There are dozens of things for you to do while exploring the open world of Red Dead Redemption 2. It’s easy to get lost with the many idle jobs and tasks in this game, and one of the more notable things you can do is track down animals, especially the legendary animals.
These legendary animals are a fearsome challenge to overcome and a returning feature from the first Red Dead Redemption game. Tracking these creatures down can be tough, but we have their locations and what they are all mapped out for you. Here’s what you need to know about how to find all legendary animal locations in Red Dead Redemption 2.
Every Legendary Animal Location in Red Dead Redemption 2
There are 16 Legendary Animals (not including the Legendary Fish) in Red Dead Redemption 2. The game gives you a special map, but it’s hard to read in places. Here, we have a list of all locations, and the in-game map will be marked with an indicator when zoomed in enough. But just finding the location isn’t enough. The animal will not spawn until the player begins tracking it.
Hunting Legendary Animals
Hunting a Legendary Animal in Red Dead Redemption 2 is more challenging than hunting down any regular creatures. You can visit any of the locations shown on the in-game map, but the legendary animal won’t always be at that exact spot. You need to begin tracking that animal when entering its territory and attempting to find the first clue of where you can find it. Unfortunately, some of the animals are tied to specific stories and in-game, and working through the game’s main story may unlock these creatures.
It’s also important to note that any legendary animal in Red Dead Redemption 2 will drop a perfect pelt whenever you offer it over to a trapper. This means you don’t have to work to avoid using your best weapons to take them down.
The Bharati Grizzly Bear
Location: Grizzlies East, just north of the road by O’Creagh’s Run
Drops: Legendary Bear Pelt and Legendary Bear Claw
Garments: Legendary Bear Head Hat, Legendary Bear Roper, Legendary Bear Coat, Bear Claw Talisman
The Bharati Grizzly Bear is the first Legendary Animal players have access to in the game. It is unlocked in Chapter 2 by completing the mission “Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego.” At the end of the mission, players can choose to continue hunting the Legendary Bear or return to it later with better guns and higher health, stamina, and dead eye.
The Bharati Grizzly Bear can be found in Grizzlies East, just off the path by O’Creagh’s Run. The bear will drop the Legendary Bear Pelt and the Legendary Bear Claw. The pelt can be used to make garments from the Trader, but players will need other pelts from other animals to complete the Bear Hunter set. The claw can be used to craft a talisman from the Fence and will need a silver chain bracelet and quartz chunk to complete.
The Legendary Beaver
Location: Roanoke Ridge (East New Hanover), South of the Elysian Pool. Follow Kamassa River past Butcher Creek.
Drops: Legendary Beaver Pelt and Legendary Beaver Tooth
Garments: Legendary Beaver Flop Hat, Legendary Beaver Gloves, and Beaver Tooth Trinket.
After “Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego,” other Legendary Animals are accessible. Not all of them are, but many can now be hunted. The Legendary Beaver is one of them.
The Legendary Beaver is located south of the Elysian Pool in Roanoke Ridge. Unlike the Legendary Bear above, this one isn’t going to tear your throat out, so you can feel a little safer while tracking it. The beaver spawns by the river. It’s bright white and should be easier to recognize than other beavers in the area. It’s not as sturdy as the predators in this list and should go down with one good hit.
The Legendary Big Horn Ram
Location: Grizzlies West, by Cattail Pond
Drops: Legendary Ram Hide and Legendary Ram Horn
Garments: Legendary Ram Batwing Chaps, Legendary Ram Hat, Legendary Ram Rifleman Gloves, Legendary Buck Vest, and the Ram Horn Trinket.
The Legendary Big Horn Ram is located Northwest of Valentine near Cattail Pond. As with the other animals, the Legendary Ram has a lighter coat and is larger than the rest, and will be easy to spot if there are others of the same species in the area. In Eagle Eye, while tracking it, it will flash once it spawns. The Ram drops several items that can be crafted into different parts of garment sets. Because it can be used for multiple things, consider planning which set you want before crafting.
The Legendary Boar
Location: Bluewater Marsh, North of Lagras.
Drops: Legendary Boar Pelt and Legendary Boar Tusk.
Garments: Legendary Boar & Bison Fowlers, Legendary Boar Flop Hat, Boar Tusk Talisman.
The Legendary Boar can be found in Bluewater Marsh. As an herbivore, it won’t attack you like many of the others on the list. The Legendary Boar is bigger and lighter than others around it to help distinguish it from the herd. Head to Lagras and then continue north along the road. Watch for gators.
The Legendary Buck
Location: Black Bone Forest in Big Valley, northwest of Strawberry.
Drops: Legendary Buck Pelt and Legendary Buck Antler
Garments: Legendary Buck & Fox Range Gloves, Legendary Buck Vest, and Buck Antler Trinket.
In terms of looks, the Legendary Buck is the best. This Legendary Animal is a piebald buck with white and brown splattered fur. He can be found in Big Valley, northwest of Strawberry. Big Valley covers a wide area on the map, and the Buck should be near Black Bone Forest, located north of Owanjila but south of Little Creek River. As this is a beautiful animal, make use of photo mode and snap some cool pictures before taking it down.
The Legendary Bullgator
Location: Bayou Nwa
Drops: Legendary Alligator Skin and Legendary Alligator Tooth
Garments: Legendary Alligator Fowlers, Legendary Alligator Vest, Legendary Alligator Gambler’s Hat, and Alligator Tooth Talisman.
The Legendary Bullgator is another Legendary Animal locked behind a content wall. It appears in the Chapter 4 mission “Country Pursuits” when it attacks the gang in the swamp. As with the Legendary Bear, the mission introduces the players to the Bullgator and encourages them to come prepared.
Once the mission is completed, players can hunt the Bullgator. It should be easy to recognize after playing the mission. The Bullgator is a massive albino alligator that roams Bayou Nwa. As it is a predator, it is dangerous and will charge the player. It is more durable than the other gators in the area and will take many more shots to kill, so be ready if it charges you. The size and speed of the gator can quickly overpower an unprepared player.
The Legendary Cougar
Location: Gaptooth Ridge, New Austin
Drops: Legendary Cougar Pelt and Legendary Cougar Fang
Garments: Legendary Cougar and Wolf Vest, Legendary Cougar Riding Gloves, Legendary Cougar Flop Hat, and Cougar’s Fang Trinket.
The Legendary Cougar is also locked behind a content wall, but not in the same way that the Bear and Bullgator are. The Cougar can only be found in New Austin. Without using cheats or exploiting a glitch, New Austin is only available to the player in the Epilogue.
Cougars are dangerous enough in Red Dead Redemption 2, and the Legendary Cougar is the king. This hostile cat will not hesitate to charge the player hunting it. Be ready to defend yourself if you don’t kill it before your Dead Eye ends. The Legendary Cougar is located in Gaptooth Ridge, east of Tumbleweed, in the farthest corner of the map. Previous Legendary Animals are marked by their white coats, but the Legendary Cougar sports black fur, which makes it all the more fun if you happen to be hunting it at night.
The Legendary Coyote
Location: Scarlet Meadows, Lemoyne
Drops: Legendary Coyote Pelt and Legendary Coyote Fang
Garments: Legendary Coyote Mountain Hat, Legendary Coyote Half Chaps, and the Coyote Fang Trinket.
Compared to other predators, the Legendary Coyote is docile. It spawns in the Scarlet Meadows region of Lemoyne. The Legendary Coyote is a large, black coyote roaming around the dried riverbed in the Scarlet Meadows area. Once you find the first clue, the tracks should keep you close to that ravine until the animal spawns.
The Legendary Elk
Location: Cumberland Forest
Drops: Legendary Elk Pelt and Legendary Elk Antler
Garments: Legendary Elk Moccasins, Legendary Elk Half Chaps, Legendary Elk Range Gloves, and Elk Antler Trinket.
The Legendary Elk is a huge, white elk located in the Cumberland Forest northeast of Valentine. The Elk will spawn near the forest’s edge by Bacchus Station and Fort Wallace. The terrain is rough with mountains, rocks, and cliffs, so traversing it might be an issue. The Elk will take several shots to kill but isn’t hard to take down.
The Legendary Fox
Location: Mattock Pond in Lemoyne
Drops: Legendary Fox Pelt and Legendary Fox Claw
Garments: Legendary Fox Moccasins, Legendary Buck & Fox Range Gloves, and Fox Claw Trinket
A small, white, and docile animal, the Legendary Fox spawns by Mattock Pond in the Scarlet Meadows region of Lemoyne. The pond is located a little north of Rhodes. Because of its size, it’s not difficult to hunt and will not attack. The white coat will stand out against the foliage of the forest. This is one of the easier Legendary Animals.
The Legendary Moose
Location: Roanoke Ridge, northmost part of the map, past Brandywine Drop
Drops: Legendary Moose Pelt and Legendary Moose Antler
Garments: Legendary Moose Hunting Jacket, Legendary Moose Moccasins, and Moose Antler Trinket
Thankfully, unlike a real moose, Red Dead Redemption 2’s moose will not charge the player. This massive megafauna is found well above Annesburg, past Brandywine Drop in Roanoke Ridge. The clues will lead players back and forth over the railroad tracks until it appears on the north side by the water. Other moose and Elk may appear in the area.
The Legendary Moose is marked by its huge size, massive antlers, and shining white coat. It can tank a lot of shots and, if not killed right away, will run. Just be thankful it’s more docile than the actual animal and won’t put its size to use.
The Legendary Pronghorn
Location: Rio Bravo, by Rio Del Lobo Rock
Drops: Legendary Pronghorn Hide and Legendary Pronghorn Horn
Garments: Legendary Pronghorn Coat, Legendary Pronghorn Range Gloves, Pronghorn Horn Trinket
The Legendary Pronghorn can only be hunted after the first chapter of the Epilogue without using exploits or mods. Tracking the Legendary Pronghorn is the same as other herbivores but with a change of scenery. Pronghorn spawn in abundance in New Austin. The Legendary Pronghorn can be distinguished by its size and pure white coat. Some standard pronghorn spawn with lighter-than-average coats, but will not appear white.
The Legendary Tatanka Bison
Location: Hennigan’s Stead, Southeast of MacFarlane’s Ranch
Drops: Legendary Bison Tatanka Bison Pelt and Legendary Tatanka Bison Horn
Garments: Legendary boar & Bison Fowlers, Legendary Bison Wing Chaps, Legendary Bison Vest, Tatanka Bison Horn Trinket
Because the Legendary Tatanka Bison is also located in New Austin, the animal cannot be hunted until after completing the first chapter of the Epilogue, “The Wheel.” If players have already hunted previous animals available earlier, they will be familiar with the process of finding the Bison. The tracks are sometimes hard to see and toggling Eagle Eye will help players find the trail. Unlike the White Bison in the north, the Tatanka Bison is black and hidden within the foliage and shadows.
The Legendary White Bison
Location: Grizzlies West, North of Lake Isabella
Drops: Legendary White Bison Pelt and Legendary Bison Horn
Garments: Legendary White Bison Hat, Legendary White Bison Coat, Bison Horn Talisman
The Legendary White Bison has an added challenge of temperature. Be ready with your best cold-weather outfit. The Bison spawns north of Lake Isabella in the snowy mountains of Grizzlies West. The animal is massive with dark, off-white fur. And since other Bison don’t spawn in the area, it will be easy to spot. Watch for wolves.
The Legendary Wolf
Location: Grizzlies East, near the geysers at Cotorra Springs
Drops: Legendary Wolf Pelt and Legendary Wolf Heart
Garments: Legendary Cougar & Wolf Vest, Legendary Wolf Bat Wings Chaps, Wolf Heart Trinket
The Legendary Wolf spawns in Cotorra Springs, and the geysers in Grizzlies East. It’s best to track it slowly and perhaps cover your scent with items, as the wolf is more than glad to put up a fight. The wolf will howl and crouch before it attacks, giving players plenty of cues to prepare themselves. Since there’s not a lot of cover by the geysers, you should have a clear shot of the animal. The fur is darker than the average wolf.
The Legendary Giaguaro Panther
Location: Scarlet Meadows, Lemoyne, by Shady Belle
Drops: Legendary Panther Pelt and Legendary Panther Eye
Garments: Legendary Panther Cloak, Legendary Panther Range Gloves, Panther’s Eye Trinket
The Giaguaro Panther appears last on the list because it is part of a challenge. The only way to access the animal is to reach rank nine in the Master Hunter Challenge. The final task for this challenge is hunting the panther. Upon killing the panther, players will reach rank 10 in the Master Hunter Challenge.
The Giaguaro Panther is more difficult than the others. Unlike previous Legendary Animals that wait in the open for the player, the Giaguaro Panther is hidden in the foliage and will try to attack the player. Even the keenest eyes may struggle to spot it thanks to the amount of cover and its dark coat. It should run at the player, but if its first attack doesn’t kill, it is vulnerable to weapons as it repositions for another strike.
These are all of the Legendary Animals in Red Dead Redemption 2. I recommend tracking them down in your own time, breaking through to tracking them down in reasonable chunks because this entire process can be overwhelming, and is meant to be a journey rather than a heavy sprint.
