Deer Hunting

Deer Hunting is a mini-game in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. In Hateno Village at the farm near Retsam Forest, Link can find the farmer Dantz pitching hay with his Farmer's Pitchfork. If Link talks to him, Dantz reveals that the local deer population is out of control and asks Link if he would help out by hunting some Mountain Buck to help control their numbers. This leads to the Deer Hunting mini-game in which Link is given a limited amount of time to kill as many deer as he can without leaving the forest. Dantz will reward Link with Rupees the value of which is determined by the number of deer killed. Link can also keep any meat the deer or other animals drop during the mini-game though he must pick them up as he goes. As only deer count towards Link's total, killing other animals will not effect Link's score if he hits one. Link can kill deer primarily with his bow, though he can use any weapons at his deposal to hunt them including Remote Bombs, Boomerangs, and melee weapons. Once the time is up, Dantz will count the number of deer killed and reward Link with Rupees. Woodland Boar also appear during the mini-game though killing them has no benefit to Link's score and can actually take up time thus it is best to ignore them and focus on the deer. The Boar however do drop Raw Meat though collecting it can cut into Link's time.

Deer Hunting can be a useful way to collect Raw Prime Meat and Rupees as it does not cost anything to play though Link must bring his own bow and Arrows. To maximize his chances Link should wear armor or use items that increases stealth and bring a strong bow preferably with a Quick Shot bonus or a multi-fire bow. He should also ignore the boars and if he does not require the meat he should focus entirely on killing the deer to maximize his time. However the meat he obtains can be sold for rupees so even if Link doesn't get a Purple Rupee he can still make money by selling the meat he acquires while Deer Hunting. Interestingly, no Mountain Doe appear and Retsam Forest lacks any deer or boar outside the Deer Hunting mini-game. However during the mini-game the forest is swarming with Mountain Buck with a few boar mixed in. Killing Deer or Boars with a burning Arrow or Fire Arrows will cause them to drop Seared Prime Steak or Seared Steak respectively while killing them with Ice Arrows causes them to drop Icy Prime Meat or Icy Meat respectively.

Prizes[]

Number of Deer	Dantz's Response	Reward
0	"Huh? You didn't even get ONE? Sorry, but no results, no reward."	None
1-3	"You got [insert number] deer... Thanks for doing your part! Here's a reward for you..."	Green Rupee
4-6	"You got [insert number] deer! You're downright vicious with that bow, wanderer! Here's a reward for you..."	Blue Rupee
7-9	"You got [insert number] deer?! I knew you were a go-getter, but this is more than I ever dreamed of! Here's a reward for you..."	Red Rupee
10	"You got 10 deer?! Easy there, wanderer. I didn't think I'd be saying this, but there's such a thing as being TOO good a hunter. I won't skimp on it this time!"	Purple Rupee

Collectables

Dantz's Lines[]

Upon speaking to Dantz

"Ho there! You're up early! Will you hunt some deer for me?"

"Hey! Come to visit? Will you hunt some deer for me?"

"'Lo there! Nice evening, isn't it? Will you hunt some deer for me?"

Upon saying "OK"

"Thank you! Can... can you go right away?"

Agreeing to go right away

"What a trooper! I'm counting on you!"

Upon starting the minigame

"About that deer hunting... No time like the present right? Go get started, and I'll call you once your minute is up, OK?"

Upon going out of bounds

"You've gone too far! Come back!"

When time runs out

"That's time! Come back, wanderer!"

Upon receiving your reward

"The thing with these deer, though... We really have to get their numbers under control. Hey, wanderer, can I ask you to go again?"

By refusing to play again

"Oh. Well, shucks. Let me know if you ever change your mind."

Deer Hunting

Prizes[]

Dantz's Lines[]

See also[]