Hunting Strategy Guide
Everything you need to know about hunting in Going Medieval — best weapons, skill requirements, seasonal patterns, and how to maximize meat and leather yields.
Hunting Basics
Hunting provides meat, leather, and bone — three critical resources for food, clothing, and crafting. Unlike farming, hunting requires active settler intervention. You must draft a settler with the Hunting job enabled, select a wild animal as a target, and wait for the kill. The settler's Marksman skill determines accuracy and damage.
A common mistake is assigning hunting to settlers with low Marksman skill. A settler with Marksman 1-5 will miss 60-70% of shots, wasting time that could be spent on other tasks. Only assign hunting to settlers with Marksman 15+. Below that threshold, they are more valuable doing farm work or hauling.
Best Weapons for Hunting
| Weapon | Range | Damage | Best For | Crafting Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Bow | Medium | Low | Small game (hares, squirrels) | Woodworking Bench |
| Longbow | Long | Medium | Deer, wolves, medium game | Fletching Table |
| Crossbow | Long | High | Bears, large game, dangerous predators | Smithy (Iron required) |
| Heavy Crossbow | Long | Very High | One-shot kills on most game | Advanced Smithy |
Huntable Animals & Yields
| Animal | Danger Level | Meat Yield | Leather Yield | Best Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hare | None | 5-8 meat | 2-3 light leather | Spring/Summer |
| Deer | None (flees) | 15-20 meat | 5-7 leather | All year |
| Wolf | High | 10-15 meat | 4-6 fur | Winter |
| Bear | Very High | 25-35 meat | 8-12 heavy fur | Autumn |
| Boar | Medium | 12-18 meat | 4-5 leather | All year |
Hunting Safety Tips
Never Hunt Alone Against Predators
Wolves and bears will fight back — and they can kill an unarmored hunter in 2-3 hits. Always send at least two armed settlers when hunting predatory animals. One can draw aggro while the other deals damage from range. For bears, bring three settlers: two ranged and one melee with shield and plate armor to tank.
Stay Near Your Base
A wounded hunter far from base is a dead hunter. Animals spawn at map edges and roam inward. Hunt within 50 tiles of your walls so a wounded settler can retreat to safety. If a hunt goes wrong and your settler is bleeding, draft them immediately and run toward the nearest door — do not try to finish the kill.
Winter is Prime Hunting Season
In winter, most wild animals migrate closer to the map center (near your base) seeking warmth. This makes them easier to find and hunt. Wolf pelts harvested in winter provide better cold insulation for clothing. If you need fur for winter gear, hunt wolves specifically during early winter when their pelts are thickest.