Walk up to a bear and it attacks the moment it sees you. Walk up to a rabbit and it bolts before you're close. Knowing which animal is which decides how every hunt goes, so learn it before you leave the fire.
Behavior
Attack on sight
Bear
The standard bear. It's territorial, roams the edges of ruined cities and attacks the moment it spots you. Leave it alone unless you have a real weapon and a plan.
- Journal Health
- 500
- Damage per Hit
- 50
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Bear (Wounded)
A bear that's already hurt, so it has much less health than a standard one. It's still a bear, and it still attacks on sight.
- Journal Health
- 250
- Damage per Hit
- 35
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Bear (Boss)
The toughest animal in the journal. It has far more health than any other animal, so bring more firepower than you would for a standard bear.
- Journal Health
- 1,200
- Damage per Hit
- 45
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Muskox
It moves like a ghost across the snowfields. It attacks on sight and charges in, and it takes a lot of damage before it drops.
- Journal Health
- 360
- Damage per Hit
- 25
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Bison
It wanders across frozen highways and railway lines, and it stays calm until it doesn't. Approach from cover, because open ground leaves you no way out of a charge.
- Journal Health
- 270
- Damage per Hit
- 25
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Boar
Boars stay in groups and are fiercely protective of their young. Spook one and you can draw out the whole group. They attack on sight and charge in close.
- Journal Health
- 180
- Damage per Hit
- 15
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Wolf
A pack hunter that has moved into the outskirts of towns. It has little health but hits as hard as a standard bear, so kill it fast and watch for the rest of the pack.
- Journal Health
- 75
- Damage per Hit
- 50
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Behavior
Skittish or passive
Moose
Skittish, but easy to provoke and among the most dangerous animals left in the permafrost. Don't crowd one, and wait for a clean shot.
- Journal Health
- 180
- Damage per Hit
- 20
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Red Deer
A skittish deer that has moved into city areas. It never fights back, so the only challenge is landing a hit before it bolts.
- Journal Health
- 100
- Damage per Hit
- -
- Journal Drops
- Bones, Meat, Animal Fat
Fox
A small, cautious predator that stays hidden. It barely hurts you, so the work is finding it and landing a hit.
- Journal Health
- 25
- Damage per Hit
- 5
- Journal Drops
- Meat
Rabbit
A skittish little animal that hops through abandoned parks and overgrown urban gardens. One hit kills it, but catching up to it is the hard part.
- Journal Health
- 1
- Damage per Hit
- -
- Journal Drops
- Meat
Rat
A carrier of disease that swarms through the ruins of human civilization. One hit kills it, and it gives up a little meat, which counts when you're desperate.
- Journal Health
- 1
- Damage per Hit
- -
- Journal Drops
- Meat
Which Permafrost Animals Attack on Sight and Which Ones Run
Bears, bison, muskoxen, boars and wolves won't hesitate. Decide before you walk in whether you can win the fight. Everything else is skittish or passive, which means the work is creeping close enough to land a hit before it bolts.
Skittish doesn't mean harmless. Moose are easy to provoke, and foxes still have an attack, so don't corner either one. Red Deer, rabbits and rats have no attack at all.
What to Hunt With and How to Get Close
Guns, bows, axes and shivs all work. The hard part is reaching an animal before it runs, because many of them flee the moment they spot you.
Bows run on arrows you craft from Wood, so a missed shot at skittish game costs you almost nothing. Firearms cost ammunition, so save them for something that's already charging you. A rifle makes sense for a bear or a wolf pack, and a bow suits a Red Deer. The weapons list shows what each gun fires, and the tools list covers the axes and shivs you can fall back on.
Pack a shiv or another knife-type tool as well. You can't skin a carcass without one, so a kill without a blade gets you nothing from the animal.
How the Standard, Wounded and Boss Bears Differ
The standard Bear takes a lot of damage before it drops, and it hits hard. Bear (Wounded) is the same animal, already hurt. It falls with much less health, but it still attacks on sight and still hits back. Bear (Boss) has more health than any other animal in the journal, so bring heavier weapons and more ammunition than you would for a standard bear.
What a Carcass Gives You and Where It Goes
Skinning a kill gives you crafting materials and food. Here's where each one ends up:
| Drop | What it goes into |
|---|---|
| Meat | Food that restores hunger. |
| Bones | Tribal and Moon Cult clothing, and every animal head trophy. |
| Animal Fat | Candles, Oil, Low Grade Fuel and Treated Hide. |
| Pelts | Treated Hide, Survivor's clothing from Deer Pelts, and Bear, Wolf and Fox head hats. |
Treated Hide sits in the middle of this chain. Animal Fat and pelts go in, and the hide goes into the head trophies. Keep your Bones too, because clothing and trophies both need them. The clothing list shows what the finished pieces give you.
Hunting Mistakes That Cost You the Kill
- Walking up to a bison in the open. It stays calm until it doesn't, and open ground leaves you no way out of a charge. Approach from cover.
- Poking one boar in a group. Its group comes to defend it, so one fight turns into several. Check for the rest of the group before you take a shot.
- Fighting a bear at close range. Even the Wounded one hits back hard. Open from a distance with the strongest weapon you have.
FAQ
How do you get faster at skinning in Permafrost?
Skin more animals. Skinning levels up with every animal you skin, and each level shortens how long the next one takes, up to a level cap.
Can you hang animal heads as trophies in Permafrost?
Yes. Spend blueprint points on the Trophies Set, and you can craft head trophies for the bear, bison, boar, deer, moose, muskox and wolf. Each one takes a Treated Hide and Bones, so keep both from your hunts.
What is the most dangerous animal in Permafrost?
Bears. They attack on sight, hit hard and take a lot of damage before they drop. Wolves come a close second: they hit just as hard and hunt in packs, even though they go down quickly.
Is it worth hunting rabbits and rats in Permafrost?
For an emergency meal, yes. Neither one can hurt you, and one hit kills either. Don't spend a bullet on them, though, because a bow or a melee tool does the job. If you also need Bones and Animal Fat, hunt Red Deer instead, since the journal lists only Meat for rabbits and rats.