Cougars — reddead

For the Red Dead Redemption 2 variant, see Cougar (RDR 2).

Cougars are a species of animal found in Red Dead Redemption.

What is the hunting technique used by cougars in Red Dead Redemption 2? toggle section

In RDR2, cougars can be hunted using a Poison Throwing Knife or a Poison Arrow aimed at the back of their torso. This immobilizes them, allowing the player to finish them off with a knife. The game includes a Master Hunter Challenge that involves killing five cougars with a bow and skinning them. Stealth kills using a knife or bow are also possible, and players can craft a variety of weapons for hunting.

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What are the best locations to find cougars in RDR2? toggle section

In RDR2, cougars are located in New Austin, New Hanover, and West Elizabeth. They are particularly frequent in areas such as MacFarlane's Ranch, Stillwater Creek, and Plainview. Cougars can also be spotted in Rio Bravo, around Fort Mercer, and in Rattlesnake Hollow and Beecher's Hope during the day.

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How many attacks does it typically take for a cougar to kill a player in RDR2? toggle section

In RDR2, a cougar typically employs hit and run tactics, attacking the player, retreating, and then striking again. If the player is knocked down, the cougar instantly attacks again, often resulting in the player's death.

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What makes the cougar one of the most fearsome predators in Red Dead Redemption? toggle section

In RDR2, the cougar is a formidable predator due to its aggressive behavior and stealthy hunting strategy. It employs a 'hit and run' method, swiftly attacking the player and retreating to a safe distance for its next strike. Cougars are notably silent unless attacking, which makes them difficult to spot. They can eliminate both horses and players with a minimum of two attacks. These predators inhabit various areas in New Austin, New Hanover, and West Elizabeth.

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Are cougars in RDR2 aggressive towards players on sight? toggle section

In RDR2, cougars are indeed aggressive towards players. They employ a strategy of stalking and attacking, often from hidden locations. Their attacks are swift and silent, leading to instant death unless the player has a full health bar. They often use hit-and-run tactics, attacking and retreating, only to strike again when out of sight. Players can kill them by positioning themselves on a roof or large rock, where cougars can't reach.

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Description

Cougars are large brown cats, and one of the most fearsome predators in the game, though sometimes difficult to find. They kill both horses and players with as little as two attacks. Cougars use a 'hit and run' technique: they knock down the player, then quickly ready their next attack a safe distance away. They are aggressive, and will attack the player on sight. Furthermore, they are also extremely quiet outside of attacking, making it easy for a cougar to sneak up on a player.

While cougars sit on top of the food chain, they occasionally compete with other predators, such as grizzly bears and wolves, for food.

In Undead Nightmare, undead cougars roam New Austin, Nuevo Paraíso and West Elizabeth, and are deadly predators.

Locations

Wreck of the Serendipity - They can be found within the "U" shape the road makes. Between 5 AM and 6 AM is the most frequent time to spot one.
Rio Bravo - Around Fort Mercer and Plainview. Around Repentance Rock, they are virtually the only animal that spawns at night. In the land north of Fort Mercer, cougars can be found frequently during the day, and players may be attacked by up to five in one sitting. This is their most prolific spawning location.
MacFarlane's Ranch - In the hills north of the ranch, at the boar symbol on the map.
Stillwater Creek - Several can be found at all times of day, sometimes prowling around the water.
Plainview - Cougars frequent the road near here which is heading into the US/Mexican border late at night and during the day.
Silent Stead - Occasionally a good spawning point for cougars in Single Player. The player can get onto the roof by going around the back and jumping onto the overhang. Facing the road, the cougars spawn by some boulders to the player's right. They come in pairs about thirty seconds apart. They are easier to find by placing bait.
Rattlesnake Hollow - Continually produces cougars during the day in Single Player. Approach with caution.
Beecher's Hope - Usually in the late afternoon. They will normally be chasing prey (foxes, rabbits, etc.) in packs of two.
Great Plains - In the northern areas, between the railroad tracks and the river. The most reliable spawning spot is where the trees are thinning out - the transition zone between Tall Trees and the Great Plains. They can also be found in the Great Plains where the fox symbol is located on the map.
Cougars, along with wolves, coyotes, foxes and bobcats, are often found in the random encounters where an NPC is being chased by a gang of predatory animals.
(Multiplayer Only) Tanner's Reach - A large family of Cougars and sometimes Khan the Jaguar lives within the perimeter of the hunting cabin. There are at least eight of them and they attack at once, so approach the area with caution.

Tips and tricks

The most important thing to remember is that if the player has taken any damage whatsoever before cougar attacks, its attack means instant death. Only a full health bar is any defense against one.
Cougars usually attack from behind, charging in a straight line from an unseen spot in the bushes.
They will often snarl audibly just before they run over to attack. Their charge is silent and fast.
Cougars usually spawn in pairs, and cougars in some locations respawn as fast as wolves.
Cougars will chase, stalk, and attack NPC humans, wild horses, and other herbivores, but will totally ignore other dangerous animals and be ignored by them. This can lead to the very dangerous situation of being attacked by wolves or bears and a cougar at the same time.
A very easy way to kill cougars is to get in a stagecoach or on top of a nearby roof or large rock, because they can't hit the player and they will walk around in circles, making it very easy to kill them.
When attacked, the player will be knocked down and defenseless for a few seconds. Cougars often use hit and run attacks: attacking the player or horse and then running off, turning around when out of sight, and attacking again. If they cannot back off sufficiently by turning around (for example, if there is a wall behind them) they will attempt to back off forward, encounter the player again, and instantly attack a second time, killing the player, who has no chance of defending. This appears to be an unintended pathfinding bug, rather than a feature.
Trying to block an attack from a Cougar with a knife is useless. The cat will knock the player down. Even worse, the knife animation may prevent Marston being knocked down; if this happens, the Cougar will attack again instantly and kill him.
Occasionally, shooting or knifing a cougar will cause it to turn and run; this is especially true if it is critically damaged. Lasso the cat to keep it from escaping. Chasing after it is generally a bad idea since the player will often find themselves so distracted by the first cougar they do not notice a second.
Riding on horseback while being attacked by cougars is a good strategy, although the cougar only needs to scratch most horse breeds once before it dies. This can provide the player with a shield, but expendable horses should be ridden if the player is hunting cougars this way.
Players should remember that rolling can be extremely useful when in combat with Cougars. If the player does not kill a Cougar while it is sprinting towards them, they can perform a roll by remaining in aim mode and pressing (Xbox 360) or (PS3) while pushing the movement stick to perform the roll in that direction. After you have evaded the Cougar, it will usually run back into the foliage and attempt to stalk the player again, so don't lose sight of it or assume it has gone.
When travelling, a Random Encounter involving an NPC asking for help trapping animals may happen. This can provide an opportunity for finding cougars.
Use of Medicine is highly recommended; if attacked by a Cougar, as soon as you get up, open your Satchel and heal yourself. Due to Cougars' hit and run technique, this can save the player.
In Multiplayer, a Cougar will only take one hit to kill you, as opposed to the normal two hits in Single Player.

Challenges

The 5th Master Hunter Challenge requires two Cougars to be killed and skinned with a Hunting Knife.

For more information on how to achieve this, see the relevant entry in the Master Hunter Challenges page.

The Expert Hunter outfit requires a Cougar to be killed using dynamite.

For more information on how to achieve this, see the Expert Hunter Outfit page.

Spawning glitch

Sometimes in cougar locations throughout single player, players can experience large amounts of cougars attacking very frequently. These glitches can continue indefinitely until the player leaves the area. This differs from the usual one or two cougars at one location at a time.

This glitch was also reported in Free Roam, where the player in question was in a firefight in the Great Plains. The player was consecutively attacked by cougars for 10 to 15 minutes. The only way to stop the glitch is for all the players in the Great Plains to evacuate the area for around 15 minutes.

In another glitch, Cougars can become very popular in certain parts of the Cholla Springs area, sometimes appearing in random towns such as Armadillo, which can become annoying because cougars can easily kill you when they take you by surprise. However, this glitch is extremely rare.

Trivia

The Undead Cougar is the Cougar equivalent encountered in the Undead Nightmare DLC pack.
Cougars and bobcats share the same sound file.
Rufus Byrd, Warren Dillard, Baxter Deaton and Eddie Savoy often talk about a giant cougar or a mountain lion in Hennigan's Stead, claiming it killed three lawmen and that it stole and ate a baby. Rufus will also claim that, according to Jesse Bryars, another has been spotted in Río Bravo. Baxter will claim that the cougar is protected by the "local inbreds".
Despite their relatively small size, cougars have been seen attacking bears, but this is quite rare.
The sounds that the cougars make were reused for the cougars in Grand Theft Auto V.
Despite being there in promotional screenshots, Cougars do not spawn in Nuevo Paraíso.