Looted food runs out, but hunted food does not have to: a deer, a few rabbits, or a day of ice fishing can feed you for days if you cook the meat, store it correctly, and never eat it raw. This guide covers the three food sources in the order you will actually use them: rabbits first, deer second, and fish whenever you find open ice and a line.
At a glance
First prey: rabbits (stones and snares), then deer (rifle or bow)
Fishing needs: a line, a hook, and a hole in the ice
Rule: cook all meat; raw meat risks parasites and poisoning
Storage: cold preserves meat outdoors; heat and time spoil it
Checked: 2026-10-25
Quick answer
Rabbits are your first hunt: quiet, close, and one stone can do it.
Deer need a rifle or bow and a clean shot. A wounded deer runs, and you must follow the blood.
Never eat raw predator meat. It can give you intestinal parasites.
Cook in batches at one fire and store the rest outside in the cold.
1. Rabbits first: the beginner hunt
A rabbit is small, quiet, and everywhere near brush and buildings. You hunt rabbits by throwing stones at close range or by setting snares, which are simple traps that catch rabbits over time. The stone method teaches you the core hunting skill: move slowly, crouch, watch the wind, and throw only when you are close enough that a miss is unlikely. A rabbit gives little meat, but it gives it reliably, and reliability is what a beginner needs most.
After a kill, harvest the carcass for meat and hide. Harvesting takes time and leaves you exposed, so do it near shelter or with a clear view around you, and carry the meat home before dark. Blood and carcasses attract predators, so never field-dress a large animal in a place you plan to sleep.
2. Deer: the rifle and bow hunt
Deer are the first big game most players hunt. They are skittish, so approach from downwind and from cover, crouch, and wait for a clean, close shot. A rifle is forgiving at range; a bow is quiet and its arrows can be recovered, but it demands closer range and steadier aim. If your shot wounds the deer, it will flee and bleed, and you must follow the blood trail patiently. A lost deer is wasted calories and a lesson: never shoot beyond the range you can hit reliably.
3. Ice fishing: slow, safe, and steady
Fishing needs a fishing line and a hook, and a hole in the ice on a frozen lake or pond, which you make with a tool at a prepared fishing hut or by breaking the ice yourself. Fishing takes in-game hours, so it is a daytime activity best done when you already have a fire or shelter nearby. Fish are a steady, renewable food source, and fishing also trains a skill that improves your catch over time. The trade-off is exposure: sitting on open ice in wind and cold drains Warmth, so fish in short sessions and warm up between them.
4. Cooking: the rule that prevents poisoning
Cook all meat before eating it. Raw meat can cause food poisoning, and meat from predators such as wolves and bears can additionally cause intestinal parasites, a serious illness that needs specific treatment. Cooking at a fire or stove also improves the calories you get from food as your Cooking skill rises, and it turns unsafe water into safe water by boiling. Packaged food found while looting has a condition percentage: fresh packaged food is safe, but ruined packaged food can poison you, so check before you eat.
Swipe horizontally to view all columns.
| Food | Cook? | Risk if raw or ruined |
|---|---|---|
Rabbit and deer meat | Yes, always | Food poisoning |
Wolf and bear meat | Yes, always | Food poisoning and intestinal parasites |
Fish | Yes | Food poisoning |
Packaged food, fresh | No | Safe |
Packaged food, ruined | No, do not eat | Food poisoning |
5. Storing meat: cold is your refrigerator
Great Bear is cold, and cold preserves food. Meat stored outdoors in freezing temperatures lasts far longer than meat kept warm indoors, and cooked meat lasts longer than raw meat. The practical system is: cook a large batch at one fire, eat what you need, and store the rest outside near your base in a container or on the ground where you can find it again. Meat still decays over time, so eat the oldest stored meat first and never carry a week of meat on a long trip when a day of meat will do.
6. When food runs out: the emergency menu
Every player runs out of food eventually, usually far from base. The emergency menu, in order, is: eat the packaged food you are carrying, fish or hunt rabbits near where you are, and only then consider eating low-condition food and accepting the risk. Starving for a short time only drains Condition slowly, so a calm walk to the nearest building with food beats a panicked sprint into unknown territory. The worst choice is eating ruined food out of impatience when a safe meal is one building away.
7. A week of food, planned
A realistic week looks like this. Days one to two: live on looted packaged food while you learn your starting region. Days three to four: add rabbits and your first fish, and start cooking in batches. Day five onward: take your first deer when you have a rifle and a safe place to harvest it, and build an outdoor meat store at base. From there, food stops being a daily crisis and becomes a stockpile you check each morning, which is exactly when the game gets fun.
FAQ
Can I eat raw meat in an emergency?
You can, but it risks food poisoning, and predator meat risks parasites. A short fast is safer than a poisoning that drains Condition for days, so eat raw only when no cooked food or safe alternative exists.
Where is the best place to fish?
Any frozen lake with a fishing hut or a place to break ice, near a shelter you can warm up in. The hut matters more than the lake: warmth between sessions is what makes fishing sustainable.
Does meat go bad in the cold?
Yes, but much more slowly outdoors in freezing weather than indoors. Cooked meat keeps longest, and the oldest stored meat should always be eaten first.