Go to predator territory.
- Place Predator Bait.
- Move away.
- Wait.
- Let the animal approach the bait.
- Kill it.
Then do the herbivore.
Deer are much easier to find.
Herbivore
- Place Herbivore Bait.
- Move away.
- Wait for a deer or other herbivore.
- Kill it after it comes to the bait.
Cover Scent Lotion helps if animals detect you too early.
Master Hunter 8 — catch three fish without using a Fishing Rod
Master Roshi TechniqueThe Challenge says catch.
Killing a fish is not enough.
You need to pick it up.
You do not need a fishing rod. You need three small fish you can physically pick up.
Simple method
Find shallow water.
- Spot the fish.
- Shoot them with a bow, pistol or Varmint Rifle.
- Walk into the water.
- Pick up the fish.
- Repeat three times.
Use water shallow enough to walk through.
A dead fish you cannot reach is useless.
Granite Pass method
There is also a long-running community shortcut around Granite Pass near the waterfall and railroad.
Fish can wash onto the rocks or into the area behind the falls.
If you find them lying there:
pick them up.
They can count without using the rod.
Important
They need to be small fish.
And you need to physically collect three.
Master Hunter 9 — kill an opossum playing possum
Go at night.
Two reliable areas are:
- Ringneck Creek;
- Riggs Station.
Opossums are nocturnal.
Method
- Wait until night.
- Move slowly.
- Use Eagle Eye.
- Find an opossum.
- Approach it.
- Let it panic.
- Wait for it to fall over and play dead.
- Kill it while it remains in that state.
That final part is the Challenge.
Do not kill it while it runs. Scare it. Wait for it to drop. Then kill it.
Listen
Opossums are noisy.
You may hear one before you see it.
Master Hunter 10 — find and kill Giaguaro
Giaguaro is the Legendary Panther.
It only becomes available after completing the first nine Master Hunter ranks.
Location
Southern Lemoyne.
South of Bolger Glade.
East/southeast of Braithwaite Manor.
Before entering
Make a manual save.
Fill Dead Eye.
Equip a powerful weapon.
Legendary Animal pelt quality cannot be ruined by using a strong gun.
Method
- Enter Giaguaro’s territory.
- Find the first clue.
- Use Eagle Eye.
- Follow the trail.
- Inspect the second clue.
- Follow it to the third.
- Get ready immediately after the third clue.
- Giaguaro can charge very quickly.
- Enter Dead Eye as soon as you see it.
- Shoot.
Do not relax after inspecting the final clue.
If Giaguaro does not appear
First check:
Have you completed Master Hunter 9?
Giaguaro does not spawn before that.
If the game says there is too much activity:
- leave;
- sleep;
- return.
Fast route
The Heartlands
- Master Hunter 1
- Master Hunter 2
- Master Hunter 3
- Master Hunter 4
Big Valley / Owanjila
- Master Hunter 5
- Master Hunter 6
- Master Hunter 7
Shallow water / Granite Pass
- Master Hunter 8
Ringneck Creek / Riggs Station
- Master Hunter 9
Bolger Glade / Braithwaite Manor
- Master Hunter 10
Unlocks
| Rank | Gear |
|---|---|
| Master Hunter 1 | Off-Hand Holster |
| Master Hunter 3 | Bandolier |
| Master Hunter 7 | Gun Belt |
| Master Hunter 10 | Holster |
Reinforced gear is then purchased from the Trapper.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I find cougars for Master Hunter 6?
The road north of Owanjila toward the Big Valley Trapper is one of the most reliable areas.
Do the cougar pelts need to be perfect?
No.
Kill the cougar with a bow and skin it.
How do I complete Master Hunter 8 without a rod?
Kill small fish in shallow water and pick them up. You can also check the Granite Pass waterfall for fish that have washed onto accessible ground.
Where can I find an opossum?
Ringneck Creek and Riggs Station work well at night.
How do I make it play dead?
Approach and scare it.
Wait for it to drop.
Then kill it.
Where is Giaguaro?
South of Bolger Glade near Braithwaite Manor.
Why is Giaguaro not spawning?
The most common reason is that Master Hunter 9 is not complete yet.
More Challenge guides
Sources
Red Dead Wiki — Master Hunter Challenges in Redemption 2
GameFAQs — Master Hunter Challenges
RDR2.org — Master Hunter Challenges Guide
RDR2.org Forums — community Master Hunter method.
Community methods cross-checked for cougars, fish and opossums.
Last verified: October 5, 2026.