The Bison is a beautiful animal found in Red Dead Redemption 2, and despite its majestic nature roaming the wild plains, it’s often a good animal worth hunting for the meat that it provides the Van der Linde camp and the valuables that can be obtained from its fur and its horns. However, players are going to need the perfect weapons to hunt a Bison to take it down in one clean shot.
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With 16 Legendary Animals to find and hunt in Red Dead Redemption 2, some hunters might find themselves being hunted by these ferocious beasts.
It’s not fair on a poor creature to terrorize it with a weapon, so the most humane thing a hunter in Red Dead Redemption 2 can do is execute with one shot, providing a clean kill so that the animal doesn’t feel pain and goes down before it fears for its life. As such, we’ve found the best weapons for the perfect pelts and cleanest kills for Bison.
Bison can be found most commonly in the Great Plains of West Elizabeth near Black Water and The Heartlands in New Hanover.
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Bow with a Poison Arrow
The Poison Arrow Pierces Thick Hides and Puts Animals to Sleep
- How to Get: Purchase the Poison Arrow Pamphlet from a Fence and craft with x1 Arrow, x1 Oleander Sage, x1 Flight Feather
The Poison Arrow from the Bow doesn’t seem like the most deadly of weapons, especially when it’s the Old West where iron and lead rain supreme against combatants. However, there’s something more natural about using a Bow, especially with a Poison Arrow that requires herbs to get working so that one can feel closer to nature in the big hunt.
The Bow is a great hunting weapon on its own, but with the crafted Poison Arrows, players can hit the Bison that they seek, and the poison will slowly take effect and cause the Bison to topple over and fall into a slumber before succumbing to the effects of the poison.
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Poison Throwing Knife
A Fast-Throwing Knife to Poison Animals
- How to Get: Find the Poison Throwing Knife Pamphlet in a wooden shack in the North East area of Saint Denis, underneath a floorboard, then craft it with x1 Throwing Knife, x2 Oleander Sage
The Poison Throwing Knife is also a good weapon to use against the Bison, for it throws quickly and can be done so during stealth. Players can also get their hands on plenty of throwing knives thanks to the fence, and crafting them only requires a single herb so it’s not going to be hard to obtain a bundle of them.
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Just by throwing this poisoned-tip knife, players will be able to take out a bison, and even recover the blade once the bison falls. It’s a clean and quiet way of doing things, but the throwing range of the knife requires players to be a bit too close for comfort.
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Springfield Rifle
A Single-Shot Rifle with Great Power
- How to Get: Purchased from any Gunsmith after Chapter 1 for $120.
The Springfield Rifle is the first rifle that players can own after leaving Colter for Horseshoe Overlook in New Hanover. Since Chapter 2 is really the start of the game since the whole map opens up for players to explore, the Springfield Rifle will be the first rifle that players acquire, and that makes it pretty good to use for those, not in the later chapters.
While the Springfield Rifle is not the best, it does get the job done reliably thanks to its single bullet in the chamber. However, the slow firing of said rifle means that players won’t be able to take out multiple bison, but instead, just the one they need.
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Bolt-Action Rifle
A 5-Shot Rifle with Strengthened Bullets and Faster Fire
- How to Get: Acquired during the Preaching Forgiveness as He Wants mission in Chapter 3, or purchased from any Gunsmith for $180 after said mission.
The Bolt-Action Rifle is the best rifle in Red Dead Redemption 2 that doesn’t have a scope already equipped for it. Since the Bolt-Action Rifle already comes with an ammo capacity of 5 bullets, it can already be seen as superior to the Springfield Rifle, as players have a more generous window to miss shots or take out multiple bison at once.
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Every satchel in Red Dead Redemption 2 will aid players by upgrading the carrying capacity of their items, bringing them one step closer to a legend.
The Bolt-Action Rifle has incredible stopping power, especially when aiming at the head of a bison. However, the same rules still apply, since this weapon is a loud one indeed, and bison will attempt to run away from the moment this gun is fired – luckily multiple shots mean more bison to take down.
2
Carcano Rifle
The Best Sniper Rifle in Terms of Fire Rate and Ammo Capacity
- How to Get: Automatically acquired in The Delights of Van Horn / Goodbye, Dear Friend missions in Chapter 6, or purchased for $190 at any Gunsmith after either mission.
The Carcano Rifle is the best sniper in Red Dead Redemption 2, and it can also be argued that it’s the best rifle altogether since it boasts the most ammo, the best rate of fire, and has a long scope built into the weapon itself.
The Carcano Rifle means that players can snipe at the bison from a distance, watching them through the scope until they deem the time is right to take them out. While players can’t go wrong with this weapon, it’s worth noting it’s endgame loot, since it can be acquired halfway into Chapter 6, whereas alternative weapons are unlocked far earlier.
1
Rolling Block Rifle
A Scoped Rifle with the Best Damage
- How to Get: Purchased for $0 at the Valentine Gunsmith during the Chapter 2 mission: The Sheep and the Goats. Alternatively acquired from any gunsmith for $187 after said mission.
The Rolling Block Rifle has damage that rivals a shotgun up close but also has the range to warrant shooting from as far away as possible. If a target can be viewed in the scope, then it’s going down in one hit, which is why the Rolling Block Rifle is so reliable against the largest of animals and beasts that players will come across.
Whether it’s legendary animals or the bison, the Rolling Block Rifle will get the job done in one easy shot, especially when using High Velocity or Express rounds to truly take the wind out of any creature with the maximum damage possible, showing that even with an ammo capacity of 1 bullet, it’s all that’s needed.
- Released
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October 26, 2018
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol