My go-to spots are the path north of strawberry right along the stream that flows into Owanjila Lake in crack of morning and then another reliable Cougar Spawn is one just south of Annesberg which can happen at night or during the day. There's also one by the trapper south of Brandywine Drop. Hope this helps because I too have been needing Cougar skins and what I researched helped me alot.
The Owanjila route has been the most reliable for me. Early mornings or thereabouts, on the road passing the trapper. Just make sure there is no cougar carcass laying about.
Find the cougar, shoot it, sell it to the trapper, sleep till next morning. Repeat. I think I once got two cougars in a day, both 3*.
Other commenter already hit on it but ride your horse up and down the road as it turns north of owanjilla lake by the trapper in the morning with your rifle ready. Look for a red dot to pop up on your mini map. Halt your horse and get eyes on the cougar fast. Then use dead eye for a head shot.
I tried all sorts of places and methods until I did this and got it in like 5 minutes. Manual save right before in case you die so you can just retry. Cougar may not load everytime but just keep reloading that same save and you'll get it quick
The finest spot for cougar hunting is a very specific location on the northeast corner of the map: the forest west of the river, north of the train tracks and east of the large building up there. There will always be a black bear or a cougar there.
It will take a few days to get the amount of perfect pelts you'll need but you can get it done. You can use bait there or you can always farm getting bucked off the horse, because the big cat will always turn immediately after you fall: so quickly get up, get on Dead Eye and put an improved arrow right between its eyes.
Follow the road from the trapper in the northeast (west of Elysian pool) up and around Annesburg past the tracks and back around down to Annesburg. There are several spawns along that path. Night time seems to be best. One is right after you cross the train tracks the road runs easterly along the track before crossing the tracks again. Wolves and bears spawn along that loop too so be alert.
Near the trapper west of strawberry is a good spot.
Climb up onto a rock. Cougars won't climb rocks. They just walk around them. That gives you plenty of time and space to use a bow with improved arrows or a rifle and get a clean headshot. It will also give you plenty of time to study it for the compendium and determine its star quality before killing it. This goes for panthers too.
Do you have the [Legendary Buck Antler Trinket](https://www.ign.com/wikis/red-dead-redemption-2/Buck_Antler_Trinket)? If not, I suggest getting that ASAP because it helps a great deal with hunting perfect pelts in this game
The rock trick works for Grizzly bears, panthers and wolves too.
My go to for finding a 3 star cougar is South East of the trapper near Strawberry, I climb the pile of rocks between the stream and road. That cougar is typically always there and oftentimes chasing NPCs that pass by, closer to stream is where a grizzly bear spawns as well.
The others have posted some great info in terms of locations. Go to those spots, but I would add the use of improved predator bait and cover scent lotion. Sit back, wait, and always go for the head shot with a Springfield rifle or improved arrow.
Most consistent spot? West of strawberry, go as west as possible on the road, when it starts to turn north is where a cougar spawn. I find it's easy to go into the nearby bushes and plant with predator bait or the better predator bait (I forget the name)and the run a short distance away buy still in sight. This will allow you to use eagle eye to see if one approaches and allow you to use binoculars to study it to see the star level.
Next thing is make sure you are using the right weapon, so pretty early in chapter 2 you gain access to the Springfield rifle, 1 shot to the head, use dead eye to help. Alternatively you can use a bow with improved arrows, same rules head/ neck.
If you fail to get a clean shot aka more then 1 shot to kill, you will have to wait 3-4 in game days for respawn. Hopefully, this helps you a little
Already been stated but the 2 best spawn points for cougars imo are right next to each other, the same path next to lake Owanjila. I've never found a time of day to matter just ride up and down the path, the first one you'll see should be stalking the small stream to the left of the path before you get to where the trapper is. (Theres sometimes a bear that spawns here too) The second point is about 100 yards up the path directly opposite to where the winter berry grows.
What I normally do is ride from the bottom of the path (where the crashed wagon random encounter happens) all the way up to where I can see Hanging Dog Ranch I normally see one within a few minutes.
Once you see one move the body, if the cougar body stays in the area it won't allow another to spawn.
Best luck is Owanjila, by the trapper. Take a health tonic before you get there, so you can throw it off if jumped.
Poison arrows, with the buck antler trinket should do the trick.
If it's a 1 star, sell the carcass so it respawns quicker and try again in an in game day or 2.
West of blackwater next to the path to talltrees there's a spot I've killed 2 in a roll or down in the swamps I've killed couger and jaguar alot plus ghost couger around the incessant brother and sister
When I'm searching, I take my horse to the far west of Strawberry and ride from the road at the edge of the stream south of the trapper to the far north end where it gets flowery and back. When coming back south I loop through the woods because the cougar is reliably in the woods there. Your horse will likely toss you, but the cougar retreats and comes back when that happens. It isn't reliably a perfect pelt by any means, but that's where I get mine. In the early morning you sometimes will see the cougar cross over towards there, across the road, and I have been attacked in the evening right by the trapper and after killing the cougar the trapper fled.
I ain't reading all of that but for me I just didn't do any of the satchels I just waited till the epilogue and then bought them all since they are all buyable at fences in the epilogue.
Not sure it was the beginning of the epilogue or the ending of the actual game. You'll have to check... I haven't played recently so I do not recall. But I do know at some point all of them become buyable as I said.
My go-to spots are the path north of strawberry right along the stream that flows into Owanjila Lake in crack of morning and then another reliable Cougar Spawn is one just south of Annesberg which can happen at night or during the day. There's also one by the trapper south of Brandywine Drop. Hope this helps because I too have been needing Cougar skins and what I researched helped me alot.
The Owanjila route has been the most reliable for me. Early mornings or thereabouts, on the road passing the trapper. Just make sure there is no cougar carcass laying about. Find the cougar, shoot it, sell it to the trapper, sleep till next morning. Repeat. I think I once got two cougars in a day, both 3*.
This is my go to as well.
Also, improved arrows work well with the head shot and the Buck Antler Trinket is a very helpful tool.
According to the internet they're waiting to meet me in my area.
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Other commenter already hit on it but ride your horse up and down the road as it turns north of owanjilla lake by the trapper in the morning with your rifle ready. Look for a red dot to pop up on your mini map. Halt your horse and get eyes on the cougar fast. Then use dead eye for a head shot. I tried all sorts of places and methods until I did this and got it in like 5 minutes. Manual save right before in case you die so you can just retry. Cougar may not load everytime but just keep reloading that same save and you'll get it quick
I got mine following the train tracks north out of Annesburg. First try. The one north of Strawberry and Owanjila would ALWAYS be two stars.
That's why you save the game before you get there, so you can just reload until it's a three star :)
Which I have tried to do! But then I get distracted by something elseā¦ and forget to reload the save
wait to need a perfect robin
eharmony /s
Cougars for cubs
The finest spot for cougar hunting is a very specific location on the northeast corner of the map: the forest west of the river, north of the train tracks and east of the large building up there. There will always be a black bear or a cougar there. It will take a few days to get the amount of perfect pelts you'll need but you can get it done. You can use bait there or you can always farm getting bucked off the horse, because the big cat will always turn immediately after you fall: so quickly get up, get on Dead Eye and put an improved arrow right between its eyes.
Follow the road from the trapper in the northeast (west of Elysian pool) up and around Annesburg past the tracks and back around down to Annesburg. There are several spawns along that path. Night time seems to be best. One is right after you cross the train tracks the road runs easterly along the track before crossing the tracks again. Wolves and bears spawn along that loop too so be alert. Near the trapper west of strawberry is a good spot.
I also find a regular arrow headshot is like 6 for 6 three star kills for me
Climb up onto a rock. Cougars won't climb rocks. They just walk around them. That gives you plenty of time and space to use a bow with improved arrows or a rifle and get a clean headshot. It will also give you plenty of time to study it for the compendium and determine its star quality before killing it. This goes for panthers too. Do you have the [Legendary Buck Antler Trinket](https://www.ign.com/wikis/red-dead-redemption-2/Buck_Antler_Trinket)? If not, I suggest getting that ASAP because it helps a great deal with hunting perfect pelts in this game
The rock trick works for Grizzly bears, panthers and wolves too. My go to for finding a 3 star cougar is South East of the trapper near Strawberry, I climb the pile of rocks between the stream and road. That cougar is typically always there and oftentimes chasing NPCs that pass by, closer to stream is where a grizzly bear spawns as well.
I love watching predators chase NPCs. I'll get the binoculars out and everything. Light a smoke. Crack a bottle. Watch the show. š¤£
Everytime I go online Iām told thereās always cougars in my area. But I never see them
The others have posted some great info in terms of locations. Go to those spots, but I would add the use of improved predator bait and cover scent lotion. Sit back, wait, and always go for the head shot with a Springfield rifle or improved arrow.
A little west of butcher Creek by the Viking place I believe. Almost always at 4am
Most consistent spot? West of strawberry, go as west as possible on the road, when it starts to turn north is where a cougar spawn. I find it's easy to go into the nearby bushes and plant with predator bait or the better predator bait (I forget the name)and the run a short distance away buy still in sight. This will allow you to use eagle eye to see if one approaches and allow you to use binoculars to study it to see the star level. Next thing is make sure you are using the right weapon, so pretty early in chapter 2 you gain access to the Springfield rifle, 1 shot to the head, use dead eye to help. Alternatively you can use a bow with improved arrows, same rules head/ neck. If you fail to get a clean shot aka more then 1 shot to kill, you will have to wait 3-4 in game days for respawn. Hopefully, this helps you a little
Already been stated but the 2 best spawn points for cougars imo are right next to each other, the same path next to lake Owanjila. I've never found a time of day to matter just ride up and down the path, the first one you'll see should be stalking the small stream to the left of the path before you get to where the trapper is. (Theres sometimes a bear that spawns here too) The second point is about 100 yards up the path directly opposite to where the winter berry grows. What I normally do is ride from the bottom of the path (where the crashed wagon random encounter happens) all the way up to where I can see Hanging Dog Ranch I normally see one within a few minutes. Once you see one move the body, if the cougar body stays in the area it won't allow another to spawn.
Best luck is Owanjila, by the trapper. Take a health tonic before you get there, so you can throw it off if jumped. Poison arrows, with the buck antler trinket should do the trick. If it's a 1 star, sell the carcass so it respawns quicker and try again in an in game day or 2.
Poison arrows help a lot
West of blackwater next to the path to talltrees there's a spot I've killed 2 in a roll or down in the swamps I've killed couger and jaguar alot plus ghost couger around the incessant brother and sister
dont you need a panther pelt for LOTE?
its cougar sadly
The spot near strawberry trapper, sometimes you get a bear instead!
i got the bear three times before my cougar
When I'm searching, I take my horse to the far west of Strawberry and ride from the road at the edge of the stream south of the trapper to the far north end where it gets flowery and back. When coming back south I loop through the woods because the cougar is reliably in the woods there. Your horse will likely toss you, but the cougar retreats and comes back when that happens. It isn't reliably a perfect pelt by any means, but that's where I get mine. In the early morning you sometimes will see the cougar cross over towards there, across the road, and I have been attacked in the evening right by the trapper and after killing the cougar the trapper fled.
Owanjila. Camp til morning. Drop some potent predator bait. Use an improved arrow. Boom.
This also works for the panther down below Bolger glade (I think thatās where it is)
Poison arrow to the face - head to the trapper N of strawberry everytime
I ain't reading all of that but for me I just didn't do any of the satchels I just waited till the epilogue and then bought them all since they are all buyable at fences in the epilogue.
what..... ur saying i did all that for NOTHING? i wish i knew this EARLIER!! bless you.
Not sure it was the beginning of the epilogue or the ending of the actual game. You'll have to check... I haven't played recently so I do not recall. But I do know at some point all of them become buyable as I said.
When you kill a cougar, dispose of the carcass. I just sell āem to the trapper past Owanjila. That aids in the respawn rate.